theaussieword.com meets Gabriella Cilmi! Well I hail from Melbourne Australia…and somehow 7 years ago I ended up in London. I can’t remember where it began to be honest…I started out playing the piano…my piano teacher then went on to tell me I had no musicality. It wasn’t a promising beginning. I had always felt a connection to singers such as Janis Joplin and Tina Turner, they were my kind of poster girls. You could hear their hearts on their sleeves when they performed. I guess they inspired me to pursue music…I loved Robert Plant too… I practiced weekly in a garage with boys from the school around the corner playing covers when I was about 13
What had you first interested in music?
I remember a moment watching a video of Cat Stevens performing “Father and Son” and thinking I love how music and songs make me feel. I’d love to make other people feel the way I do when I listen to music.
Who motivates or influences your quest to make great music?
I feel like I can be honest when I write music and say things I wouldn’t normally have the courage to say. I hope other people can relate to my music.
Do you have any planned tours coming up?
Hopefully after the summer I will have some kind of tour. I love playing live and it feels ages since I’ve played with a full band, I miss it a lot.
What are some of your biggest goals you hope to accomplish as an artist?
I would love to play my own show at the Royal Albert Hall in London…and perform a Johnny Cash tribute at Madison Square Garden
What can fans expect from you in the coming months?
More music!! An Album dropping in October! Yeah the main thing is more tunes!
Success, what is the secret to it and what has been your biggest career highlight so far?
The secret to success…I guess I’m still trying to figure that out. Having blind faith never hurts I guess. The biggest highlight of my career so far has been playing the main stage at Glastonbury. Oh I also remember a time when “Sweet About Me” had just come out , I was booked to perform at T in the Park. I peaked my head inside the tent and it looked like no one was coming to see me… Five minutes later when I actually went on stage the tent was full! That was pretty amazing.
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring?
Tina Turner – she is a force of nature. What an amazing career, her energy is powerful. Robert Plant – From Led Zeppelin to his duo with Alison Krauss…I love everything he does
How would you best describe you and your music to your fans?
Atmospheric soul I guess. Ah this question is tricky! It’s inspired by everything from Portishead and Tricky to Sade and Radiohead and Tarantino movie soundtracks. I really wanted the sound to fit the lyrics. Eliot James produced the record and the collaboration between us both kind of gave it a cinematic quality.
What can you tell us about your latest album?
I started writing it about 3 years ago…I needed a clean slate after my record TEN so I left my old management and label…it was tricky at first I didn’t know were to begin. I had become really close with my live band so I started writing with them . “Vicious love” came about sometime in 2011 and thats when I felt like I was on the right track.My friend brought me over a book about Italian Neorealism. I was inspired by Neorealism photography and the beauty that could be found even in the poverty…I wanted to find the beauty in the past experiences that made me so mad.
Are there any new exciting projects in the works?
I’m collaborating with my little brother on some new material. He’s quite talented but don’t tell him that haha
The music industry is huge, where do you see yourself a few years from now?
Making more music. I look at the career of someone like say Scott Walker and I think to myself I wouldn’t mind having that kind of freedom in my music.
Name a few of your favourite Aussie artists.
The Divinyls – Chrissy Amphlett what a legend we lost this year… Temper trap are great, I think Tame Impala are awesome too. Gotye… I also think Kasey Chambers has had an awesome career.
The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye?
Social Media is the best way to get new stuff out quick. I could literally write a song and post it online that day. It’s spontaneous and exciting and I’m all for embracing it. I can also connect with the people who like my music so thats pretty cool. The music industry has changed but everything evolves. I still love my CDS and you know, I still buy vinyl… I do love to have the physical copies of albums …but I mean i tunes is still great and I get a bit impatient when I want to hear something right that second.
Thank you for the interview! What can you leave fans of theaussieword.com with here today?
Hope you enjoy my record “The Sting”…thats all really x