Gabriella Cilmi burst onto the global stage in 2008 with “Sweet About Me”, a smoky self-penned pop-soul anthem that defied her age and clocked in at No. 1 in multiple countries, spending a staggering 37 weeks in the UK Top 40.

At just 17, the Australian-born, London-based artist had already collected six ARIA Awards, a BRIT nomination, and slots at Glastonbury and Jools Holland, a dizzying ascent that few could have predicted, least of all Gabriella herself. But success that arrives too soon often asks a cost. Gabriella felt like she’d lost her way. So, she stepped back and pressed reset.

Her 2013 album The Sting marked a recalibration: looser, darker, more personal. It was a shedding of skin, a return to writing songs not for anyone else, but for herself. That same spirit carried into 2019’s The Water EP, steeped in the warm, analogue soul of Muscle Shoals and classic Americana.

2025 saw a welcome return to live performance with an Australian tour supporting The Corrs, and with a new collection of music rooted in sharp, classic songwriting and soulful truth in the works, Cilmi’s creative compass feels sharper and more independent than ever.