Martin Garrix has risen to global stardom in pop as well as electronic circles – and yet he’s far from being done. Dance music’s freshest talent has headlined festivals around the globe, founded a label, mentored other artists, is the official artist for UEFA EURO 2020 and won the #1 spot in DJ Mag’s Top 100 three times in a row. His passion, ambition, drive and maturity remain unmatched in the world. The story of Martin Garrix begins at 8 years of age, in the year 2004. It was then that he first got acquainted with electronic dance music, seeing Tiësto perform at the Olympic Games opening ceremony on live TV. The music’s energy and drive captivated him and by his mid-teens, Garrix had taught himself how to produce and play his own songs. In 2013, he released music on Musical Freedom – his idol Tiësto’s label – and not long after, he released the track that would change everything for him.

‘Animals’, released June 2013 was a breakout success and a game changer for the music industry. Reaching No. 1 in the UK and many other territories, it proved that a hard-hitting, dancefloororiented track could reach pop status, ultimately reaching over a billion streams across several platforms. It also proved that Garrix, at only 17, had the talent to become a world- class musician. Privately, this was a path that he had already chosen, dropping out of high school in order to study music production at a specialized academy.

The six years since have been marked by a quick march through the ranks of dance music, conquering stages all around the world and releasing more breakout hits including ‘In The Name Of Love’ with Bebe Rexha. 2016 was also the year when Garrix took pole position in the DJ Mag Top 100 for the first time, as well as the launch of his own label, STMPD RCRDS. Named after his father’s profession, who runs a stamp auction house, the label serves as an outlet for Martin’s own music and as a platform for up-and-coming, creative talents. “There is so much amazing talent out there and I want to be able to give them a platform as well as having the freedom to release any kind of music I want, when I want to.” he says. “I want my label to be diverse.” And diverse it has become looking at Garrix’ own releases, including the highly acclaimed Scared to Be Lonely which became Dua Lipa’s breakthrough song, ‘There For You’ (with Troye Sivan), ‘So Far Away’ (with David Guetta, featuring Jamie Scott & Romy Dya), 'Summer Days' (with Macklemore and Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy), ‘Home' with Bonn and 'Used To Love' with Dean Lewis)

With STMPD RCRDS now firmly established, Garrix has free range to do exactly that which he loves most: making music. He recently renovated his studio complex in Amsterdam, STMPD recording studios, which has become an amazing creative hub. It’s this mad-about-music mentality that has built his career over the past six years – and it’s this mentality that ensures that in his early twenties, he still has a lifetime of achievements ahead of him.