By 2016, Martin Garrix had already become one of the biggest names in electronic music. Tracks like Animals and Wizard had made him a festival superstar, but “In the Name of Love” showed the world a different side of the Dutch producer.
Released in July 2016, the track paired Garrix with rising singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha, creating a record that balanced emotional songwriting with the uplifting energy of dance music. At a time when EDM was beginning to move away from massive festival drops and toward more vocal-driven productions, “In the Name of Love” arrived at exactly the right moment.
Built around warm melodies, atmospheric production, and Bebe Rexha’s powerful vocal performance, the song explored the lengths people are willing to go for love. Rather than relying on an explosive drop, Garrix allowed the emotion of the record to take center stage, creating a track that connected just as well on the radio as it did on festival stages.
The gamble paid off. “In the Name of Love” became one of the biggest hits of Garrix’s career, earning hundreds of millions of streams and climbing charts around the globe. More importantly, it helped establish him as more than just a producer of festival anthems. It demonstrated his ability to craft songs with lasting emotional impact while still retaining the energy that made him one of dance music’s most exciting artists.
For Bebe Rexha, the collaboration further cemented her place as one of pop and dance music’s most sought-after vocalists. Her distinctive voice brought both vulnerability and strength to the track, helping transform it into one of the standout dance records of the year.
Ten years later, “In the Name of Love” remains a defining song of the mid-2010s dance music era. Whether heard on the radio, in a festival set, or through a nostalgic playlist, the track still carries the same emotional pull that made it resonate with millions of listeners around the world.
For this week’s Friday Flashback, we’re revisiting the song that showed Martin Garrix’s evolution from EDM prodigy to global hitmaker—and gave us one of the decade’s most memorable dance-pop collaborations.
