Musician (song)

"Musician" is a song by American record producer Porter Robinson. It is the fifth single from Robinson's second album Nurture, released on March 3, 2021.

This article is about the Porter Robinson song. For other uses, see Musician (disambiguation).
"Musician"
Single by Porter Robinson
from the album Nurture
ReleasedMarch 3, 2021 (2021-03-03)
RecordedNovember 16, 2019 – August 13, 2020
GenreElectropop[1]
Length3:58
LabelMom + Pop
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Porter Robinson
Porter Robinson singles chronology
"Look at the Sky"
(2021)		 "Musician"
(2021)		 "Unfold"
(2021)
Music video
"Musician" on YouTube

Background and composition

In 2019, Robinson worked on an unreleased collaboration with British band Kero Kero Bonito. Samples from the demo would later be used in "Musician".[2]

Robinson stated in a tweet that he had a rule for Nurture, which was "no supersaws[,] no 808 subs[,] no classic breakbeats", but he decided to "have fun" with "Musician".[3] In a press release, Robinson stated that "Musician" was one of the very last songs written for Nurture.

The song is meant to feel like a celebration, like I'm reveling in the joy of newfound inspiration. If the rest of Nurture is about me trying to find hope for the future, "Musician" is like a celebration of that hope materializing. It was one of the last songs that I wrote for the album, and it's honestly a celebration of the album itself. That's where the title comes from. It's like, "Alright, I've found my footing, and I know I can really do this now." And I just tried to throw all of my rules away and have as much fun as possible. Ironically enough, this is the least sad song on the album, but this is the song that makes me cry. It's the fun one. I just sound so happy on that song.[4]

Reception

Pitchfork's Colin Joyce said that, on the song, Robinson "mulls the difficulty of making art during tough times, flickering between despair and reassurance", by singing: "I just can't stop, I'm sorry / I can feel a new day dawning."[5] Magnetic Mag's Ryan Middleton stated that the "semi autobiographical track" describes "a eureka moment of finding inspiration."[6] Triple J writer Sose Fuamoli said: "It's here where we can hear him turn that corner and find the love in music that had been missing. The music swells and revels in being uplifting, which makes sense - it’s one of the songs closest to Robinson even today."[7] Sebastian Flores Chong of EDMTunes declared that "Musician" is "an amazing song" with unique and distinct elements, while still resembling Porter Robinson's music style.[3] PopMatters writer Chris Conaton describes "Musician" as "full electropop, with a host of synths, samples, and other electronic sounds providing the music", and further describes it as "a joyous-sounding pop track that sounds like a celebration without becoming cloying."[1]

Accolades

"Musician" was ranked at seventy-fourth place on NPR's annual list of best songs[8] and placed on their list of best electronic songs of the year.[9]

Music video

The music video for "Musician" was released on YouTube on March 18, 2021. It was directed by Waboku and Mah and animated by Dokai Asuka, rui, Ono Hokuto, Oyama Aiko, Sakai Hiroshi, Nishimura Fukutaro and Ryoko K. (Shatter). It has anime influences, similarly to "Shelter" and showing Robinson's "love for Japanese culture and the style of anime", according to We Rave You's Ellie Mullins. The video is about a boy looking to pursue his passion for music at the risk of being outcast from society.[10][11]

Charts
Chart (2021) Peak
position
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[12] 23

References
  1. Conaton, Chris (June 7, 2021). "Porter Robinson's 'Nurture' Combines Piano, Electronics, And Big Pop Hooks". PopMatters. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  2. Robinson, Porter [@porterrobinson] (March 11, 2021). "porter robinson on Twitter: "'musician' is actually built from a sample of an unreleased collaboration i started with @kerokerobonito – here's a visualization of how i chopped it up"" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. Chong, Sebastian Flores (March 3, 2021). "Porter Robinson Releases 'Musician', Final Single From Album". EDMTunes. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  4. "Porter Robinson shares new album track, 'Musician': Listen". DJMag.com. March 4, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  5. Joyce, Colin (April 29, 2021). "Porter Robinson: Nurture Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  6. Middleton, Ryan (April 23, 2021). "Album Review: Porter Robinson – Nurture". Magnetic Mag. Archived from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  7. Fuamoli, Sose (April 29, 2021). "Porter Robinson's Nurture is an album that found light in the dark". Triple J. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  8. "Best Music of 2021". NPR Music. NPR. December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  9. "The Best Electronic Music of 2021". NPR Music. NPR. December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  10. Mullins, Ellie (March 18, 2021). "Porter Robinson unveils music video for latest single 'Musician': Watch". We Rave You. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  11. Peters, Emily (March 18, 2021). "Porter Robinson Releases Music Video for "Musician"". EDM Identity. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  12. "Porter Robinson Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
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