U2’s Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen Jr to become Fellows of the Ivors Academy
20 March 2025, 18:09
The band will become the first Irish songwriters that the Academy has inducted into Fellowship in its 81-year history.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
U2 are set to become Fellows of the Ivors Academy.
The legendary band will make history, becoming the first-ever Irish songwriters to be inducted into the Fellowship in its 81 years.
U2's induction brings the total number of Fellows to 32, where they join an esteemed group of songwriters, including The Beatles legend Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Joan Amatrading, Sting and Bruce Springsteen- who joined the Fellowship last year and became the first ever artist from the United States to do so.
Frontman Bono said of the honour: "We were a band before we could play, let alone write songs… In fact it was our inability to play other people’s songs that kicked off our own songwriting. Early musical heroes like The Ramones, Patti Smith, The Clash were our inspiration. There’s alchemy at play, turning base metals into gold… your shite into gold would be another way of putting it.”
Read more:
The Edge said: “Songs are kind of magic. The best ones feel like gifts from some other dimension, but to catch them you have to make yourself available. I’m not sure songs can change the world but they sure have changed mine.”
Adam Clayton commented: “To be recognised in this way by The Ivors Academy feels very special indeed. The appreciation of one’s peers is a humbling honour and we are immensely grateful. We’ve been playing our songs in this country for over 45 years, thank you to all those who have not just supported us, but carried us... producers, engineers, crew, fans, management, label.”
Larry Mullen Jr. added: “Making music collectively, as we’ve done for close to 50 years, has been an incredible experience and privilege for the four of us and I believe it’s a testament to a band that values individual creativity and independence of mind. We are grateful to each other and very grateful to The Ivors Academy for recognising us with this award.”
Read more:
- Who was the boy featured on the cover of U2’s early albums?
- Paul McCartney roasts Bruce Springsteen as The Boss becomes a Fellow of The Ivors Academy
Tom Gray, Chair of The Ivors Academy said: "With fearless poetic lyricism always centre-stage in panoramic musical vistas, the sound of U2 has redefined the fabric of popular music. Their songs are sweeping catalysts: hymnals and rallying cries. U2’s induction into Fellowship honours their seminal contributions to music through exceptional songwriting craft.”
Roberto Neri, CEO of The Ivors Academy said: “We are proud to welcome U2 to Fellowship of The Ivors Academy as era-defining songwriters whose legacy continues to propel musical innovation and inspire social progress. As U2’s politically charged anthems have sparked global change, The Ivors Academy is committed to championing creative integrity with the same unwavering passion. At a time when AI threatens to undermine human creativity, U2’s Fellowship stands as a testament to the irreplaceable role of songwriters and composers in shaping culture and inspiring change.”
The Ivors with Amazon Music, presented by The Ivors Academy, celebrates exceptional achievements in songwriting and screen composing.
Its 70th edition, which takes place this spring, "will be presented to honour songs and scores written by UK and Irish songwriters and composers, released in the UK in 2024, that demonstrate exceptional originality, skill and impact".
This year’s nominees will be announced on Wednesday 23rd April and the winners will be revealed at The Ivors with Amazon Music at Grosvenor House in London on Thursday 22nd May 2025.
For more information visit Ivorsacademy.com/theivors
Read more:
