Nina Lim has spent years as a session violinist, touring with Black Country, New Road and working with Holly Humberstone and Little Simz.
Now, under her childhood nickname Ninush, she steps fully into her own spotlight with “I Don’t Mind,” a track that proves her songwriting chops match her classical training.
Released on 18th November, the track is the most upbeat offering from her debut EP The Flowers I See You In, arriving 6th February via The Bird Records.
While earlier singles “The End” and “Stardoll“ dealt with isolation after returning home from constant touring, “I Don’t Mind” takes a different route, almost whimsical in its approach.
Lim herself describes it as her attempt at a pop song, though there’s a quirky edge here that sets it apart from anything you’d hear on mainstream radio. The hook is catchier than her previous work, but it’s the oddball charm that really sticks with you.
The spacing of the piano keys gives everything a whimsical, almost playful feel, while her vocal cadence creates something genuinely eclectic and sonically daring.
Producer Sam Tsang (Bon Iver, Griffy) helps craft a soundscape that balances Ninush’s classical sensibilities with experimental pop instincts.
Lewis Evans adds whistle flourishes that could feel twee in lesser hands but here add to the track’s offbeat charm. Bass and guitar anchor proceedings without overwhelming the delicate arrangements Ninush clearly laboured over.
The lyrics deal with fractured relationships and absent figures. Lines like “blue kids, tired home” and “growing pains overgrown” suggest domestic dysfunction, while the repeated “if you had something to tell me I’d still like to talk about it” feels like an extended olive branch to someone who’s disappeared.
The bridge shifts perspective with “there’s a few of us who’d like to know,” suggesting this isn’t just personal heartbreak but collective confusion about an absent figure.
It’s fascinating, how Ninush blends orchestral drama, pop sensibilities, and stripped-back folk minimalism comfortably, sitting in the gaps between genres. Especially for someone who admits songwriting still lives outside her comfort zone, she’s created something remarkably assured.
The official video matches the song’s quirky energy perfectly. Shot in what looks like a cramped domestic space, a small living room and narrow hallway, three performers, Foam Sweet Foam (Chloé Mallet, Zoe Delgrange, Margaux Palud) move through choreographed ballet-like sequences.
The colour palette feels lifted straight from The Royal Tenenbaums: mint green walls, vintage clothing in teal and pastel tones, and that particular kind of carefully composed retro aesthetic Wes Anderson perfected.
The performers contort and pose in deliberately awkward formations, their movements somewhere between contemporary dance and theatrical performance art.
It’s intentionally strange and deeply performative, which suits a song that refuses to play by conventional rules.
Ninush has spent enough time in other people’s bands. On “I Don’t Mind,” she proves she’s got plenty to say on her own.
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