“Do you ever feel trapped by fame?”
The question rings out in the small alcove in which DJ Mag is perched next to Martin Garrix. The Dutch DJ and this year’s Top 100 winner pauses momentarily to reflect. “Trapped? No...” he replies, cautiously. “But I do feel a great sense of responsibility. I feel like I can't do stupid shit. I don't want to be a bad role model, I don't want to set a bad example. That’s very important to me.”
It’s a refreshingly grounded view from one of the globe’s most famous youngsters. Martin Garrix shot to stardom in 2013 thanks to his hit electronic track, ‘Animals’, that he produced aged 16 in his bedroom. ‘Animals’ has been viewed an unfathomable 900,000,000 times on YouTube, while Garrix has amassed a social media following bigger than the entire population of The Netherlands. That's 13 million Facebook likes, 8.1 million Instagram followers and 3.4 million Twitter fans — to be exact.
Signed to EDM hit-factory Spinnin' Records for much of his teens, before a widely publicised bust-up over the ownership rights to his music, 2016 is Garrix’s coming-of-age moment. He launched his own imprint, STMPD RCRDS, back in January (with the backing of major label powerhouse Sony), releasing future bass burner ‘In The Name Of Love’ with Bebe Rexha on the imprint in September. It was a subtle shift away from the big room club sound that made ‘Animals’ the anthem of the EDM generation — a sign that Garrix, like any normal teenager, was growing up.
But it’s outside the realm of chart-topping Beatport singles, stadium shows and Ibiza residencies, and away from the private jets and expensive sneakers, that the real secret of Martin Garrix’s appeal lies. A mix of talent, timing, marketing and star quality has allowed a humble, bright-eyed kid from the small town of Amstelveen to become the world's biggest DJ — the embodiment of ultimate possibility for bedroom producers around the globe. The Martin Garrix story is — literally — what teenage dreams are made of.