Gabriella Cilmi

Gabriella Cilmi signed to Mushroom Records at just 13, telling school friends she’d been “on holiday in Brisbane” while travelling between Melbourne and London, being courted by record labels and in and out of studios making music. By 16, she had an international smash with ‘Sweet About Me’, a number 1 in multiple countries, Top 10 across Europe and Australia, and the UK’s most-played song of that year.

This whirlwind of early success wasn’t without its pressures and after releasing two albums to international acclaim, the demands and expectations took their toll and created a disconnect from what Gabriella loved most, making music.

The years that followed saw Gabriella living in London, writing with other artists, appearing as a guest vocalist on friends records and popping up on stages around the world all the while searching for her voice again. Lockdown in 2020 became the catalyst for reconnection — with her past, her mental health, and the joy of making music again.

That journey has led to Pure Love, recorded with a full band, live to tape with producer Peter Miles (Orla Gartland, Dodie) at Middle Farm Studios in Devon, England, on a Harvest Moon of 2024. It’s raw, it’s unfiltered, and it’s free of perfectionism, the new album is a powerful return to the artist Gabriella was always meant to be.

“Pure Love was about unlearning everything I’d known, throwing away perfectionism and trying to please people. This record is just me – unfiltered and raw.”

THE GREAT ESCAPE 2026 SHOWCASES

Friday 15 May
The Hope & Ruin
1:30pm