NGHTMRE teams up with award-winning vocalist Jordin Sparks to breathe new life into her 2008 hit “No Air,” transforming the beloved pop classic into a melodic drum & bass record. Released through NGHTMRE and SLANDER’s Gud Vibrations, the new rendition bridges mid-2000s pop nostalgia with the atmospheric intensity of modern DnB.
Based in Los Angeles, NGHTMRE has spent the past decade helping shape the direction of contemporary electronic music. His productions have consistently crossed the boundaries between bass music, hip-hop, and festival-focused sounds, establishing him as one of the scene’s influential figures while allowing him to evolve alongside the culture around him.
For Jordin Sparks, “No Air” represents one of the defining moments of her early career. The multi-platinum singer broke through with her 2007 self-titled debut album, which featured the original “No Air” and helped establish her as one of pop and R&B’s most recognizable young voices of the era. The song went on to become a global success, earning a Grammy nomination and becoming a lasting part of the pop canon.
NGHTMRE retains the emotional core of Jordin Sparks’ original performance while placing her vocals inside a completely different sonic environment. Her silky registers and soaring topline remain the centerpiece, surrounded by warm piano chords, shimmering synth textures, and airy pads. As the melancholic chorus arrives, the arrangement shifts into a bright, bubbly drum & bass groove, creating a contrast between the song’s emotional weight and its energetic rhythmic foundation.
The collaboration first generated significant attention when Jordin Sparks made a surprise appearance during NGHTMRE’s set at ILLfest in May. The live premiere of the unreleased track quickly spread across social media, with clips from the performance generating more than 20 million views and turning the ID into one of the most anticipated releases in NGHTMRE’s recent sets.
The original “No Air” has accumulated more than 688 million streams and reached No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song also earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, alongside MTV Video Music Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female Video.
The new version follows NGHTMRE’s recent Gud Vibrations release “Computah,” which surpassed 277,900 streams in less than a month. The producer is also heading into another packed international touring period, with festival appearances scheduled at Nocturnal Wonderland, Lost Lands, Breakaway, Bass Canyon, Wobbleland, Global Dance Festival, Unity Electro, High Stakes, and 808 Festival.
Alongside those festival performances, NGHTMRE has headline dates lined up at SILO, DPRTMENT, and Revel, while also joining SLANDER’s The Voyager Tour as a special guest at The Armory.
For Jordin Sparks, the collaboration adds another chapter to an already decorated career. A Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum recording artist, songwriter, actress, and Broadway and television performer, Jordin Sparks became the youngest winner in American Idol history at just 17 years old. Her career has since earned her numerous BMI songwriting honors, as well as an NAACP Image Award, BET Award, American Music Award, and People’s Choice Award.
Nearly two decades after “No Air” first became a pop phenomenon, NGHTMRE gives the song a distinctly modern identity without sacrificing what made the original so powerful. With Jordin Sparks’ unmistakable vocals floating over shimmering melodies and a propulsive DnB rhythm, the new version turns a familiar classic into an emotional festival-ready anthem for a new generation.