An inward-looking and intimate record that fights and loves all at once, 'Empty Flower' follows in the footsteps of Raquel's debut EP 'The Way' which caught the attention of the UK scene and international tastemakers alike.

'Empty Flower' comes as a natural evolution of Raquel's unique sound and songwriting, whilst still keeping her musical influences and roots very present with her production. Behind all the big arrangements and instrumentation, it's a deeply vulnerable record with a very intimate sound that was produced directly from her bedroom, touching on topics such as identity, growth, emotions, gender roles, and sexuality.

23-year-old singer/songwriter and guitarist, Raquel Martins moved to London when she was only 17. Raised under the sun in Portugal, she grew up listening to the endless classics from the Brazilian and jazz repertoire. It was only when she discovered the world of contemporary hip-hop, soul and jazz music that she realised she could create something new with all the sounds she had been absorbing over the years.

In only 4 years in the UK capital, she's already established herself as both a very solid side musician working for established UK jazz artists such as Poppy Ajudha, Amaarae and Gracey, as well as an artist with a unique voice, at the intersection of modern soul and jazz, reminiscent of Nai Palm, Jordan Rakei or Oscar Jerome, with an added authentic Brazilian flavour that sets her apart.

Her self-produced EP 'The Way' caught the attention of the UK scene, with international supporters such as Gilles Peterson, Jamie Cullum and Dan Digs (KRCW) to name a few.

The EP currently sits at over 600k streams, with editorial support from Spotify and Bandcamp. Jamie Cullum invited her to talk about her EP on BBC 2 as part of his 'Take 5' series. In Nov 2021, Raquel had the privilege to be invited to Gilles Peterson's legendary ‘Brownswood Basement’ for a session with her trio, which led to Gilles booking her for his We Out Here festival in August 2022.

Throughout 2022, Raquel played shows in the UK and Portugal including NOS Alive, Wilderness, House of Koko and her first London Headline as part of LJF in Nov 2022. She also opened for Isaiah Sharkey and Brazilian legend Marcos Valle.

Raquel now embarks on her second EP adventure, with first single ‘Fragile Eyes’ dropping mid-Nov and the EP planned for Feb 2023.

released February 17, 2023