NINGUÉM by Raquel Martins
Portuguese-born, London-based artist Raquel Martins returns with ‘NINGUÉM’, a raw and introspective new single that boldly explores themes of sexuality, guilt, and escapism, set against a backdrop of dreamy, experimental production. The release comes alongside the announcement of her highly anticipated debut album, LONDON, WHEN ARE U GONNA FEEL LIKE HOME?, due later this year via Bridge The Gap.
Set in a bar back in Portugal - a place so often romanticised as where worries disappear - ‘NINGUÉM’ captures a quiet moment of unravelling as Martins finds herself searching for meaning in the spaces and behaviours that surround her. “I don’t drink or do drugs, and at the time everyone around me was constantly going out and partying,” she explains. “It felt like a side of life I never really understood, but it seemed to be working for them.”
Curious to see what she might be missing, Martins throws herself into the experience, only to come up against internal walls she didn’t realise were still standing. “This song marks a breaking point in the narrative, a moment where I realise there are parts of me, shaped by my upbringing, that are still stopping me from being fully myself,” she says. The illusion of home begins to crack, and the weight of internalised Catholic guilt and repressed traits rises to the surface. But ‘NINGUÉM’ isn’t just about disillusionment, it marks the first step in a deeper transformation. “I had so much fun writing and producing this track because it captures such a specific moment, when I realised how much I was still carrying. All these quiet rules and patterns from growing up in a more conservative environment. It’s the beginning of that shift - where you stop idealising, and start figuring out what it actually means to feel at home in yourself.”
Built on immersive textures and hypnotic rhythms, the track exemplifies the unique sonic world Martins is carving out - a rich blend of experimental R&B, indie soul and Brazilian and Latin flavours, with production that merges organic instrumentation and electronic manipulation
