From YouTube Discovery to ARIA Dominance
Nina Wilson, the creative force behind the electronic project Ninajirachi, is currently experiencing what many artists dream of. Her debut album, I Love My Computer, has garnered an impressive eight ARIA award nominations, positioning the 26-year-old as one of Australia's most exciting musical exports. Between leading this year's nominations and performing to rapturous crowds at sold-out shows, Wilson is determined to savour every moment of this career highlight.
Accolades and Artistic Validation
Released independently via NLV Records in August, I Love My Computer has received international acclaim, including a five-star review from The Guardian. The album presents a high-octane, innovative reinterpretation of 2010s EDM. This is no overnight success story; Wilson first gained prominence as a Triple J Unearthed High finalist in 2016 and 2017, steadily building an audience through playful, floor-filling releases and performances at EDM festivals across the United States.
Recent months have seen her career accelerate dramatically. She has completed relentless touring across the US and Australia, secured prestigious slots at Coachella and Primavera festivals, and begun accumulating trophies ahead of the ARIA awards ceremony. Her album is nominated for several major categories including Album of the Year, Breakthrough Artist, and Best Solo Artist.
Even before the ARIAs, I Love My Computer has already secured significant honours. It won Triple J's Album of the Year and the prestigious Australian Music Prize (AMP). The AMP, a $50,000 award inspired by the UK's Mercury Prize and judged purely on artistic merit, provided more than just financial relief for Wilson's budget, which was 'in the red' after a two-month US tour. It served as a profound validation of her artistic vision.
An Unmistakably Australian Sound
'I really wanted to make an Australian album,' Wilson states, emphasising her deliberate use of her natural accent in recordings and lyrics that reflect a uniquely Australian experience. She readily places her music within the lineage of Australian electronica, having grown up influenced by the glitches of Flume, the irreverent house of Pnau, and the future bass perfected by Wave Racer, who mixed her debut album.
I Love My Computer is a wonderfully bizarre sonic collage, blending crystalline synths, sirens, mechanical whirls, eurotrance, and what Wilson jokingly calls 'girl EDM'. The lyrics form a tapestry of her adolescence on the New South Wales Central Coast, referencing everything from Supré shorts in 'iPod Touch' to a failed music assignment in 'Sing Good', and even the CSIRAC, an Australian computer that was the first in the world to play music.
The album's core, however, was shaped by countless late nights spent with her computer, a journey that began at age 12 when she accidentally discovered a Porter Robinson track online and became instantly hooked on EDM's sugary drops. Wilson reflects on her semi-isolated upbringing, wondering if her deep dive into online subcultures would have happened elsewhere. 'When I was discovering that [music], it really felt like an original experience,' she says. 'Because I was in this semi-isolated place with no friends who liked the same music as me, I felt like it was happening just to me.'
While the specifics of becoming a preteen electronic music producer via YouTube may not be universal, the album's propulsive tracks tap into a broader, shared feeling of childlike excitement and the desire to connect to a world beyond one's immediate surroundings—even its darker corners, as explored in the eerie eurotrance track 'Infohazard', where Wilson recalls seeing a decapitated man online.
'Growing up [in Australia] was a big inspiration for my music, but it's almost because of the absence of what was there, and having to fill it in with internet surfing,' she explains. 'Maybe that's why people from different places and cultures have liked the songs? Because we all grew up on the internet together, whether we knew it or not.'
A New Frontier of Self-Expression
For Wilson, I Love My Computer represents a significant personal and artistic milestone. For the first time, she appears on her album cover, albeit with her hoodie sleeve covering half her face, submerged in the digital detritus of her childhood bedroom. 'There was a time when I never thought I'd even have a picture of myself on my artwork before,' she admits. '[Before,] I didn't have my voice on my music. It felt very separate from me, the person. I just couldn't have even imagined getting to this point, being this comfortable being perceived.'
As she adjusts to larger stages and increased attention, Wilson's focus remains on the creative ethos that brought her here. 'I've released music that I like for so long, even if not many people paid attention to it,' she says. 'I just hope I can keep doing that.' With eight ARIA nominations and two major prizes already secured, it seems the world is finally paying attention.
