PHX
Martin Garrix — the name that belongs to one of the youngest and most successful DJs/producers championing the pop and electronic scene. Garrix has taken his expertise across the globe by headlining festivals, breaking through territories, and collaborating with major stars including Dua Lipa, Bono and The Edge (U2), Khalid, and Macklemore. The Dutch superstar continues to operate in a musical world of his own. His sounds are powerful both emotionally and physically and never far from the top of the charts.
Stretching back to humbler beginnings, the DJ/producer, who was born and bred in The Netherlands, cites his introduction to dance music as watching Tiësto’s performance at the 2004 Olympics Opening Ceremony in Athens. Marching to the beat of his own drum — a trait that, unbeknownst to him, would carry him extremely far — he started to show his skillset, which was refined both at home and while studying music production at a specialist school.
Now in his late twenties, Garrix is over ten years into a career that began with the Dutchman bursting through the EDM stratosphere by debuting the single ‘Animals’ back in 2013. The invigorating dance-floor stomper soared to the top of the charts worldwide, ultimately altering the status of what would be considered popular music. This marked one of the most defining moments of his career and the industry, solidifying Garrix as the new face of electronic music at the age of just 17.
Sending a breath of fresh air back into the scene with his youthful approach, energetic spirit, impressive tunnel-visioned focus, and devotion to creating quality music, he powered on, releasing a slew of hits a year later. These included ‘Proxy’, ‘Helicopter’, ‘Wizard’, ‘Turn Up The Speakers’, ‘Virus’, and ‘Gold Skies’, all of which impressively remain relevant to this day and continue to find themselves woven into his sets, performance after performance. Kickstarting 2015 with a major collaboration, Garrix hit the ground running with ‘Don’t Look Down’ featuring Usher and the cult classic ‘The Only Way Is Up’ featuring his idol Tiësto.
Continuing his voyage to conquer the mainstream over the years, Garrix has become responsible for providing infectious and anthemic dance and pop records throughout the 2010s, alongside a string of memorable collaborations including (2016) ‘In The Name Of Love’ featuring Bebe Rexha, (2017) ‘Scared To Be Lonely’ featuring Dua Lipa and ‘There For You’ featuring Troye Sivan, (2018) ‘Ocean’ featuring Khalid, (2019) ‘Summer Days’ with Macklemore and Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, and (2021) ‘We Are The People’ with Bono and The Edge. Some of these artists were at the beginning of their careers at the time and arguably saw their profiles rise following the success of these collaborations.
This musician’s ear for electronic-infused backdrops has allowed him to impact the world with his infectious productions, both digitally — accumulating a notable 25 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone — and through monumental, once-in-a-lifetime performances at events such as the Winter Olympics 2018, Coachella, Lollapalooza, Ultra Music Festival, and Tomorrowland, to name just a few. He eventually became the Official UEFA EURO 2020 Music Artist, producing the official song for the tournament as well as other key music featured throughout the finals. At every one of the high-powered and visually spectacular live shows he delivers, Garrix showcases his intrinsic capability to uplift and connect with a crowd from behind the decks.
His streaming success and recognition from reputable events have seen him acknowledged by numerous publications, including being ranked number one on DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs Poll for three consecutive years, adding a fourth title in 2022 and a fifth in 2024. Garrix performs at approximately 120 events worldwide each year while also spearheading STMPD RCRDS (pronounced Stamped Records), the record label named in honor of his father’s stamp auction business. STMPD RCRDS was formed with the ethos of “Artists First. Always.”
In addition to leading with artists in mind, Garrix also saw the label as an outlet that would help him discover the full extent of his creativity as he continues to diversify his discography. Alongside the label, Garrix renovated a studio complex in Amsterdam, STMPD Recording Studios, which has already opened its doors to highly respected forces within the industry including Lady Gaga, Sam Smith, Tame Impala, Nicky Jam, and RAYE, as well as production companies and agencies such as Netflix, ABC, and CBS.
Starting strong in 2021 with a billion Spotify streams milestone for ‘In The Name Of Love’ with Bebe Rexha and his collaboration with Tove Lo on ‘Pressure’, Garrix spearheaded into a major year. With the official UEFA EURO 2020 song ‘We Are The People’ with Bono and The Edge released, and his project with Maejor, AREA21, rolling out impressive new music accompanied by animated videos, it ultimately led to the release of ‘Greatest Hits Vol. 1’, Garrix’s first-ever album.
Fans were hardly able to take it all in before he was gearing up for 2022. With live shows back in full swing, Garrix had plenty of club music up his sleeve and decided to release his first-ever club album, ‘Sentio’. After closing out one of his busiest summers to date, the year was topped off with Garrix ascending to the apex of DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs Poll for a fourth time. The victory was announced with a livestreamed set recorded atop the iconic Empire State Building in New York. While artists such as Eminem, Ed Sheeran, and Elton John had previously been permitted to perform there, no DJ had conquered its apex — until now. Garrix closed out the year by releasing ‘Hero’, the anthem for the hit game Marvel Snap, together with JVKE.
In 2023, he solidified his status as one of the leading DJ/producers in the world. Starting with a record-selling arena tour in India, he showcased his global appeal and set new benchmarks for live electronic music events in the region. Throughout the summer, Garrix embarked on a jam-packed tour, further amplifying his international presence. The year saw him release ‘Hurricane’ and his first pop song in a long time, ‘Real Love’ with Lloyiso, which landed at number one on the US Dance Charts. Beyond music, Garrix expanded his brand partnerships, stepping into the role of Replay ambassador and extending his collaboration with JBL. Notably, he became a sought-after performer at Formula 1 races as Heineken’s newly announced global ambassador.
As 2024 kicked off, Garrix embarked on a South American tour and released his ‘IDEM’ EP, which included highly anticipated tracks such as ‘Carry You’ and ‘Empty’. Just in time for the summer season, he released his new live closing song ‘Wherever You Are’, as well as the summer anthem ‘Smile’ featuring Carolina Liar. Adding to an already incredible year, Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) saw Martin Garrix release the fan-favorite ‘Gravity’ and make history by becoming the number one DJ in DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs Poll for the fifth time, tying the all-time record for most wins with Armin van Buuren, who personally handed him the award.
There is no doubt that Garrix’s ability to reinvent his brand and fearlessly experiment with his sound, while filtering its many streams of creativity to the masses with such ease, is an undeniable testament to his talent and longevity, ultimately driving his legendary narrative even further.