Ninajirachi – née Nina Wilson – has been inspired by the fantastical for as long as she can remember. “Nature, fantasy, science fiction, ideas of occult and magic – those things make me feel so inspired and alive,” says Nina. “I want to recreate that for other people so that they can have that same experience.”
Fantasy worlds and the natural world are awe-inspiring in equal measure for Nina – and that surprising confluence of influences shows up headily in her music, which incorporates a rich tapestry of experimental soundscapes, frenetic 8-bit inspired hooks, and melodic lines as sweeping as the sky and sea.
“Even though technology, nature, and fantasy all seem different, what makes them feel as equally exciting to me is that they’re all so out of reach of understanding,” says Nina. “They are my greatest inspiration for that reason, because there is always more to discover and be curious about.”
Growing up on the Central Coast of Australia, Nina was surrounded by rugged beaches and otherworldly natural wonders. And while she spent much of her time outside, she was also obsessed with gaming, the internet, and other technological pursuits. “Gaming is very immersive and you can’t really do it passively,” says Nina. “The music from my favourite games has sunk into my psyche from so many hours spent with it. It’s very clever and beautiful music.”
Not surprisingly, “the timbres in that kind of music have found their way into the way I make music too,” says Nina, who loved Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) and Nintendo DS-era Pokémon games. When she wasn’t gaming, Nina spent her childhood years scouring the internet for new music, discovering and devouring everyone from Lady Gaga to Porter Robinson to Alt-J. “Even though I listen to many different kinds of music, there’s a very clear thread to me,” says Nina. “They all scratch my brain in the same way.”
Her fascination with synthesised music transcended form and genre. By her teens, Nina had fully submerged herself in the world of music production, drawing from the far-reaching tentacles of her diverse obsessions to forge a sound all her own. “The older I got, the better producer I became, and I started combining electronic and EDM sounds with pop songwriting,” says Nina. “I’m obsessed with music technology. I feel limitless in what I can make just with my computer.”
At age 16, Nina left her small beach village and took a fortuitous trip to Sydney that would alter the course of her entire career. She spent a week volunteering at FBi Radio, immersing herself in new sounds and getting exposed to artists like SOPHIE, Grimes, Holly Herndon and Iglooghost for the first time. Around one year later, Nina met Nina Las Vegas at a Diplo event – and everything changed.
“Nina Las Vegas is the most extremely tapped in,” says Nina. “Any time there’s a new artist in Australia, she’s about it, and she had heard some of the music I’d put online. When she saw me at the Diplo event, she kind of smiled and caught my eye. Later, Nina messaged me and asked if I wanted to have a coffee or meet sometime.”
It was the beginning of a lasting partnership between the two musicians, who share both a first name and an artistic philosophy of pushing boundaries and chasing the outer reaches of sonic exploration. Shortly after their first meeting, Ninajirachi signed to Nina Las Vegas’s label, NLV records, and began releasing a series of singles, EPs and mixtapes that earned her widespread critical praise and touring accolades with artists like Charli XCX and Cashmere Cat. She was deemed an artist to watch by Billboard Dance, her ‘True North (Deluxe)’ EP was named one of The Atlantic’s top 10 albums of 2021, and her debut full-length project ‘Second Nature’ earned her the cover of NME Magazine and led EDM.com to declare her Top Producers of 2022.
Most recently, Nina released her ‘4x4’ EP in late 2023. “‘4x4’ was a conscious effort to make club dance music again,” says Nina, who describes her previous project ‘Second Nature’ as “more experimental” and a departure from her signature club-focussed sound.
“Once COVID ended and touring resumed, I was inspired to make music for my shows again – before Second Nature, all of my biggest songs were dance songs,” says Nina. “When I was making ‘4x4,’ I was listening to the music that made me want to be a producer in the first place – hard dance, electro house, progressive house, trance, – I loved EDM when I was a kid before I had done any touring, before I knew the context for which it was really made.” This return to form earned Nina international acclaim from the likes of NME, Crack Magazine, Rolling Stone Australia and Billboard, who said ‘4x4’ “highlights her mastery of productions that balance effervescence, bounce, heft and style.”
There’s a sister EP on the horizon, as well as a debut full-length album on the way that houses her best music yet. On her upcoming releases, Nina says, “It’s fun and interesting to revisit older sounds from an era when dance music was dominated by men, being a girl producer who has spent a lot of time in the world of alternative electronic music. The world isn’t the way it was back then anymore and amazing things are coming from the change.”
As Ninajirachi continues harnessing the naturalistic and the futuristic through sound, art, and feeling, the stage is set for her to build an even bigger, more mystical musical world – and bring the rest of us along for the wild, untamed ride.
www.ninajirachi.com
Spotify | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
Fantasy worlds and the natural world are awe-inspiring in equal measure for Nina – and that surprising confluence of influences shows up headily in her music, which incorporates a rich tapestry of experimental soundscapes, frenetic 8-bit inspired hooks, and melodic lines as sweeping as the sky and sea.
“Even though technology, nature, and fantasy all seem different, what makes them feel as equally exciting to me is that they’re all so out of reach of understanding,” says Nina. “They are my greatest inspiration for that reason, because there is always more to discover and be curious about.”
Growing up on the Central Coast of Australia, Nina was surrounded by rugged beaches and otherworldly natural wonders. And while she spent much of her time outside, she was also obsessed with gaming, the internet, and other technological pursuits. “Gaming is very immersive and you can’t really do it passively,” says Nina. “The music from my favourite games has sunk into my psyche from so many hours spent with it. It’s very clever and beautiful music.”
Not surprisingly, “the timbres in that kind of music have found their way into the way I make music too,” says Nina, who loved Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) and Nintendo DS-era Pokémon games. When she wasn’t gaming, Nina spent her childhood years scouring the internet for new music, discovering and devouring everyone from Lady Gaga to Porter Robinson to Alt-J. “Even though I listen to many different kinds of music, there’s a very clear thread to me,” says Nina. “They all scratch my brain in the same way.”
Her fascination with synthesised music transcended form and genre. By her teens, Nina had fully submerged herself in the world of music production, drawing from the far-reaching tentacles of her diverse obsessions to forge a sound all her own. “The older I got, the better producer I became, and I started combining electronic and EDM sounds with pop songwriting,” says Nina. “I’m obsessed with music technology. I feel limitless in what I can make just with my computer.”
At age 16, Nina left her small beach village and took a fortuitous trip to Sydney that would alter the course of her entire career. She spent a week volunteering at FBi Radio, immersing herself in new sounds and getting exposed to artists like SOPHIE, Grimes, Holly Herndon and Iglooghost for the first time. Around one year later, Nina met Nina Las Vegas at a Diplo event – and everything changed.
“Nina Las Vegas is the most extremely tapped in,” says Nina. “Any time there’s a new artist in Australia, she’s about it, and she had heard some of the music I’d put online. When she saw me at the Diplo event, she kind of smiled and caught my eye. Later, Nina messaged me and asked if I wanted to have a coffee or meet sometime.”
It was the beginning of a lasting partnership between the two musicians, who share both a first name and an artistic philosophy of pushing boundaries and chasing the outer reaches of sonic exploration. Shortly after their first meeting, Ninajirachi signed to Nina Las Vegas’s label, NLV records, and began releasing a series of singles, EPs and mixtapes that earned her widespread critical praise and touring accolades with artists like Charli XCX and Cashmere Cat. She was deemed an artist to watch by Billboard Dance, her ‘True North (Deluxe)’ EP was named one of The Atlantic’s top 10 albums of 2021, and her debut full-length project ‘Second Nature’ earned her the cover of NME Magazine and led EDM.com to declare her Top Producers of 2022.
Most recently, Nina released her ‘4x4’ EP in late 2023. “‘4x4’ was a conscious effort to make club dance music again,” says Nina, who describes her previous project ‘Second Nature’ as “more experimental” and a departure from her signature club-focussed sound.
“Once COVID ended and touring resumed, I was inspired to make music for my shows again – before Second Nature, all of my biggest songs were dance songs,” says Nina. “When I was making ‘4x4,’ I was listening to the music that made me want to be a producer in the first place – hard dance, electro house, progressive house, trance, – I loved EDM when I was a kid before I had done any touring, before I knew the context for which it was really made.” This return to form earned Nina international acclaim from the likes of NME, Crack Magazine, Rolling Stone Australia and Billboard, who said ‘4x4’ “highlights her mastery of productions that balance effervescence, bounce, heft and style.”
There’s a sister EP on the horizon, as well as a debut full-length album on the way that houses her best music yet. On her upcoming releases, Nina says, “It’s fun and interesting to revisit older sounds from an era when dance music was dominated by men, being a girl producer who has spent a lot of time in the world of alternative electronic music. The world isn’t the way it was back then anymore and amazing things are coming from the change.”
As Ninajirachi continues harnessing the naturalistic and the futuristic through sound, art, and feeling, the stage is set for her to build an even bigger, more mystical musical world – and bring the rest of us along for the wild, untamed ride.
www.ninajirachi.com
Spotify | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
Streaming
Videos
|
|
|