Gabriella Cilmi was born in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong. Of Italian and Albanian heritage, she moved to London with her family when she was fifteen, where she currently lives with her parents Paula and Joe (whose origins are in Calabria and Sicily, Italy) and her brother Joseph.
At an early age, Cilmi developed an interest in a wide range of pop music acts, including Nina Simone, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, The Sweet, T. Rex and Cat Stevens. She has also cited Suzi Quatro as a particular influence. Despite her natural aptitude and vocal talent, Cilmi was told that she lacked the discipline necessary to pursue a singing career. Idolising Janis Joplin, during this time she sang with a band (Foucault) covering songs by Led Zeppelin, Jet, Silverchair and others. Cilmi recorded original songs with writer/producers Barbara and Adrian Hannan of The SongStore.
In 2004, Cilmi captured the attention of Warner Music executive Michael Parisi while giving an impromptu rendition of the Rolling Stones' song "Jumpin' Jack Flash" at the Lygon Street Festa, a community festival in Melbourne. At the age of 13, Cilmi travelled to the US and UK with Adrian Hannan and was offered four major US deals. She eventually signed a contract with Island Records UK.
Cilmi's first album, Lessons to Be Learned, was written and recorded with hit production team Xenomania and was released in March 2008 in the UK. Cilmi has been compared to Amy Winehouse. The first single, "Sweet About Me", debuted on the UK Singles Chart that month and climbed to number six three months later, in June. It reached number seventeen on the Irish Singles Chart, and peaked at number one on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. The song was used in a worldwide advertising campaign for the deodorant Sure/Rexona. Cilmi's second UK single, "Save the Lies", was not as successful as "Sweet About Me", peaking at number thirty-three in the UK. In Australia, the second single from the album was "Don't Wanna Go to Bed Now", which reached number twenty-eight. The subsequent single, "Sanctuary", was issued in November 2008 and failed to chart.
The lead single of Gabriella Cilmi's Ten is "On a Mission". It was released on 5 February 2010 in Australia and on 7 March 2010 in Europe. As soon as the song was broadcast on Australian radios, it reached number-one most added track to Australian radio in its second week of release, getting played 296 times. The song reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart and number sixteen in Australia.
The new album Ten was planned for 22 March 2010 and Cilmi said it would feature "lots of uptempo funk and disco-inspired numbers designed to make people groove", referring to "On a Mission", "Hearts Don't Lie", and "Love Me Cos", as well as "some more sexy tracks" probably referring to "Superhot" and "Invisible Girl". The song "Boys" incorporates a type of yodel into it. The song "Let Me Know" is described as the "Lessons To Be Learned-ish" song of the album.
It also features a new version of "Sweet About Me", with some disco/electronic style to show her music has changed.
While producing the album, Cilmi worked with Greg Kurstin, The Invisible Men and Dallas Austin, as well as Xenomania. She made her debuts in producing songs with the track "Love Me Cos", she says the song she is most proud of due to the fact it was produced with her band. It features production from Xenomania, Dallas Austin and Greg Kurstin, and bears an electropop sound in contrast to her first album, which had more of a pop/rock style.
By October 2010, Cilmi had already begun work on her third studio album. She has been quoted as saying: "It's totally exciting because I am spending a bit more time with this record. I want to see what works. I really love Dolly Parton, roots music, Tricky and Enya, so anything could happen."
On 20 January 2012, Cilmi released an acoustic version of a song from her album, "Vicious Love". It is played in a clip video where she sings with her band and walks around an Italian restaurant with sunglasses. Two days after the broadcast, she says: "This is an 'Acoustic-ish' version of a tune that will be on the new record, one that I love very much". The song has blues influences, contrasting the disco-inspired pop sound of Ten. Cilmi claims she felt pressured into adopting a more sexual image, which prompted her to part ways with Island Records and her management team. She also told the Herald Sun that the lacklustre commercial reception of her second album, Ten, taught her not to compromise herself or her music: "It was an awakening for me to realise the position I am in to make the record that I want to make and just stand up for myself."
On 22 January 2012, Cilmi explained how the song "Vicious Love" was inspired. She states: "If you've ever experienced any type of 'Vicious Love' you will know that sometimes despite all the arrows pointing to a dead end there is just no way out, there is no way back. But then again don't all roads lead to dead ends? Guess we should just enjoy the ride..."
In March 2013, Cilmi first performed "Sweet About Me", as well as two new songs "Come Wander With Me" and "Sweeter in History", at the Moxafrica Festival. On 15 March, the clip from her new single "Sweeter in History", is shown on her YouTube page. It was shot in Italy, precisely in Cassino and Valvori, Lazio. In July 2013, Cilmi announced a new track called "The Sting", released on 2 September as the album's lead single. The artwork of the single was revealed on 15 July 2013, picturing Cilmi in black and white, in front of a flower field. Cilmi's third studio album, The Sting, will be released on 4 November 2013 on her own UK-based imprint Sweetness Tunes, in association with Absolute Marketing & Distribution."Symmetry" is set to be released on 11 November as the album's second single.
Highway
Gabriella Cilmi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You couldn't love
What I've become
Now it seems you won't go my way
You split the seams
Inside of me
Light up the sky
Or I would die
In my sleep I had it my way
Selling me
I believe
And it tests me out
Tests me out
'cause you're bottled up inside
It tests me out
Tests me out
And a little of me dies
How does it feel when you take my life
Look in my eyes and then you tell me lies
How does it feel you used to be my friend
You win twice
I lose it all again
I like to dream along the skyline
And feel the rain
Pleases my pain
I see the light
But it burns through my eyes
I'm waiting stressed
Just like this stressed
And it tests me out
Tests me out
'cause you're bottled up inside
It tests me out
Tests me out
And a little of me dies
How does it feel when you take my life
Look in my eyes and then you tell me lies
How does it feel you used to be my friend
You win twice
I lose it all again
I lose it all again
(I lose it all again)
(Let you tell me lies)
How does it feel when you take my life
Look in my eyes and then you tell me lies
How does it feel you used to be my friend
You win twice
I lose it all again
How does it feel when you take my life
Look in my eyes and then you tell me lies
How does it feel you used to be my friend
You win twice
I lose it all again
The lyrics of Gabriella Cilmi's "Highway" paint a picture of someone who feels lost and alone after going through a difficult experience, possibly a breakup with a loved one. The song starts off with the singer stating that she has "lost [her] dreams along the highway", indicating that she has lost sight of her goals and aspirations. The next line, "You couldn't love what I've become", implies that her former partner didn't accept her for who she is now, possibly indicating that she changed in some way in their eyes. The chorus repeats the line "it tests me out" several times, further emphasizing the strain and struggle the singer is experiencing.
The second verse hints at the singer's vulnerability, as she describes a dream where she is being sold or taken advantage of in some way. She notes the "light" that she sees, but it is "burning through [her] eyes", indicating that even something positive can be overwhelming for her. The chorus repeats, and in the bridge and final chorus, the singer confronts her former friend or partner, asking them "how does it feel" to cause her pain and deception. She notes that they "win twice" and she "loses it all again", indicating a repeated pattern of hurt.
Overall, "Highway" by Gabriella Cilmi is a song that explores the theme of vulnerability after loss or heartbreak, with the chorus serving as a powerful refrain indicating the strain that it puts the singer under.
Line by Line Meaning
I've lost my dreams along the highway
I've lost sight of my aspirations due to the roadblocks and setbacks I encountered on my journey.
You couldn't love
What I've become
You're incapable of accepting the person I've developed into.
Now it seems you won't go my way
You split the seams
Inside of me
Now it appears that you won't share my path, and the disagreement is causing me to feel a sense of fragmentation.
Light up the sky
Or I would die
I need a beacon of hope and positivity to keep me alive, or else I risk falling into despair.
In my sleep I had it my way
Selling me
I believe
In my subconscious, I was able to fulfill my desires and it convinced me that it was true.
And it tests me out
Tests me out
'cause you're bottled up inside
It tests me out
Tests me out
And a little of me dies
It puts me to the test because you're keeping everything inside and it takes a toll on my well-being. It wears on me, and I gradually lose a bit of myself.
How does it feel when you take my life
Look in my eyes and then you tell me lies
How does it feel you used to be my friend
You win twice
I lose it all again
What does it feel like to manipulate and deceive me, looking me in the eyes the whole time? You used to be my ally, but you're now causing me to lose repeatedly while you win.
I like to dream along the skyline
And feel the rain
Pleases my pain
I enjoy daydreaming while looking at the horizon, and feeling the rain because it numbs my emotional pain.
I see the light
But it burns through my eyes
I'm waiting stressed
Just like this stressed
There is a glimmer of hope, but it hurts me badly when I look at it, and I remain anxiously waiting just like I am now.
I lose it all again
(I lose it all again)
(Let you tell me lies)
I end up losing everything once more, while you continue to lie to me.
How does it feel when you take my life
Look in my eyes and then you tell me lies
How does it feel you used to be my friend
You win twice
I lose it all again
How does it feel to toy with my emotions, and feed me falsehood while you stare me in the eyes? We were once comrades, but you have caused me to be repeatedly defeated while you prosper.
Contributed by Victoria F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.