Bono reveals Ed Sheeran wanted to keep politics out of U2 collaboration

Bono has revealed that Ed Sheeran wanted to keep politics separate from music when the pair collaborated with U2 on ‘Yours Eternally’ earlier this year.

The comments come amid renewed discussion around Sheeran’s position on political issues after Macklemore was dropped as a support act from his Loop Tour following his calls for a “free Palestine” on stage.

According to Macklemore, Robert Kraft told Sheeran that he had “rallied some of the other stadium owners” and gave him an “ultimatum” over the rapper’s involvement. Sheeran later stated, “I am not complicit”.

Sheeran’s band and other support acts, including Aaron Rowe and Finneas, subsequently withdrew from the tour in support of Palestinian solidarity.

During a performance in Philadelphia, Sheeran acknowledged “making mistakes” while maintaining that his shows were about “humanity, not politics”.

In an interview with Rolling Stone UK, Bono urged people not to personalise the controversy, saying, “I would say with Ed and Macklemore that we shouldn’t personalise this, what’s going on.”

Bono also recalled Sheeran asking during their collaboration, “You’re not going to get me into politics, are you?”

The song was written from the perspective of a soldier in Ukraine amid the war with Russia.

Bono said he explained the song’s inspiration, but Sheeran responded, “Yeah, but I just want to keep my thing free.”

Bono added, “You can’t be pushing people around,” while drummer Larry Mullen Jr. said “artists [can] choose whether they want to be involved, and they are entitled to choose whether they want to be involved or not… And it’s not our job to criticise that, no matter how we feel.”