Born in Johannesburg but now based in Naarm/Melbourne, Ruby Gill is a breakthrough musician who has received coverage from triple j and BBC 6 Music, NME, Clash and the Independent. On Touch Me There, Gill is unveiling what she calls her ‘most special creation’.
A raw piece of anti-folk, Touch Me There bristles with authenticity and vulnerability. Gill wrote the song for herself, and it represents the moment where she first came out to herself, sitting writing the lyrics on a riverbank.
The song’s production and style is relatively simple — Gill’s vocals sung against a gentle background melody, strummed by Gill on an acoustic guitar. As the song progresses, however, her vocal is gradually joined by those of Gill’s ‘found family’ choir, made up of local queer, female and gender-diverse musicians Annie-Rose Maloney, Hannah McKittrick, Hannah Cameron, Jess Ellwood, Angie McMahon, and Olivia Hally (Oh Pep!).
As it slowly builds, Touch Me There reflects a growing determination and self-awareness from Ruby herself. Her lyrics, which include phrases like ‘want someone to know what I like when I’m tired’, and ‘tries to convince me that I am an angel when I just want you to fuck me on the table’, reflect someone who has long denied themselves the kind of connection we all need. Hearing Gill open up and articulate her own desires is a deeply moving and inspiring experience.
Talking about what the song means to her, Ruby Gill says:
‘During the longest dry spell of my life, I came out to myself. The first time I said it out loud was in this song — all that sitting by a river waiting for the truth to come out led to me being honest for the first time about who I was attracted to and what kind of sex I wanted in my life. It took almost two years of zero kissing to get to that point of self-knowledge. Not intentionally, haha — everything just felt so wrong and scary after being touched in really unsafe ways before that. I was numb for years, but I finally felt sensation in my body again after writing Touch Me There. It broke me open. I hope it breaks other people open too, whether it’s about queerness or otherwise. You have a say over your love and pleasure.’
Check out Touch Me There below: