Porter Robinson & Ninajirachi on Their Debut Collab: ‘I’m Getting Messages From People I Didn’t Even Think Would Like It’:
Categoria: Musica
The culmination of Ninajirachi being influenced by Robinson — and Robinson feeling inspired and understood by Ninajirachi's work — "WannaCry" is out now.
Por Billboard | 31/07/2026
While a collaboration between Porter Robinson and Ninajirachi felt inevitable, it’s also very possible it might never have happened. Talking to Billboard over Zoom — Robinson is at home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Ninajirachi is in Chicago for Lollapalooza, where she played yesterday — both admit that they’re typically too shy to reach out to other artists to see if they want to work together. But understanding the significant connective tissue between his work and Nina’s, Robinson felt comfortable sending her the DM that would lead to “WannaCry,” the pair’s collaborative single released July 28 on I Love Cats/NLV Records. Ninajirachi arrived to Robinson’s Chapel Hill studio in early February of this year, and the pair mind-melted, if still a bit shyly. “The idea I came to you with,” Robinson says to Ninajirachi, “I almost wasn’t sure that I wanted to show you — because I’ve had people be like ‘I made this and it made me think of you,’ and I felt like, ‘Ooh, that didn’t excite me.'” But Ninajirachi was into the sketch, with the pair expanding upon and refining it, ultimately making something that brightly exclaims their shared predilection for punchy, synth-driven hyperpop-leaning electronic music with emotional depth and intellectual backbone. This compatibility is understandable, as, amid her meteoric rise over the last year, the 26-year-old DJ-producer has been vocal about how much she was influenced by Robinson’s music while growing up in Australia, with the pair first linking IRL when she opened for him during his 2025 Australian tour. “And it wasn’t just your music that affected me when I was growing up,” Ninajirachi now adds. “It was your shows. Your show was my first time in a venue, in front of a PA and a massive LED. It was like my hair was being blown back. I felt like a Victorian-age child being shown like an iPod. I was just like, ‘What the f–k is this?'” Here, the duo discuss “WannaCry,” having sympathy for a computer virus and feeling seen in each other’s work. Tell me about the first day of having this song in the world. What’s it been like for you both? Ninajirachi: So epic. It’s kind of everywhere. Porter, I know you’ve had so many massive songs for such a long time, but this is the most I’ve ever seen anyone share a bit of music I’ve had my name attached to. Like, everyone has turned out for this song. It’s awesome. Robinson: It feels so instantaneous. I’m getting messages from people that I didn’t even think would like it. It feels crazy to say about your own song, but to me it kind of feels like we cooked up a little bit of a future classic. It feels like one where some people will know the song and not know the artists. That’s what I’m hoping for. Tell me about the seeds of the idea. I know you