After premiering at Belgium EDM fest, DJ and Irish rockers’ latest single together is “out soon”
Martin Garrix debuted a new U2 collaboration “Fireflies” with help from the Edge during the DJ’s Tomorrowland set Friday in Antwerp, Belgium.
The Edge delivered his trademark guitar sound over Bono’s prerecorded vocals for the “Fireflies” debut, with Garrix writing on social media that the track will be “out soon,” and shared a “pre-save” link for the single’s impending arrival:
Garrix and the Irish rockers have collaborated a handful of times over the past decade: The DJ and U2 previously released their soccer anthem “We Are the People” for the UEFA 2020 tournament, while Garrix also produced the U2 track “Your Song Saved My Life” that appeared on the Sing 2 soundtrack. Bono has also co-written Garrix singles like “Angels for Each Other,” Catherina,” and “Weightless.”
It’s unclear whether “Fireflies” is a one-off collaborative single, a preview from Garrix’s new LP, or if the song is also destined for U2’s upcoming studio album; last week, the band unveiled their joyous “Street of Dreams,” the first single from a new LP that’s due out later this year.
U2’s next album, timed to their 50th anniversary, marks the band’s first LP since 2023’s Songs of Surrender, and their first album of new music since 2017’s Songs of Experience.
Earlier this year, they also shared two six-song EPs, Days of Ash and Easter Lily, that dealt with weighty matters of politics and spiritual renewal.
When they released Easter Lily in April, Bono told fans that the upcoming album would strike a different tone. “We are in the studio, still working towards a noisy, messy, ‘unreasonably colorful’ album to play LIVE … which is where U2 lives,” he said. “We still look to vivid rock & roll as an act of resistance against all this awfulness on our small screens.”