Gabriella Cilmi: It’s about music not boobs

Gabriella Cilmi says there is nothing sweet about getting her breasts out to sell records anymore.

The Aussie pop babe is on the comeback trail after hitting the big time with her 2008 hit Sweet About Me but plans to cover up this time around to be taken more seriously.

‘What I say is that it’s not about the boobies any more, it’s about the music,’ the former FHM cover star told Guilty Pleasures at an intimate London showcase of her new material on Monday.

‘I felt like there were too many cooks and no one really taking the lead or the reigns,’ the 21-year-old said of her previous music efforts.

‘I felt like I was a puppet being pulled in different directions. But at the same time if I didn’t go through that I wouldn’t know what I want.’

With a third album almost ready for release, Cilmi now feels she is finally able to produce the music she has always longed to create.

‘It’s been a totally different experience. It’s been like writing a diary and now when I go on stage I feel so much better when I’m performing my music because I know it’s come from me.’

Cilmi is set for a string of upcoming summer performances in the UK.

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 9 April 2013]