Ruby Gill has never been one for half measures.
The Joburg-born, Naarm/Melbourne-based singer-songwriter has made a name for herself with her piercing lyricism and unfiltered honesty. Still, on her latest single “Touch Me There”, she takes things to a whole new level – stripping everything back, laying it all out, and daring us to sit in the discomfort of truth.
Built around a sparse but potent arrangement, “Touch Me There” isn’t just a song, it’s a moment – one that captures Gill in real-time as she processes her queerness, her body, and the tangled emotions that come with both.
The song marks the point at which she came out to herself, and you can hear that shift in every whispered admission and every measured pause. It’s an intensely personal meditation, yet somehow universal, the kind of song that feels like an intimate conversation even as it ripples outward.
“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,” Gill admits.
“It took almost two years of zero kissing to get to that point of self-knowledge. Not intentionally – 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.”
Produced by Tim Harvey (Ella Hooper, Jade Imagine), the song holds a quiet intensity – never rushing, never forcing itself into anything more than it needs to be. Gill’s vocals sit right on the edge of vulnerability, accompanied by gentle piano, atmospheric guitar, and the kind of weighty silence that says more than words ever could. The song’s minimalism is its strength; every note, every breath is purposeful, making the emotion behind it hit even harder.
The accompanying music video, directed by Bridgette Winten (Maple Glider, Angie McMahon), is just as intimate. Filmed on real black-and-white film, it captures the push-pull of self-discovery – raw, real, and utterly hypnotic.
With “Touch Me There”, Ruby Gill continues to prove that she’s one of the most vital voices in Australian music. It’s not just about what she says, but how she says it – with an unflinching clarity that feels like both a deep exhale and a quiet revolution.
Ruby Gill’s “Touch Me There” is out now.
Ruby Gill Upcoming Tour Dates
March 6th – Oxford Arts Factory, Gadigal Land / Sydney (w/ Bess Attwell)
March 12th – Howler, Naarm / Melbourne (w/ Bess Attwell)
March 14th – Black Bear Lodge, Meanjin / Brisbane (w/ Bess Attwell)
April 17th – Northcote Social Club, Naarm / Melbourne
