Gabriella Cilmi (ironically pronounced “chill-me”) is the hottest thing to come out of Australia right now, and she is now looking to take over the U.S. She has already won 6 trophies in the ARIA Awards (Australian Recording Industry Association), which is the equivalent to our Grammy Awards. Some of the categories she took home the hardware were “Best Female Artist” and “Breakthrough Artist of the Year”. Gabriella has sold a ton of records overseas, and VH1 has her as a “You Oughta Know” artist for 2009. She will be visiting us next week for SXSW, in her quest to take over the world…and to be honest, I think she can. Her voice is strangely similar to Amy Winehouse; however, her tracks have a more pop-like sound that is infectious. These are songs that both young and old can enjoy. So take a listen to my catch entitled “Sweet About Me” from Ms. Cilmi, and be sure to get her first album, Lessons to Be Learned, which drops here in the U.S. on 3/17. But let me fill you in on a mind-blowing fact about Gabriella…she is only 17 years old (which is even more jaw dropping after you listen to her voice, and the entire album)!!! Enjoy.
