SINGAPORE : The year: 2005. The place: Melbourne, Australia. A young girl and her family are enjoying a day out at a street festival when her uncle urges her to jump up onstage to sing.

“There’s usually an Abba cover band or an opera singer on, but my uncle got me to get up and sing. I sang Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” said Gabriella Cilmi (pronounced “chill me”) over the phone from London. “There was a guy from Mushroom Records there and he ended up signing me. That was a bit of a surprise!”

She was only 13 then. Three years later, Cilmi is lounging in London as her album Lessons to be Learned is released. Critics are calling it a cross between Amy Winehouse and Duffy, as she mixes retro sounds with modern technique. But for Cilmi, it’s a welcome result of three years of work.

“At first it was weird, although I knew music was something I wanted to do,” she said. “The deal was to record the songs only during my school holidays. I started recording the album about three years ago and I was flying up and down from Melbourne to London and back. So, it’s nice to finally get out on the road and show people what I’ve got.”

What she’s got is a collection of catchy songs that recall :’60s soul, :’70s glam rock and :’80s new wave. The album, she said, is like “a photo album”.

“Each song has a sentiment attached to it,” she explained. “For instance, I wrote Century about a mate of mine, but we’re not really friends anymore. I think all my songs mean something to me, but I guess it’s easy for others to find their own way to relate to them.”

Funnily enough, for someone so young, Cilmi cites :’70s bands as her early musical influences. “I think my favourite band of all time would be Led Zeppelin,” she said. “I love the Houses of the Holy album. And I really love Janis Joplin and T-Rex. That’s my parents’ fault; they grew up in that glam era!

“But I love Muse, they’re one of my favourite new bands, and Kings of Leon, too!” she quickly added.

But while Cilmi might live the rock star life now — she’s rubbed shoulders with the likes of James Blunt, the Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood and Jools Holland — she said her feet are firmly planted on the ground, thanks to her mum.

“I’m lucky to always have one of my parents with me,” she said. “I’ve got my brother and dad back home and they visit whenever they can ... Now, at least I get to go back to Melbourne often because I’ve released the album there. It’s important I visit my home — besides, I miss my grandma’s cooking.” - TODAY/sh

Lessons to be Learned is out in the shops now.