U2 achieved massive critical and commercial success with ‘The Joshua Tree’ (1987), an album that reached number one in over 20 countries and became one of the world’s best-selling records. It yielded their only U.S. number-one singles, ‘With or Without You’ and ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’, and earned a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1988. The band initially secured a record deal with Island Records in 1980, releasing their debut album ‘Boy’ the same year.
The ambitious PopMart Tour (1997) made history as the first major group to perform in Sarajevo after the Bosnian War. Returning to a more conventional rock sound, ‘All That You Can’t Leave Behind’ (2000) garnered three Grammy Awards in 2001, followed by five additional Grammys for ‘How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb’ (2004). U2 performed at the Super Bowl XXXVI halftime show in 2002 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. U2 continued to push boundaries in live performance with the U2 360° Tour (20092011), setting records for the highest-grossing concert tour and most tickets sold in history.
In 2022, U2 received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors for their enduring cultural impact. The band released ‘Songs of Surrender’ in 2023, an album of 40 re-recorded songs spanning their career, offering fresh interpretations of their iconic catalog. The same year, U2 commenced ‘U2:UV Achtung Baby Live’, a groundbreaking concert residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas (20232024), pushing the boundaries of immersive live performance. Looking ahead, U2 is slated to receive The Ivors Academy Fellowship for songwriting in 2025, recognizing their exceptional contribution to music and lyrics.