U2 have been named MusiCares’ 2027 Persons Of The Year.
The band are set to be awarded the honour by the Recording Academy’s charitable arm, which raises funds to support musicians in times of financial, personal, or medical crisis, at a benefit gala at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on February 5 next year.
The gala will see a host of musicians perform U2’s backcatalogue, before the band cap off the evening with a brief performance of their own. Performers on the night will be announced in the coming weeks.
“We are honoured to celebrate and recognize U2 as this year’s MusiCares Persons of the Year,” said Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy and MusiCares in a statement.
“Their impact goes far beyond the stage. Not only has their music defined generations, but they’ve been equally exemplary in their dedication to humanitarian work and using their platform for good. We are so excited to come together to honor their collective artistry and commitment to giving back on this special night.”
MusiCares previously honored frontman Bono individually in 2003.
U2 said of their honour: “We’ve been recording and touring for 50 years because of that pool, from producers and engineers to carpenters and riggers.
“Persons of the Year couldn’t be a better title, as it’s the people we’ve been so fortunate to work with, and of course our indomitable audience, that have given us the opportunity to keep making music and keep rocking the boat on things we really care about. It’s such an honour, and we’re very excited to be in the front row of our first ever U2 gig… we know we’re gonna be outplayed.”
They join previous honorees including as Mariah Carey, Jon Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Dolly Parton, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.
U2 are currently celebrating 50 years as a band together. They recently shared ‘Street Of Dreams’, the first preview of their forthcoming 15th studio album.
Produced by Jacknife Lee, the track features drummer Larry Mullen Jr, who missed the group’s Las Vegas Sphere residency in 2023 and 2024 after undergoing surgery.
They also recently shared their collaborative single with Martin Garrix, ‘Fireflies‘.
Bono and co. have already released two EPs of new material this year – the politically focused ‘Days Of Ash’ and the more “personal, private and reflective” ‘Easter Lily’.
U2 have been teasing a new album as far back as 2024, when The Edge said it would not be “a straight-up rock thing”. Bono then shared last summer that he was “ready for the future” with U2, with the band having written “25 great songs”. When discussing the writing process earlier last year, the frontman said U2 were overcoming the past to make “the sound of the future”. He reasoned: “Nobody needs a new U2 album unless it’s an extraordinary one. I’m feeling very strong about it.”