Garrix Steps Out From Behind the Decks: 'MARTY' Lands March 5 With U2, Madonna and Ed Sheeran

Martin Garrix has spent a decade being the name behind other people's biggest choruses. On Wednesday, October 21, he announced he is done hiding behind the decks: his debut pop album, MARTY, arrives March 5, 2027, through STMPD Records and Darkroom Records — and for the first time, a lot of the singing on it is his own. SPIN reported the announcement was made during a Spotify event kicking off Amsterdam Dance Event, where Garrix treated some of his top listeners to a first listen of unreleased tracks. The Music Universe carried the same announcement with the same date, label and track count: 14 songs, more than ten years in the making.

That guest list is doing a lot of the talking. The album features U2, Madonna and Ed Sheeran, plus Spanish star Aitana, with more collaborators still to be announced, according to both SPIN and The Music Universe. Bono is not just a feature — he is credited as a co-writer, and SPIN reported he served as something closer to a mentor during the making of the record, pushing Garrix to develop his own voice and perform with more vulnerability. When the biggest rock frontman of his generation is in your corner telling you to sing, you sing.

A life story cut into 14 tracks

According to SPIN, MARTY distills more than 400 songs written over a decade into a single personal narrative: growing up, navigating fame, and thinking about what remains after death. The album opens with “Catharina,” named for Garrix's mother, and unfolds as a life cycle, with transitions and key changes linking the chapters. The title is a homecoming of its own — Marty was Garrix's first DJ alias as a kid, back when his slogan was “Party with DJ Marty.” He broke out in 2013 with “Animals” while still a teenager; this record is the now-30-year-old looking back at that kid on purpose.

Some of the pieces are already out in the world. “Fireflies,” his July collaboration with U2, marked the first time all four members of the band appeared together on one of his tracks, SPIN reported. “Bizarre” with Madonna also appeared on her own Confessions II album, and the Sheeran collaboration “Repeat It” — a song the two first worked on more than a decade ago — was released this past May and reached the Top 15 at Mediabase Top 40, according to The Music Universe. DJ Mag reported that an untitled Aitana collaboration previewed at the Spotify event has been listed as “Not Giving Up On Us,” and that Garrix also previewed a track called “Ghost.” Two released songs, “Catharina” and “This Dream of You,” carry Garrix's own lead vocal — a genuine first for a producer who built an empire handing the microphone to everybody else.

Why this is a bigger swing than it looks

DJ Mag, which placed Garrix at No. 2 in its Top 100 DJs poll this year, noted the album was originally slated for late 2026 before landing on the March date, and that it is his first album under his own name since 2022's Sentio. That gap matters. The festival-EDM economy rewards singles, remixes and residency calendars — Garrix wrapped his 11th year at Ushuaïa Ibiza in September — not vulnerable singer-songwriter pivots. Announcing a concept album about your mother, mortality and rebirth, fronted by your own untested voice, is not the safe commercial move. It is the move you make when the safe one stops meaning anything.

The timing has one more layer of theatre. DJ Mag reported that as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations for his STMPD RCRDS label, Garrix is throwing a party at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport tonight, October 21, with label regulars Julian Jordan and Brooks, French duo Citadelle and rising star Nova Blue on the bill. Announce the most personal album of your life in the afternoon, then play an airport with your label family at night — that is a man very comfortable controlling the whole frame.

What we still do not have: a full tracklist, a lead single date for the album campaign, or confirmation of which previewed songs made the final 14. Expect the rollout to drip through the winter — that has been his pattern all year, with “Catharina” arriving in March and “This Dream of You” following in October. March 5 is close enough to plan around and far enough to make the wait itch a little. That is probably the point.

The Take

The feature list will get the headlines, and fine — U2, Madonna and Sheeran on one dance record is a real flex. But the actual story here is a superstar DJ deciding the most interesting voice left to introduce is his own. If the solo-vocal songs land, MARTY is a reinvention. If they don't, it's a very expensive diary. Either way, respect the swing — March 5 cannot come fast enough.