Gabriella Cilmi
Gabriella Cilmi |
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Gabriella Lucia Cilmi[2] (Template:Pron-en, CHIL-mee[3]) (born 10 October 1991) is an Australian singer-songwriter. She is best known for her debut single "Sweet About Me", released in Australia in April 2008.
In 2008, Cilmi was awarded six ARIA awards including Single of the Year and Best Female Artist. Her debut album, Lessons to Be Learned was released in 2008, and was a worldwide success. Most recently, she has released a second studio album, Ten.
Early life
nothings sweet about me....nuff said
Musical career
2005–2009: Lessons to Be Learned
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/Gabriella_Cilmi_at_the_Godiva_Festival.jpg/220px-Gabriella_Cilmi_at_the_Godiva_Festival.jpg)
The tracks "Don't Tell Me" and "Sorry", co-written with Barbara and Adrian Hannan, appeared on the soundtrack of 2005 Australian film Hating Alison Ashley.[4] Cilmi shares a manager (Cassandra Gracey), writer/producers (Xenomania) and UK record label (Island) with the Sugababes, and supported former Sugababe Mutya Buena at the Jazz Café in London in 2007. She made her UK TV debut in December 2007 when she sang her single "Sweet About Me" on Later... with Jools Holland. The same month, Cilmi's song "Sanctuary" featured in the film St Trinian's and on its soundtrack. Cilmi recorded the theme to UK TV series Echo Beach, which aired in early 2008 on ITV1; it is a cover of "Echo Beach" by Martha and the Muffins. In February 2008, she supported the Parisian band Nouvelle Vague on their UK tour.
Cilmi's first album, Lessons to Be Learned, was written and recorded with hit production team Xenomania and was released in March 2008 in the UK. Cilmi has been compared to Amy Winehouse.[5] The first single, "Sweet About Me", debuted on the UK Singles Chart that month and climbed to number six three months later, in June. It reached number seventeen on the Irish Singles Chart, and peaked at number one on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. The song was used in a worldwide advertising campaign for the deodorant Sure/Rexona.[6] Cilmi's second UK single, "Save the Lies", was not as successful as "Sweet About Me", peaking at number thirty-three in the UK. In Australia, the second single from the album was "Don't Wanna Go to Bed Now", which reached number twenty-eight. The subsequent single, "Sanctuary", was issued in November 2008 and failed to chart.
From March to May 2008, Cilmi supported the Sugababes on their UK Change Tour. She opened for James Blunt on his June 2008 Australian tour, and participated in the October 2008 MTV Greece concert alongside R.E.M. and Kaiser Chiefs. Also in 2008, Cilmi won six ARIA Awards in Australia, taking Best Female Artist, Breakthrough Artist: Single ("Sweet About Me"), Breakthrough Artist: Album (Lessons to Be Learned), Best Pop Release (Lessons to Be Learned), Highest Selling Single ("Sweet About Me"), and Single of the Year ("Sweet About Me"). Cilmi covered a Connie Francis song, "Warm This Winter", for Co-operative's Christmas 2008 advertising campaign;[7] released as a single, it reached number twenty-two on the UK Singles Chart. In January 2009, Cilmi was nominated in the International Female category at the BRIT Awards[8] and sang in the Rod Laver Arena before the 2009 Australian Open Men's Final.
Cilmi performed at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 2009 for Sound Relief, a multi-venue rock music concert in support of relief for the Victorian bushfire crisis.[9][10] The event was held simultaneously with a concert at the Sydney Cricket Ground.[9] All the proceeds from the Melbourne Concert will go to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire relief.[9][10] Cilmi made her U.S. television debut in March 2009 and performed on the Pyramid (main) stage at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2009. The following August, she won Grand Prix at Sopot International Song Festival, an international song contest in Poland.
2010–present: Ten
Cilmi debuted a new single, "On a Mission", in January 2010. It was released in February 2010 in Australia, reaching number sixteen, and the following month in the UK, where it peaked at number nine.
Cilmi's second studio album, Ten, was released in March 2010. According to Cilmi, the album features "lots of uptempo funk and disco-inspired numbers designed to make people groove" as well as "some more sexy tracks". One song incorporates a type of yodel into it.[11]
While producing the album, Cilmi worked with Greg Kurstin, The Invisible Men and Dallas Austin, as well as Xenomania on the song "Hearts Don't Lie" which she likens to a Bee Gees song. The track "Love Me 'Cause You Want To" is the song she's most proud of due to the fact it was produced with her band.[11] It features production from Xenomania, Dallas Austin and Greg Kurstin, and bears an electropop sound in contrast to her first album. Ten was not as successful as Lessons to Be Learned, reaching number seventeen in Australia and number twenty-eight in the UK. The second single, "Hearts Don't Lie", was released in June 2010 in the UK.[12][13] The third single, "Defender", was released in August 2010 accompanied by a B-side track, "Magic Carpet Ride". Cilmi supported British artist Leona Lewis on the UK leg of her 2010 The Labyrinth Tour.
Cilmi has announced that she is working on a third studio album that will be released sometime in 2011. She is aiming for a more pop/rock sound.
Vocal ability
Cilmi has a Contralto[1] vocal range and has been compared to that of Anastacia and Amy Winehouse[14] for her vocal style. Cilmi also discovered her sound was partly caused by a back problem known as Hollow Back or Lordosis which affects the way in which she uses her diaphragm muscles when singing, producing a more throaty sound.[14]
Discography
- Lessons to Be Learned (2008)
- Ten (2010)
Tours
- Headline
- 2008 – Lessons to Be Learnt Tour
- As supporting act
- 2008 – Sugababes – Change Tour (Selected Dates)
- 2010 – Leona Lewis – The Labyrinth (UK Dates Only)[15]
Awards and nominations
Year | Type | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | ARIA Music Awards | Breakthrough Single | Won |
Breakthrough Album | Won | ||
Highest Selling Single | Won | ||
Best Pop release | Won | ||
Best Female Artist | Won | ||
Single Of The Year | Won | ||
Q Awards | Breakthrough Artist | Nominated | |
MTV Europe Music Awards | Breakthrough Artist | Shortlisted | |
2009 | BRIT Awards | Best International Female Artist | Nominated |
Echo Awards | Best International Newcomer | Nominated | |
Sopot International Song Festival 2009 | Best Performer | Won | |
2010 | ARIA Music Awards | Most Popular Australian Single ("On A Mission")[16] | Nominated |
Television appearances
- Hating Alison Ashley (2005) Performer of "Don't Tell Me"[disambiguation needed] and "Sorry[disambiguation needed]
- Later... with Jools Holland (1 episode, "#30.7", 2007) .... Herself
- Echo Beach (unknown episodes, 2008) Soundtrack
- This Morning (1 episode, "14 February 2008", 2008) .... Herself and Singer
- Saturday Disney (1 episode, "Mothers, Muck, Music and Manners!", 2008) .... Herself
- The National Lottery: Big 7 (2008) (TV) .... Herself
- Wetten, dass..? (1 episode, "4 October 2008") .... Herself
- Today Show (1 episode, "27 October 2008" .... Herself
- GMTV (1 episode, "29 October 2008" .... Herself and Singer
- Australian Idol (1 episode, "Top 7 Verdict", 2008) .... Herself
- Never Mind the Buzzcocks (1 episode, "#22.6", 2008) .... Herself
- Star Academy (1 episode, "31 October 2008", 2008) .... Herself
- The Xtra Factor (2 episodes, "#5.17" and "#5.18") .... Herself
- Loose Women (1 episode, "#14.48", 2008) .... Herself and performer
- City Homicide (1 episode) .... as Claudette Wyms
- TV total (1 episode, "11 November 2008", 2008) .... Herself
- Hollyoaks (1 episode, #1.2367, 2008) "Sweet About Me"
- Other People's Breast Milk (2008) (TV) Performer of "Sweet About Me"
- Lipstick Jungle (1 episode, "Chapter Nine: Help!", 2008) Performer of "Sweet About Me"
- 90210 (1 episode, That Which We Destroy", 2008) "Save the Lies" (uncredited)
- Divas II (2008) (TV) .... Herself and performer of "Sweet About Me" (uncredited)
- Top of the Pops (2008) (TV New Years Special) .... Performer of "Sweet About Me"
- The L Word (1 episode, "Long Night's Journey Into Day", 2009) "Awkward Game" (uncredited)
- The Paul O'Grady Show (2009) (TV) .... Performer with Enrique Iglesias
- Loose Women (2009) (TV) .... Performer] with Enrique Iglesias
- Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (24 March 2009) ... Herself
- Let's Dance for Sport Relief (27 February 2010) .... Performer
- GMTV (11 March 2010) .... Performer
- The Alan Titchmarsh Show (22 March 2010) .... Performer
- Popstars: Girls forever (9 September 2010) ... Performer/Vocal coach
Other appearances
In May 2010, Cilmi posed topless for FHM magazine.[17]
References
- ^ a b Review: Gabriella Cilmi – Save The Lies
- ^ Warner Chappell Music entry
- ^ Gabriella Cilmi on make-up Video clip in which Gabriella Cilmi pronounces her own name
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
autogenerated1
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Is Gabriella Cilmi the new Amy Winehouse?", The Times Online, 10 February 2008
- ^ http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2008/gabriella-sweet-about-me-in-commercials/
- ^ http://christmas.co-operative.coop/gabriella.php Gabriella Cilmi – That's the spirit
- ^ http://www.capitalradio.co.uk/music-showbiz/music/brits-2009/gabriella-cilmi/ Gabriella Cilmi interview at the BRITs nomination party.
- ^ a b c Brumby, John (24 February 2009). "Artists Unite For 'Sound Relief' Bushfire Benefit – Premier of Victoria, Australia". Premier of Victoria. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Geraldine (24 February 2009). "Coldplay, Kings of Leon to headline bushfire relief concerts". Herald Sun. The Herald and Weekly Times. Retrieved 25 February 2009. [dead link]
- ^ a b Nick Levine (12 January 2010). "Interview – Exclusive: Gabriella Cilmi". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Gabriella+Cilmi&titel=Ten&cat=a
- ^ http://www.chartstats.com/albuminfo.php?id=14693
- ^ a b http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/health/article-23842913-gabriella-cilmi-back-in-tune.do
- ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a214569/cilmi-confirmed-as-leona-tour-support.html
- ^ 2010 ARIA Nominations Announced Take 40 Australia (mcm entertainment). Retrieved 29 September 2010.
- ^ Hood, Stewart; Mosel, Guy (May 2010). "Hold me/Thrill me Cilmi". FHM. No. 145. pp. 62–70.
Sources
- Gabriella Cilmi poised to make a big splash Jack Foley, Indie London, March 2008
External links
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- Use dmy dates from August 2010
- Articles with links needing disambiguation from October 2010
- 1991 births
- Living people
- 2000s singers
- 2010s singers
- Australian female singers
- Australian child singers
- Australian jazz singers
- Women in jazz
- Blue-eyed soul singers
- Australian soul singers
- Australian singers of Italian descent
- Australian singer-songwriters
- Singers from Melbourne
- ARIA Award winners
- Island Records artists