Martin Garrix On New Single ‘Sleepless Nights,' Lollapalooza Set

Forbes

18 hours ago

As Lollapalooza celebrates 20 years as a destination festival in Chicago, Dutch DJ and producer Martin Garrix helped wrap up this year's installment, closing out Perry's stage opposite performances from fellow headliners Sabrina Carpenter and A$AP Rocky.
Prior to his performance last weekend on the final day of Lollapalooza 2025, Garrix performed on stage at the downtown Chicago festival in 2014 and 2016 in addition to sets at Lollapalooza Berlin, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Paris over the course of the last ten years, fully leveraging arguably the strongest global brand in the festival realm.
The Forbes 30 Under 30 alum was also named one of the world's highest paid DJs in 2019 and celebrates today's release of his latest single 'Sleepless Nights," his first trance track and a collaboration with DJ/producer Armin van Buuren and singer Libby Whitehouse.
'I'm excited to play it tonight,' said Garrix backstage Sunday of his latest single prior to his Lollapalooza set in Chicago, where he kayaked the Chicago River earlier in the day. 'It's my first trance song ever. My first song at 138bpm," he explained. 'It was super fun. I love Armin. I've known him since forever. So, it was just a matter of time until we ended up doing a song together,' said Garrix of the duo's first ever collaboration. "And Libby was incredible. She came to Amsterdam with both Armin and I. We recorded with her in the studio. We wrote the bridge together. And just the whole song has been fun.'
I spoke with Martin Garrix about returning to Lollapalooza, what he takes as an artist from the collaborative process and philanthropic efforts aimed at helping children during tumultuous times. A transcript of our conversation at Lollapalooza, lightly edited for length and clarity, follows below.
Jim Ryan: How's your weekend been so far?
Martin Garrix: It's been good. I played Ibiza Thursday night. Friday night and Saturday was Las Vegas. And then today in Chicago. Tonight, I fly right after the show to Utah.
Ryan: Obviously, you're no stranger to Lollapalooza. Any fond moments that stick out over the years?
Garrix: I remember just the first time coming here. I think it was 2014. And I was just mindblown by the size of the festival - by the energy, by the crowds. And just the skyline. What I remember the most is that I walked on stage and it felt so surreal. You've got the crowd of people and then the skyline in the back. Really special.
Ryan: You arrive here set to play in front of another immense festival crowd. In a situation like that, do you tweak the performance or the presentation in order to connect with the larger crowd like that?
Garrix: I'm just gonna go with the flow from the crowd. I know my first three songs. I'll do those with confidence so I don't have to think too much about the first three. And after that, I'll figure it out.
Ryan: The 'Sleepless Nights' single is [now available]. What was it like collaborating with Armin Van Buren and Libby Whitehouse on that track?
Garrix: It was super fun. I love Armin. I've known him since forever. So, it was just a matter of time until we ended up doing a song together. And Libby was incredible. She came to Amsterdam with both Armin and I. We recorded with her in the studio. We wrote the bridge together. And just the whole song has been fun. It's my first trance song ever. My first song at 138bpm. So, I'm excited to play it tonight.
Ryan: In addition to 'Sleepless Nights,' you worked recently with Lauv on 'Mad' and with AFROJACK, David Guetta and Amél on 'Our Time.' As an artist, what are you able to take from that collaborative process?
Garrix: Any collaboration, I'm learning so much from the people that I collaborate with - from the production point of view or the songwriting point of view. Some artists that I've worked with have a completely different approach to songwriting and production. So, it's always cool to meet in the middle. And, for me, it's also to get out of my comfort zone. And, by being out of my comfort zone, learning a lot. I love collaborating.
Ryan: Obviously, these days I think you have to pay a little different level of attention to the business side in a way that maybe artists haven't had to historically. When it comes to branding and authenticity, how do you kind of approach the business side of what you do?
Garrix: So, with the business side, I luckily have an incredible team in my corner who basically make sure that from the branding side to the business side, it's good. I will double check everything to make sure that I fully agree with everything. But they basically keep me just focused on the music and on the shows. And, of course, if it's like artwork or an album cover, we sit together, put our brains together and brainstorm. But, for all of the more boring business stuff, I'm in the loop and I'm in the know on everything with every decision we make - but I do like to focus more on the music and on the creative.
Ryan: I was reading earlier about the work you've done with War Child and S.O.S. Children's Villages. Especially during crazy times like these, how important is it to be involved philanthropically like that and give back in that way?
Garrix: I feel like any artist, or anybody with a following in general - when they have a position where they can inspire people and help people - I think to use that platform not only for shows but if you can also use it for good to help people and make an impact, I think that's crucial. It's very important. Most of the charity work that I do is for kids. Because I just think they deserve the world. And the world is sometimes a bit crazy. Especially now.