Throaty Australian-born belter Gabriella Cilmi grew up on a steady diet of bold, personality-driven classic rock. She names Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin and T.Rex as her influences. When you hear the wallop of her voice -- and I do mean a literal fist-in-the-gut wallop -- and witness the leggy, theatrical electricity of her performance, those names start to make a lot of sense. Others that come to mind are Amy Winehouse, Alanis Morissette and Macy Gray.
Cilmi's explosive, disco-ready second MTV single, "Save The Lies," already owns in her native Australia. It's also made the rounds in Europe, where it has also just completely dominated. Why is it that we get this legit talent last?!? Regardless, when you watch the swagger-soaked video, you'll agree that Gabriella Cilmi was well worth the wait.
Finally, speaking of "worth," Cilmi's got that in droves, too. This past Saturday she joined Jack Johnson, Kings Of Leon, Wolfmother and many others in playing "Sound Relief," a monster concert whose proceeds all go to a relief fund for victims of a raging Australian wildfire that's already claimed more than 200 lives. Watch the video for "Save The Lies" below and visit the Australian Red Cross to see how you can contribute to their efforts.