It’s been 13 years since Gabriella Cilmi last released an album, but the voice behind Sweet About Me is finally back with Pure Love.
And while many of us will remember Gabriella as the teenager who burst onto the charts in 2008, her new album is a chance to hear the music she’s always wanted to make.
Blending soul, jazz and classic rock, Pure Love draws on the artists Gabriella grew up listening to, including Carole King, Roberta Flack and Janis Joplin.
Interestingly, it was watching an old video of herself performing The Rolling Stones’ Jumping Jack Flash at just 12 years old that helped her work out what she wanted this album to sound like.
“For a long time I wasn’t sure what kind of record I wanted to make,” Gabriella explains. “I spent years running away from myself, believing the key to this album was abandoning my past.”
But seeing that younger version of herself singing with so much enthusiasm reminded her why she’d wanted to make music in the first place.
“It reconnected me with her, her joy, and the music that made me want to sing in the first place.”
Gabriella was signed to a record deal at just 13, before Sweet About Me turned her into an international star. She went on to win six ARIA Awards, release three albums and spend much of her teenage years performing around the world.
It’s easy to forget just how young she was when all of that was happening.
Looking back at those experiences became an important part of making Pure Love, particularly the challenges she faced as a young woman trying to find her place in the music industry.
On Too Far Gone, Gabriella revisits the criticism she received when she began standing up for herself, including being told that it wasn’t very ladylike to put up a fight.
No To A King also addresses the power imbalances she experienced during those early years, while No Apologies moves towards the happiness of being accepted for who you are.
There’s a rather sweet story behind Love Me Like It’s The End Of The World too, with Gabriella taking inspiration from her partner’s love of disaster movies.
The album’s latest focus track, What We Do, is about accepting that nobody gets everything right all the time. With gospel-inspired backing vocals and a soulful arrangement, it reflects on making mistakes, learning from them and recognising that good intentions still matter.
Gabriella recorded Pure Love with producer Peter Miles at Middle Farm Studios in Devon, taking a much more relaxed approach to the recording process.
Instead of recording everything separately and trying to perfect every detail, the musicians played together in one room, recording live to tape and allowing themselves room to experiment.
“Learning to let go of perfection in the recording process was a big part of it too,” she says. “We recorded to tape, with the whole band together in one room, and I really think that helped us capture an extra piece of magic.”
Gabriella has also been spending plenty of time back on stage this year.
She’s performed at The Great Escape, joined Jack Savoretti and Katherine Jenkins for a BRITs Week show supporting War Child and toured the UK as a special guest to Beverley Knight.
An Australian headline tour begins next week, before she returns to the UK for six intimate shows in November, including a London date at Bush Hall.
For anyone who grew up listening to Sweet About Me, it’s lovely to have Gabriella releasing music again. But Pure Love also gives listeners the opportunity to get to know her beyond the songs that made her famous as a teenager.
Gabriella Cilmi – November 2026 UK Tour Dates
- 19 November – Leeds, Hyde Park Book Club
- 20 November – Edinburgh, The Cabaret Voltaire
- 21 November – Newcastle, Head of Steam
- 22 November – Manchester, Night and Day
- 24 November – London, Bush Hall
- 26 November – Birmingham, Dead Wax
Pure Love is out now, with physical editions including signed CDs, black vinyl and a special signed Goldy Locks vinyl available through Gabriella’s official store!
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