John Martin

Biography

John Martin Lindström (born 22 August 1980) is a Swedish singer and songwriter. He is known for his collaborations with Swedish House Mafia, Avicii, and Martin Garrix, as well as a solo artist under his own name. Martin is also a member of the music duo VCATION.

Early life

John Martin Lindström was born on 22 August 1980, and grew up in Stockholm. He is the son of a rally driver but chose to pursue music instead of motorsport. Through his older brother, he was introduced to grunge and the Seattle rock scene during his early teens.
At the age of 13 he received his first electric guitar and started the rock band Steroids with his classmates, initially only playing Nirvana covers. After a year, the band began writing their own songs and soon performed at school parties and local bars.
In the mid-2000s steroids became part of Stockholm's alternative rock scene, known for their chaotic live performances. The band signed a record deal and recorded an album that was never released.

Artist

During Steroids final year as a band, John Martin met songwriter Michel Zitron during a night out at Berns. The two soon began a fruitful musical collaboration and, together with Swedish House Mafia, wrote the song "Save the World," which was released on 22 April 2011. The song reached number ten on the UK singles chart and peaked at number one on the American "Hot Dance Club Songs" chart. The same year, "Save the World" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance Recording.
The following year, John Martin worked again with Swedish House Mafia on "Don't You Worry Child". The song became a huge hit when it was released on 11 September 2012, and reached the top ten on the US Billboard chart, a feat no Swedish band had achieved since 1998. "Don't You Worry Child" was also nominated for a Grammy.
Through his collaboration with Swedish House Mafia, Martin established himself as one of the most prominent singers and songwriters in electronic dance music. Together with the DJ group, he toured the world and performed at venues such as Alexandra Palace in London and Madison Square Garden in New York City, as well as in front of a total of 135,000 people over three days at Strawberry Arena in Stockholm.
In 2013 John Martin worked with Tinie Tempah and contributed lyrics and vocals to his song "Children of the Sun", which was released on 25 October. The song reached number six on the UK singles chart. The same year, he also appeared on "Reload×Reload24 October 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Reload4:48" by Sebastian Ingrosso and Tommy Trash.
In 2014 John Martin decided to focus entirely on his solo career as an artist and signed with Island Records, known for representing artists like Bob Marley and U2. In an interview with Dagens Nyheter, he said: "I couldn't wait any longer. My fans are growing. It hasn't been entirely clear who I actually am. I haven't been the front figure, not featured in the videos, just been a name and a voice. Now I want to show who I am." The single "Anywhere for You×Anywhere for You12 February 2014 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Anywhere for You3:34" released in the spring of 2014, reached fourth place on the UK Dance chart and went platinum in Sweden. Despite the success, the album was never released.
After a break from music, John Martin collaborated with Martin Garrix on the single "Higher Ground" and with Gryffin on "CRY" in 2020. In 2021, he worked again with Martin Garrix on "Won’t Let You Go" and together with David Guetta on "Impossible" and the Brazilian artist ALOK on "Wherever You Go." In 2022 and 2023, he contributed lyrics and vocals to Steve Aoki's songs "Whole Again" and "Won’t Forget This Time".
On 24 August 2023 John Martin released "Coming Home×Coming Home25 August 2023 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Coming Home3:332Coming Home (Original Club Mix)7:17" together with the Ukrainian duo Artbat. The music video for the song, directed by Pavel Buryak, shows Ukrainian soldiers coming home from the war and reuniting with their families.

Songwriter

In addition to the projects he has both written and performed on, John Martin has written songs with a range of artists such as Avicii ("Fade into Darkness"), Martin Garrix ("Home," ”Hold On," ”Real Love," ”Carry You," ”Together"), Alesso ("In My Blood"), Afrojack ("We’ll Be Ok"), Bob Moses ("Love Brand New," ”Time and Time Again"), Julian Lennon ("Lucky Ones"), Josef Salvat ("Promiscuity"), Danny Saucedo ("Happy That You Found Me"), RLY ("Safe & Sound," ”Ring The Alarm"), New Hope Club ("Let Me Down"), Kat Cunning ("Broken Heart"), Felix Jaehn ("Never Alone"), Style of Eye ("Sweetest Heartache"), and Alice Chater ("Girls X Boys").

VCATION

In 2018, John Martin, together with Michel Zitron, launched the music project VCATION by releasing the single "Lay Low." With VCATION, the duo sought a more organic and relaxed sound than in their previous EDM songs. The project has since released several tracks, including "When We Were Gold," "Stairway to the Sun," "Love You Long Time," "Rise Up," "Let U Go," and "Miss U.