Something that falls perfectly between the worlds of arena level dance music and radio catchiness
Martin Garrix ended his very first closing set of Tomorrowland with the debut of his upcoming single ‘In The Name Of Love’ with Bebe Rexha. Alongside classics like 'Animals' and 'Wizard', the 20-year-old Dutch EDM sensation treated the audience to three brand new tracks - and one of them dropped this week!
The quality of Garrix’s vocal contributions seems to keep on getting better with each release, with Bebe Rexha’s gorgeous delivery and the stunning songcraft of ‘In The Name Of Love’ up there with the best crafted pop music in the world. But this being Martin Garrix, you’re looking at something that falls perfectly between the worlds of arena level dance music and radio catchiness.
Rexha’s bittersweet tones are backed by muted guitars chords in the intro, soaring vocal harmonies soon joining for the refrain. The drop delivers a bombastic hip-hop style beat, driven by beefy kicks, huge synth chords and pitch-shifting vocal cutups, the glorious vocal continuing to gather power as the track goes on. This isn’t a simple beat + vocal exercise: it’s a proper song that’s been sculpted into a floor-ready bomb and carries all the emotion and impact that great pop music should always have.
Bebe Rexha is an American singer-songwriter of Albanian descent who sang vocals on ‘Hey Mama’ with David Guetta, collaborated with Nicki Minaj on ‘No Broken Hearts’ and co-wrote Eminem’s huge ‘Monster’. Garrix’s collaboration with her gives a taste of what to expect on his debut album, which sees him team up with a host of incredibly talented vocalists and songwriters to create something a lot more meaningful than your usual dance album.
‘In The Name of Love’ also marks the first release for Martin under his new worldwide deal with Sony Music International, which was announced earlier today. “Martin is one of the preeminent DJs in the world and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome him and his team to the Sony Music family” said Adam Granite, President Northern & Eastern Europe & Africa, Sony International.
Martin Garrix said: “I’m super excited to be working with such a hungry and passionate team at Sony Music Entertainment. Their forward-thinking approach to streaming and incredible roster of talented artists combined with their passion and understanding for my vision of the future of my music made this a no brainer”.
Comprised of electrifying chords and pop-tinged synths, “In the Name of Love” materializes the catchy spark between Garrix and Rexha; one that’s ideal for radio play, as well as his numerous headlining sets at major festivals around the globe.
About Bebe Rexha, Garrix said the following:
“She has that rough edge, but somehow also a very sweet voice,”
The two talented stars met in Los Angeles to discuss ideas for a collaboration, but when it finally came time to cut the track, they worked in studios on opposite sides of the planet—Garrix in Amsterdam, Rexha in California. To keep up with each other, they relied on FaceTime to give feedback. “We were super honest with each other,” he says. “She tries some stuff…I have an idea in my head about how I think it should be… [eventually] we came to the point where we were both like, ‘Wow! That’s it!'”
The duo performed the track live on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, which made Garrix the first Dutch artist to ever perform on the show. They also performed the track in BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge where Garrix showed off his guitar skills once again during an intimate performance.
