U2’s Bono and The Edge have teamed up with Dutch international DJ Martin Garrix on the official song of the upcoming UEFA European Football Championship. In fact, ‘We Are the People’ was released on the 13th of May and was written over the course of the past three years, with the Irish bandmates having worked on the lyrics.
Garrix started working on the track before the COVID-19 pandemic. Once he finished the instrumental, he realised that the song recalled U2’s sounds, so he started dreaming about a potential collaboration. Six hours after having sent the email to the Irish rockers, he received a call from Bono himself: ‘I remember I had to mute myself on the phone during the conversation just to scream and then unmute and play it cool. It was incredible.’ Garrix told to Rolling Stone.
The recordings took place in Monaco, and it was an experience the DJ will never forget. ‘I had goosebumps in the studio the entire time. Because it’s Bono standing next to me singing the song.’ The DJ shared. Three years later, the song is finally out: ‘Creating the music for one of the biggest sports events in the world together with Bono and The Edge has been an incredible experience,’ Garrix stated. ‘I’m very proud of what we did together and excited to finally share it with the world!’
UEFA marketing director Guy-Laurent Epstein said in a statement: ‘The long wait is almost over, and we are delighted to officially unveil the official song for UEFA Euro 2020, ‘We Are the People’, which features some of the world’s most celebrated artists in Martin Garrix, Bono, and The Edge. Football and music have the power of bringing people together. They are vectors of passion and emotion and combining them will extend further the fan celebration of the tournament, as well as reaching out to new audiences. With the star-studded line-up we have pulled together to create the tournament’s official music, we are confident of doing just this.’
You can listen to the track below. The video features the three artists and includes some footage shot in London.
