Porter Robinson

Initially exploding onto the scene as a teenage EDM prodigy, Porter Robinson later steered his output toward ambitious, introspective futuristic electropop. Early on he originated a glitchy, chiptune-tinged style he labeled complextro. Mainstream breakthrough arrived with buoyant electro-house cuts such as the 2012 single “Language,” a U.K. Top Ten entry. Already a premier international headliner when Astralwerks issued his influential debut album Worlds in 2014, he subsequently broadened his palette, earning a Grammy nomination for “Ghost Voices,” released under the trance- and hardcore-inflected Virtual Self alias. He established his own festival and launched a charity supporting cancer patients in Malawi. The long-gestating sophomore album Nurture surfaced in 2021, reflecting a turn toward personal songwriting, while the exuberant third album Smile! :D followed in 2024.

Born in Atlanta in 1992, Robinson began producing at age twelve. Inspired by video-game soundtracks such as Dance Dance Revolution, he replicated those textures in Sony ACID Pro under the alias Ekowraith. During his teenage years he refined an intricate, glitch-heavy approach he termed complextro, a designation that spread among producers and listeners as his profile grew. His debut single “Say My Name” appeared in 2010 under his given name. Momentum built quickly after he secured a one-EP deal with Skrillex’s OWSLA label; Spitfire arrived in 2011 and overwhelmed a major online retailer’s servers. He also delivered high-profile remixes for Avicii and Lady Gaga during this stretch.

The ensuing two years accelerated Robinson’s ascent, bringing further hits—including the standout 2012 dancefloor track “Language”—and a productive alliance with Mat Zo. The duo released “Easy” in 2013, supported by heavyweight remixes from Andy C, Botnek, and Lemaitre. Beyond the studio, Robinson cultivated a reputation as a dynamic live performer, touring extensively across North America and Europe in 2012 and 2013 and soon sharing stages with Skrillex, Tiësto, and Deadmau5.

Worlds, his first full-length, emerged on Astralwerks in 2014 with appearances by Amy Millan of Broken Social Scene and Stars, Breanne Düren of Owl City, and Urban Cone. Although potent four-on-the-floor rhythms persisted, the record revealed his interest in emotive, atmospheric material suited to home listening, recalling M83 and Passion Pit. It debuted at number 18 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top Electronic Albums chart. Astralwerks issued a remixed edition the following year featuring Odesza, San Holo, and others. Robinson scored another hit with the 2016 Madeon collaboration “Shelter,” which anchored a co-headlining North American tour; both the single and the Shelter Live Tour received nominations at the inaugural Electronic Music Awards in early 2017.

Late in 2017 Robinson unveiled the Virtual Self project. A series of singles, among them “Ghost Voices,” preceded the self-titled EP, whose live debut took place that December. Nearly as popular as his primary work, Virtual Self carried him through 2018 festival appearances at Bonnaroo and Ultra Music Festival and earned a Best Dance Recording nomination for “Ghost Voices” at the 2019 Grammy Awards. He sustained his customary pace by launching Second Sky Music Festival in Oakland and touring under both identities. In the first half of 2020 he released “Get Your Wish” and “Something Comforting” as the initial singles from Nurture, which arrived in 2021, topped Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Albums chart, and marked a shift from club-oriented material toward emotional electropop. He also issued the live recordings Secret Sky 2021 and Second Sky 2021.

“Everything Goes On,” created for League of Legends, appeared in 2022. Robinson joined Skrillex and Bibi Bourelly on “Still Here (With the Ones That I Came With”), included on Skrillex’s 2023 album Quest for Fire. He released the Vocaloid 6 voicebank Po-uta together with the showcase track “Humansongs.” His third studio album, Smile! :D, arrived in 2024. Although Robinson set out to craft an album devoted to pure fun and absurdity, the songs ultimately carried greater emotional resonance, much like his previous release.