UK-born, Portugal-based singer-songwriter Raquelle Gracie has been quietly building something that refuses to fit into any single lane. On one side is the music itself, emotionally grounded, R&B-leaning pop that maps the internal shifts of someone who has done the work and come out clearer on the other side. It lingers on self-worth, agency, and evolution, themes that may sound simple on paper yet prove far more elusive when approached without drifting into sentimentality.
On the other side, her work expands into something structural. Through the Independent Music Academy, the platform she founded, and the live sessions she curates across the Algarve, she has helped cultivate a network that now anchors the local independent scene. What began as a series of shows has grown into a broader ecosystem, encompassing artist development programs and community-driven initiatives designed for long-term sustainability.
It may read like infrastructure, but the impulse behind it is deeply personal. At its core is the desire to build what she once needed herself, a space where independent artists can learn, perform, and grow without having to seek validation or permission from traditional gatekeepers.
Her new single, "Valentine," arrives on her 39th birthday, a timing that feels intentional and deeply resonant. It’s positioned as a defining chapter, and you can hear why. The track takes the familiar architecture of a love song and turns it inward, tracing the shift from seeking validation externally to choosing yourself fully. It's a quiet anthem, the kind that doesn't announce itself but simply stays put and lets you find it when you're ready.
Sonically, “Valentine” flirts with the avant-garde, immersing the listener in red-hot synth textures and Raquelle’s luxurious, sultry vocals, making you feel like a snail inching along the edge of a straight razor. The song moves confidently between avant-pop, R&B, and electronica, while carrying a gritty, dangerous ‘80s metal edge in its spirit.
%20(1).jpg)
"Valentine" holds multiple tensions in place, letting them vibrate against one another while trusting the listener to meet the song where it lives, which is somewhere between a love song and a declaration of independence, between vulnerability and that blade's edge, between the person you once were and the one you're finally choosing to become.
.png)
