Ninajirachi has long been a steadfast fan of Porter Robinson. Now, the feeling is mutual. The Australian’s first-ever concert as a teenager was one of the American producer/DJ’s – a decade later, they’ve released a collaborative single and have a burgeoning creative friendship. They talk first meetings, inspirations, and the next generation of talent.

In the near-exact year since her 8th August 2025-released, mind-bogglingly good debut album, I Love My Computer, Ninajirachi has been ticking off achievement after achievement with quickening momentum: from a triplet of wins at the ARIA Awards to an inaugural Coachella performance. None will come close to her most recent accomplishment, though – unveiling a collaboration with the artist whose show was the first that she ever attended.

The Australian polymath’s new joint track with experimental electro-pop forefather Porter Robinson is the definition of a full-circle moment; “WannaCry” is a song that has roots back to Nina’s teenage years. Her first-ever concert was a show of Porter’s at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney. Now, they’re pals and collaborators. Serendipity? Or a staunch vision of what success looks like? Maybe both.

After debuting it at her Coachella performance, the track is the first new music from Nina since last year’s record, and picks up from where she left off on her excellent incepting full-length album. It takes a lot to turn Porter’s head creatively – certainly not a frequent featured artist we see on other records – but Nina’s “personality and disposition” felt familiar to Porter, he tells Wonderland. There was a natural artistic chemistry; one that shines through on the cut.

A savvy, intricate adaptation of a classic EDM palette with a euphoric, emotional flit of pop and an experimental tinge, “WannaCry” bursts with colour, the work of two chronically digital innovators. The pair’s distinct production characteristics merge seemingly naturally, presenting a musical journey that is compelling and complex, while effortlessly digestible and radiantly anthemic.

Speaking exclusively on the collaboration, below Nina and Porter discuss the impact of each other’s artistry on their own, the foundations of their new single, and why this new generation of experimental pop is era-defining.

Listen to “WannaCry”…

Read the interviews…

NINAJIRACHI

How do you reflect on last year’s standout album, I Love My Computer?

I feel the same as I did when it first came out; I love it soooooooooooo much, and there’s nothing I would change about it. I’m so happy that it’s almost a year old and there are people still hearing it for the first time. The shows have only gotten better. Following my instinct through every creative decision in its making rewarded me tenfold. Making an album completely changed my life. 

How did the idea for “WannaCry” first come about?

Porter invited me to the studio for a couple of days at the start of the year, and “WannaCry” was our favourite idea that came from it. He had already written the lead riff before I arrived, and we built the song around it once I got there. I didn’t know what to expect from the sessions, or what sounds he was feeling post [his 2024 solo album] SMILE! 😀, so working on a dance song together was an awesome surprise. After those sessions, “WannaCry” was roughly half a song, and only my voice was on it, but it felt really special to me. I’ve looked up to Porter for a long time, so I was nervous to ask him if he’d be cool with me playing out the demo at Coachella. He texted back like, ‘Fuck yes, let’s finish it right now, Rika and I will come for the weekend, and we can debut it together.’ I couldn’t believe he was so excited about it. The next day, he sent me a version with his verses and my jaw was on the floor.

Why was Porter the right person to collaborate with on this particular cut? 

This is the first Ninajirachi song I’ve released since I Love My Computer, and songs like “iPod Touch” and “All At Once” have lyrics that were directly inspired by Porter’s music and the way it has shaped my life over more than a decade. So having a song together this year feels perfect and honestly really magical. I can be shy about putting myself out there, and having more of myself in the world over the last year has been surreal. But working with Porter has felt like, if my heroes believe in me, then I have nothing to be afraid of. He also has amazing pop instincts. There were moments where I would have naturally chosen the more complicated production or lyric idea, thinking that would make the song more interesting, and Porter would suggest stripping it back instead. The song was better for it every time. He reminded me that simple, repetitive ideas are usually the most powerful and monolithic, kinda like the sentiment of his Russian Roulette outro haha. I learned a lot from trusting his instincts. 

Working with him is a full-circle moment – your first ever concert was to see him in Sydney. What would that younger version of you think if they knew you would later get to work with him?

I wouldn’t have believed it, especially because he doesn’t collaborate or co-write so much. It’s so crazy. Porter has raised a generation of music producers. He is so young, and still he has daughters and sons everywhere. It’s so much more than music too. I know that my peers and I have been inspired by his curation, taste, shows, visuals, the way he continually reinvents himself and even the way he talks to his fans. I’m so happy that someone who shaped the way so many of us engage with music can hear himself in what we make and feel proud to be a part of it.

It’s been a busy summer so far of festivals and performances; what have been the standouts? What are you excited about that is forthcoming?

The shows I played in Australia last month were the best of my whole career so far. It felt like the best parts of every show I’ve played over the last year compounded into one iteration, and I got to do it in my home country with my family and friends there. Primavera Sound in June was also one of my favourite festival experiences ever, mainly because I had no idea how many people would come to see me in that part of the world when I had never been there before. I anticipated my sets being kinda lowkey, and the turnout made me really emotional. I’m so excited to open for Tame Impala in October.

What’s next for you personally, this year and beyond?

I’ve played more than 100 shows in the last 12 months and it’s been insanely fab and a dream come true but difficult to make music at the same time. I have a million ideas, the travel and schedule is just a bit discombobulating. Next for me is trying to find more of a balance with that.

PORTER ROBINSON

How did the collaboration on the revamped “WannaCry” first come about?

The title came first! Ever since I encountered Nina’s music, I really wanted to make a song with her called “WannaCry”… I felt like it contained so much of the world that both of our projects share – that reflection on technology and the internet, a memory aspect, and a cute, emotional aspect. 

Talk us through the process of putting the track together?

I played with some ideas in the days before me and Nina’s first writing session, and one of those ideas was the synth hook that became the foundation of “WannaCry”. To me, it felt so much like something off I Love My Computer that I actually was doubting if she’d like it at first… I’ve been in that situation, where an artist shows me something inspired by my music, and I usually want to do something else. But I was secretly so so excited about the track, I couldn’t get it out of my head, and was really, really hoping she’d be into it.  Once we started working on it, Nina immediately amazed me in the studio first as a producer and a writer – she’s one of the fastest people I’ve ever worked with, so so confident, and just brimming with good ideas. Lyrically, the song took off when we broke through this lyric of “I want to multiply” – we realised we could write it from the perspective of a computer virus that just wants to live. We were really moved by that notion… I like the idea of viewing inert things, like a virus from the 2010s, through this compassionate lens.

Why was Ninajirachi someone who you were driven to want to work with?

Nina’s entire project is bursting with love, energy, and sincerity. It feels like a genuine transmission of something real and heartfelt, and the entire world can see it. 

What is the essence behind yours and Nina’s collaborative spirit?

There’s a real mutual respect and admiration. Me and Nina are built similarly in terms of personality and disposition, in my opinion – I think we’re both pretty conscientious people who want to be good collaborators, but also both have our ambitions and standards set really high. It was also a really focused session… like we were driving in a pretty direct way towards the completion of the idea from the start.

What makes this new generation of boundary-pushing electronic artists – like Nina, Frost Children, etc – so special?

They really mean the world to me. For the first time, musical movements I was a part of in the 2010s are being referenced lovingly. It moves me a lot. I think this newer generation of artists deeply understands the beauty of that music better than almost anyone did when it was happening. It makes me feel so seen and understood… like they ‘get’ the beauty of it. It’s like the love was received by a newer generation, and taken care of, and transmitted forward into the future. And it means even more to me because I relate so strongly to that starting point for creating – trying to crystallise these magical forgotten elements of something from the past and distil their beauty. It is very beautiful and meaningful to me to see that process continue, and be a part of it in a new way.

What’s next for you personally, this year and beyond?

I have many new ideas that feel extremely dear to me… trying to make those visions real is something I think about and work towards obsessively. It takes time, though. I feel really grateful to have an audience that is willing to wait. 

Words – Ben Tibbits