New, old music from Martin Garrix recently made headlines, as the DJ and producing giant released his long-awaited collaboration with Ed Sheeran, “Repeat It.” Originally started over a decade ago, the pair reunited in the studio to finish the track recently, finally sharing it with the world.
LISTEN NOW: Martin Garrix with Mike Adam
Garrix joined us inside our New York studios for a talk with Mike Adam about the song, and the vault from which it came.
Garrix explains that the release was delayed for years due to label conflicts and scheduling difficulties, but rather than forcing a new project, he eventually returned to the original demo with "fresh ears," keeping the original vocal takes and melodies intact while updating the production.
This experience is part of a larger, deliberate effort to organize his creative "vault"—a massive collection of unreleased music accumulated over the last 15 years. “I started doing it last year. I started organizing it a bit more, structuring everything more, looking back at the last 15 years, and I made this giant folder with songs that are unreleased."
“I'm revisiting some of them, and also for the Ed Sheeran record, sometimes it's nice to take a step back and then come back with fresh ears onto a new or old idea,” he reveals. “I like the process of just writing, writing, writing, and then I love to test it to my friends, to my family, play to my sister.”
Garrix also offers insight into his approach to featuring other artists like Sheeran, emphasizing that he does not pay for features, nor does he accept payment. His goal is to maintain a collaborative environment rooted in mutual respect rather than transactions.
"I feel like the moment you already start talking about money before even creating something, it puts pressure on the whole creative process, which should be all about fun and just creating."
For more from Martin Garrix, check out the full conversation above.
“Repeat It” is now out everywhere
“Repeat It” is now out everywhere
