Since 1976, the Irish-founded band U2, formed by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr., have been creating iconic melodies and building that relationship between music, community and social change. U2 has now been named the 2027 MusiCares Persons of the Year, recognizing the group’s groundbreaking musical legacy and decades of using its global platform, resources and sound to support people and the fight for justice around the world. The honor comes as U2 approaches its 50th anniversary and continues a career defined by both musical innovation and social consciousness.
The 36th annual MusiCares Person of the Year benefit gala will take place Friday, February 5, 2027, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The event brings together artists and music-industry professionals for an evening of performances honoring the recipient, while raising funds for MusiCares programs that provide financial assistance, mental health and addiction recovery services, health support and disaster relief for music professionals.
The recognition also places U2 among an extraordinary list of previous MusiCares Persons of the Year, including Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, the Grateful Dead, Gloria Estefan and Tony Bennett. Bono was previously honored individually in 2003, making the 2027 tribute a recognition of U2 as a band and of the collective impact of Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.
Since its first Person of the Year event in 1991, MusiCares has turned the celebration into a major source of support for the music community. Funds raised through the gala help music professionals recover from disasters such as the Los Angeles wildfires, access essential health and mental health services, and receive assistance during times of financial or personal crisis. For U2, the honor reflects a legacy in which music and humanitarian work have remained closely connected.
U2 BRINGS “STREET OF DREAMS” TO THE STREETS OF MEXICO
That connection continues with U2’s latest music. For “Street of Dreams,” the band traveled to Mexico City, where they filmed among local fans and embraced the city’s streets, sounds and culture. The journey also brought the band to the 2026 Street Child World Cup, where they witnessed young athletes whose stories of talent, determination and resilience mirror the song’s themes of justice, love and possibility.
The Mexico experience became part of the song itself, with U2 performing alongside the energy of the city and incorporating Mexican and Latin musical influences into the journey. As the band described the experience, it became a celebration of people who continue to dream despite difficult circumstances:
“It was a privilege to be in Mexico City and witness the extraordinary young athletes at Street Child World Cup reminding everyone what talent looks like when it refuses to take no for an answer.”
The song’s lyrics capture that spirit: “La calle, calle de los sueños / Justice an obsession. Love in a procession. In the street of dreams.” Through Street Child United, U2 also highlighted the importance of giving young people a stage, a voice and the opportunity to be celebrated for who they are rather than defined by the circumstances into which they were born.
A HISTORY OF MUSIC IN THE SERVICE OF HUMANITARIAN CAUSES
U2’s humanitarian work spans decades and continents. Bono’s advocacy has included campaigns for global debt relief, HIV/AIDS treatment and poverty reduction, while his work helped shape organizations and initiatives including the ONE Campaign and (RED). The Edge has also played a major role, co-founding Music Rising to help musicians and music communities affected by Hurricane Katrina. The band has supported music education through Music Generation in Ireland and contributed to emergency relief efforts, including aid for Irish health-care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and FireAid following the Southern California wildfires.
U2 has also repeatedly used its music to create moments of collective remembrance. At Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002, just months after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the band performed “Where the Streets Have No Name” as a tribute to the lives lost. As the song played, the names of those killed in the attacks appeared behind the band, transforming one of the world’s biggest entertainment stages into a moment of mourning and remembrance.
FIVE DECADES LATER, U2’S MUSIC AND MESSAGE CONTINUE TO RESONATE
As U2 enters its fifth decade, the band’s story continues to extend beyond its recordings and performances. “Street of Dreams” places that legacy in a new setting, connecting U2’s music with Mexico City, young athletes and communities whose stories reflect the band’s longstanding belief in using music as a way to amplify voices and inspire change.
Now, the MusiCares Person of the Year honor brings that entire history back to Los Angeles, where U2 will be celebrated not only for the songs that have defined generations, but for the impact they have made beyond the stage. On February 5, 2027, the music community will gather at the Peacock Theater to honor Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr., while helping MusiCares continue its work supporting the people who make music possible.
Photo Credit: Olaf Heine
