"Defender" is a song by Australian singer–songwriter

Gabriella Cilmi Gabriella Lucia Cilmi ( ; ; born 10 October 1991) is an Australian pop singer. A contralto, Cilmi is known for her distinctive raspy singing voice. Her debut album, ''Lessons to Be Learned'', was released in March 2008, becoming a moderate int ...

, released as the third single from her second studio album '' Ten''. The single release of "Defender" included a cover of Kiki Dee's "Magic Carpet Ride" as a b-side, promotional releases however listed the two songs as a double-A Side. It was co-written by Gabriella herself alongside George Astasio, Jason Pebworth and Jon Shave.

Release

"Defender" was released as a digital download on 26 August 2010. The single failed to appear on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Critical reception

Jon O'Brien from

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

said that: "The epic beats of the

Dido Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in modern Tunisia), in 814 BC. In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (t ...

-esque power "Defender," offer a respite from the party atmosphere, but as competent as they are, Ten is much more interesting when Cilmi unleashes her previously hidden disco diva tendencies".O'Brien, Jon (May 23, 2010
Ten- Gabriella Cilmi - Allmusic Review
''Allmusic'' Retrieved 2011-02-13

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Defender" starts off with Cilmi with her back to the camera holding a microphone, a stage light is shining on her and a crowd can be heard cheering and applauding her. The video then cuts to Gabriella sitting and singing in a room wearing a white top; the room seems to be a part of a derelict space station. Clips of her walking through the corridors with a black dress intersect the parts of the video with her in the room. Whilst walking through the corridor she takes off her jewellery and her dress leaving Cilmi in just her underwear and shoes. Water then sprays over her and close ups of Gabriella with wet hair are shown. Scenes of her in the white top intersect again. Gabriella is seen fully clothed again and she starts to cut her wet hair with a pair of scissors. She then finds some ink in a glass bottle and uses an instrument to tattoo 3 bars on her wrist. She wraps black material around her wrists and is then seen walking down the corridor again only this time she is holding a

katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...

and she has a scarf around her mouth. The lights then go out in the space station and Gabriella fades into the darkness.

Track listings

;Digital download #"Defender" ;Digital EP #"Defender" #"Magic Carpet Ride" #"Defender" (Cahill Remix)

References

External links

* {{authority control 2010s ballads 2010 singles Gabriella Cilmi songs Pop ballads Synth-pop ballads 2010 songs Island Records singles Songs written by Jason Pebworth Songs written by George Astasio Songs written by Jon Shave Songs written by Gabriella Cilmi