Martin Garrix

“I played the Spanish guitar for eight years, like flamenco.”

“I'm always excited to see the reaction of the crowd when I'm playing a new song.”

“I like making all kinds of music, it really depends on the moment. Sometimes I feel like making a weird trap song, and sometimes I can't even attach a track to a genre.”

“I'm just having fun. I go in the studio, and I have no idea what I'm going to do, what I'm going to make. I'm going to make whatever I feel like making.”

“I want to show everyone that if you pursue your dreams, they can come true no matter what. That's what I want to do.”

“I will never, never ever sing on stage, but when I'm in the studio, I do sing melody lines. When I'm working with singer-songwriters, and I hear melodies, I can guide them. I will be like, 'Oh no, do this this this.' But you will never hear my voice on a Martin Garrix track.”

“I wanted to have a label to not only release my own stuff but to also give young talent a chance to release their music without signing away their life. I had a great time with Spinnin', and the people I worked with were amazing, but the contract wasn't really for me. It wasn't what I wanted.”

“For me, having a balance between work and personal life is very important.”

“My parents even let me switch schools, to leave my regular school to go to the producer's school, because I told them producing is what I love to do, and it makes me happy to share my music and my passion with others. I was dreaming to go to that school. I begged them. They were like, 'Yah, know what? If you are happy, we are happy.'”

“I watched my idol and fellow Dutchman Tiesto. He was the first DJ to play live on stage at an Olympic event - the Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens. At eight years old, all I can remember thinking was, 'I want to be a DJ.'”

“I would love to work with Pharrell one day. Like, my biggest dream.”

“It doesn't matter how tired I am; I will always still be happy. As soon as you go onstage, you get adrenaline. You hear the crowd: they're screaming your name. They have posters. The energy gives you energy.”

“I think it's difficult to say what exactly made me become a successful DJ. It depends on so many different things. If I were given an award, I would thank my family, friends, Tiesto and the great team behind me for all their support and hard work. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today.”

“For me, I don't feel all the pressure. I make music, and I release it because I like it myself and I want my friends to hear it from me.”

“I want to produce more number one hits but not follow trends blindly! What I really hope to achieve in the long-term is to get that cross-over status such as Calvin Harris and Avicii. I'd love to be a household name in pop music.”

“I like myself still kind of being... because DJs used to be the background guy - the guy who was just doing the music - I see myself more as that guy than being on the stage.”

“I want to learn how to do balloon art and make dolphins.”

“Tiesto is legend. I've been in the studio many times. We did a tour together; I jumped onstage with him, he jumped onstage with me. Still, every time, I have to pinch myself and realize this is the guy who made me start doing what I'm doing right now.”

“The first day I'm back from a tour, I have dinner with my parents. I sleep in my old bed. It's amazing.”

“I didn't start my label out of a business perspective. I did it because I wanted to create a platform where new musicians can have the chance to get into a studio, work with each other, and get their music noticed by a large audience.”