Martin Garrix lights up Tomorrowland with new U2 track
The DJ premiered “Fireflies” in Antwerp with the Edge on guitar and Bono’s vocals on tape, and says the single is coming soon.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
Martin Garrix used his Tomorrowland set on Friday to roll out a fresh U2 collaboration, bringing the Edge onstage in Antwerp, Belgium, for the first public blast of a new song called “Fireflies.”
Rolling Stone reported that the debut paired Garrix’s festival-sized production with the Edge’s guitar work, while Bono appeared through prerecorded vocals. The performance gave fans their first taste of the track before its official release.
Garrix said on social media that “Fireflies” will be “out soon,” according to Rolling Stone. He also shared a pre-save link for the single, signaling that the studio version is already lined up for release.
In an Instagram post, Garrix wrote that “Fireflies” with U2 was “out soon” and had premiered at Tomorrowland. The post was shared from Garrix’s account and tagged U2 and the festival.
A familiar Garrix and U2 connection
The Tomorrowland moment adds another entry to a working relationship that has stretched across several projects over the past decade.
Garrix and U2 previously joined forces on “We Are the People,” the official anthem for the UEFA 2020 tournament, Rolling Stone reported. Garrix also produced “Your Song Saved My Life,” U2’s track from the Sing 2 soundtrack.
Bono has also had writing credits on several Garrix songs, according to Rolling Stone, including “Angels for Each Other,” “Catherina” and “Weightless.”
Rolling Stone reported that the destination for “Fireflies” is not yet known. The track could arrive as a stand-alone single, land on a future Garrix album, or connect to U2’s next studio project.
U2’s next album is already moving
U2 have already started the public rollout for their next album. Last week, the band released “Street of Dreams,” which Rolling Stone described as the first single from a new LP expected later this year.
The coming album is timed to U2’s 50th anniversary, according to Rolling Stone. It will be the band’s first LP since 2023’s Songs of Surrender, and their first album of newly written material since 2017’s Songs of Experience.
Earlier this year, U2 also released two six-song EPs, Days of Ash and Easter Lily. Rolling Stone reported that those releases dealt with political and spiritual themes.
When Easter Lily arrived in April, Bono told fans the band was still working in the studio and suggested the next record would be built for the stage.
“We are in the studio, still working towards a noisy, messy, ‘unreasonably colorful’ album to play LIVE … which is where U2 lives,” Bono said, according to Rolling Stone. “We still look to vivid rock & roll as an act of resistance against all this awfulness on our small screens.”
For now, “Fireflies” gives both camps a flashy runway: Garrix has a new festival-tested single on deck, while U2 keep feeding a year already packed with new music.
This story draws on original reporting from Rolling Stone.