Life's pretty sweet for Aussie teen singer Gabriella Cilmi - gold records, high fashion, industry parties. But, as she tells Christine Sams, she still has to do her homework.

For a minute or two, it's easy to think Gabriella Cilmi is just like any other teenager. She's chatting over the phone from London, fresh from Facebook time, and raving about a teenage musician from New York who messaged her on MySpace.

But it's a little trip to Milan that gives it all away. Last week, the 16-year-old Dandenong schoolgirl travelled to the Italian city for a fitting with Kylie's favourite outfitters, Dolce & Gabbana.

"I got to go to their showroom - swish!" Cilmi says, sounding delighted.

"I got this tartan kind of dress and these corsety things, but they're not really corsets, they just have like a zip at the back. It's really cool. And, like, these really awesome dresses, just really nice. I get to keep them because I wear them to other events and stuff like that."

It's been a big year. Cilmi's album Lessons To Be Learned has gone gold in Britain, and her single Sweet About Me spent five weeks at No. 1 in Australia. She's playing Glastonbury and already has a cosmetics contract.

But Cilmi is not living the rock-star life just yet. In London, she generally hangs out with her mum, Paula (her dad, Joe, and brother, Joseph, are still in Melbourne, but due to visit soon).

"I haven't gotten a table (at a restaurant) because of my name or anything like that," she says, laughing, "but you get invited to little dos, parties - which, you know, they're kind of fun, they're all right, but it's not like when you're having a good time with your mates."

Cilmi, who would be in year 11 if it weren't for her music career, is still studying, at her parents' insistence.

"I'm doing work by correspondence still. I've got to do like stacks today because I have to catch up. Yeah, it's a bit annoying," she says, yawning over the phone, "but you kind of just force yourself to do it. You have to turn the TV off and everything. I'm really bad because I find every excuse not to do it."

That's not to say Cilmi doesn't have a strong work ethic, but her focus is squarely on writing and performing music.

"When I was writing the album and stuff, you don't really think about the other half of it. I do more interviews than I do perform. I probably do more photo shoots, too. It's a bit crazy," she says.

Cilmi was discovered by Australian music executive Michael Parisi, then working for the Mushroom label (now owned by parent company Warner Music), when he heard her performing Jumpin' Jack Flash at the Lygon Street Festival in Melbourne when she was 12. He tracked down a family member - an uncle - and left his number with him. Cilmi's parents called a couple of weeks later. Within a year, their little girl had signed a deal with Island Records.

Parisi, who has guided Cilmi's career from day one, is overwhelmed by the speed of her success.

"She's only 16. I can't even begin to fathom what she'll be doing in two years' time, let alone in 10 years when she'll be probably considered a veteran at 26!" he says. "This girl has staying power and, while I don't like making big, bold predictions, I have a feeling that the US is going to fall in love like the rest of us."

Cilmi will be in the US in September for a short promo tour before returning to Australia in October for the ARIAs.

She seems certain of her own future in the music industry.

"I can see myself doing this for a long time. I know a lot people say there's a lot of negative things about being a teenager in the music industry, but I see it as a positive thing because I have so much time to explore so many different types of music."