GABRIELLA CILMI ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM ‘PURE LOVE’ TO BE RELEASED ON 9th OCTOBER 2026 

Gabriella Cilmi’s return with the single ‘Pure Love’ earlier this year reminded us of the limitless charms of the ‘Sweet About Me’ hitmaker – and in the process proved that she had much more to offer. The song was premiered by Gary Davies on Radio 2, while Gabriella’s rediscovery continued with a packed show at The Great Escape as well as a nationwide tour as special guest to Beverley Knight. Now that comeback hits a new peak as she announces that her new album ‘Pure Love’ will be released on 9^th October 2026 and is accompanied by the release of the new single ‘YRU Hanging Around’ out today. 

‘Pure Love’ is a record she made having discovered the confidence and freedom to make exactly the kind of album she wants to make: a soulful organic one, on which she could sing from the heart. And it’s certainly worth the wait, a triumphant return in which her warm, throaty, unmistakably expressive contralto wraps itself around the deep soul, jazz and classic rock that has always been closest to her heart.
 
Experiences old and new soak into the material, with influences including Van Morrison’s ‘Astral Weeks’, alongside Joe Cocker’s ‘Mad Dogs and Englishmen’ for prioritizing spirit over perfection. It was recorded at the countryside escape of Middle Farm in Devon with producer Peter Miles, while other collaborators included Anna Krantz (Ed Sheeran), Justin Parker (Rihanna, Lana Del Rey, Sia), Anu Pillai (Lewis Capaldi, Ladyhawke), Peter Miles (Dodie, Orla Gartland, Architects), DJ Yoda (Danger Mouse, Nubya Garcia), Julia Church (John Summit, Slander, San Holo, Le Youth), Alex O’Shaughnessy (mxmtoon, Bellah Mae) and Jonny Henderson (Robben Ford, Matt Schofield, Ian Siegal).
 
Gabriella says, “‘Pure Love’ is the record I’ve always wanted to make. The songs and lyrics are more unfiltered and the recordings have a rawness to them so I feel like it’s the most pure record I’ve made. It was recorded live to tape during a harvest moon and I like to think of the songs like ripe fruit finally ready to be consumed after lots of watering, tending and patience.”
 
That classic sound particularly shines in the new single ‘YRU Hanging Around’. Gabriella sounds like an old school soul veteran who has just stepped out of Muscle Shoals, while the band around her pulsates with an irrepressible energy. Lyrically, it’s a timeless kiss-off sung with utmost conviction -simply, get serious, or get out of her life.
 
She adds, “‘YRU Hanging Around’ is about the realisation that you’ve been waiting on the approval of others for way too long.  It’s about that aha moment when all of a sudden you have an epiphany that you don’t need anyone’s permission to live the life you want except your own.” 
 
Gabriella’s remarkable voice is there for all to witness with the recent performance of ‘Pure Love’ live from Middle Farm, accompanied by her band who bring a Stax Records-style musicality to the session.
 
The ‘Pure Love’ album is available to pre-order. Gabriella’s official store offers an exclusive limited edition Goldie Locks-coloured vinyl that comes with a signed, double-sided 12″ print and a sticker sheet insert. It also stocks a signed CD.
 
As well as The Great Escape and the Beverley Knight tour, Gabriella’s return to the music scene also has seen her play shows in Australia with The Corrs, as well as a BRITS / War Child show in London alongside Jack Savoretti and Katherine Jenkins. More live plans are taking shape in the months to come, with Camper Calling (August 29th) already confirmed. Today she also announces details of a full UK headline tour. Tickets for the dates, listed below, go on sale from 10am on Tuesday, July 28^th and can be purchased.
 
NOVEMBER
19th – Leeds, Hyde Park Book Club
20th – Edinburgh, The Cabaret Voltaire
21st – Newcastle, Head of Steam
22nd – Manchester, Night and Day
24th – London, Bush Hall
26th – Birmingham, Dead Wax
 
Gabriella Cilmi’s talents were undeniable from a young age, leading her to sign to Australia’s Mushroom Records when she was just 13-years-old. Just a few years later, the breakthrough success of ‘Sweet About Me’ and her Gold-certified UK Top 10 debut album‘Lessons To Be Learned’ took the teenager global. But she discovered that the more success she had, the more she was subjected to countless opinions on what she should do next – an awkward situation for an artist who just wanted to be herself. While her second album ‘Ten’ and its lead single ‘On A Mission’ both climbed the charts, she retreated from the spotlight after 2013’s ‘The Sting’. Yet those experiences have all informed the artist that she is today, and with ‘Pure Love’ she’s now making up for lost time with a lovable, accomplished, rootsy comeback.
 
Album tracklisting:
 

1. ‘Pure Love’
2. ‘No To A King’
3. ‘YRU Hanging Around’
4. ‘Pieces’
5. ‘Too Far Gone’
6. ‘No Apologies’
7. ‘You Killed Our Song’
8. ‘Not Enough To Keep Me Down’
9. ‘What We Do’
10. ‘Love Me Like It’s The End Of The World’