//Limelight Spotlight: Gabriella Cilmi//

The teen music scene is crowded with new budding stars. Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, and Demi Lovato all spring to mind when you think of what’s hot in teen pop. But they’re all about to fade into the background–or at least they’ll want to out of sheer intimidation–when Australian-born Gabriella Cilmi hits the US.

While most of her peers look to Mariah Carey or Britney Spears for inspiration, 17-year-old Cilmi (pronounced Chill-Me) counts Janis Joplin, Nina Simone, and Cat Stevens as her major influences–and it shows. Her sultry, powerful voice belies her tender age. One minute it’s sweet and pure, the next it fractures with soul and passion. It’s no wonder why she’s being compared to a young (sober and drug-free!) Amy Winehouse.

Her mix of pop, rock, and soul is already gaining Gabriella a huge following in her native Australia and in the UK. Just this year she swept the ARIA (Australia Recording Industry Association) Awards, winning six awards for her debut album Lessons To Be Learned. The album features the very Winehouse-like first single, the insanely catchy “Sweet About Me,” and the majestic “Sanctuary.”

America will get a chance to fall in love with this Aussie treasure in March of 2009 when Lessons to Be Learned is released stateside. Get to know Gabriella now; she’s sure to be one of the most promising new artists of ‘09. Even though she says there’s “nothing sweet about me” in her hit single, a young artist with this much talent is pretty damn sweet.

Sweet About Me

Watch the video for “Sanctuary”

Visit Gabriella’s official myspace page

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