U2 as you’ve never heard them before
Welcome to the whole world of U2 with U2 X-Radio with all the hits, rare recordings, interviews, influences, band curated specialty shows and so much more
U2 X-Radio’s first week highlights include brand new shows and appearances from Bono, The Edge, Cait O’Riordan, Paul Oakenfold
Plus guests Chris Rock, Phoebe Robinson, David Byrne, Matthew McConaughey, Bryan Stevenson and more
Programming kicks off with a two-hour mixtape experience curated by the band especially for the channel launch
TORONTO, ON June 30, 2020 – SiriusXM and U2 announce today that the band’s much-anticipated U2 X-Radio channel will launch Wednesday, July 1 at 3 p.m. ET, exclusively on SiriusXM Channel 32. A complete immersion into the work and influences of the band from the Northside of Dublin, U2 X-Radio is U2 as you have never heard them before. An extraordinary and unique audio experience exploring the band’s history, idols, influences and current passions, plus inspiration, conversation, culture, commentary and ideas from the band and guests. All curated by U2.
The dedicated and exclusive channel will come to life with music and radio shows that celebrate music from across the globally-acclaimed four-decade career of Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, including their biggest hits, deep cuts, live concert recordings and rarities, as well as music from artists that are connected to or inspire the band.
U2 X-Radio will also feature unexpected and entertaining conversations across music, culture, politics and art, in the form of new interviews and original programming, presented by guest presenters and band members, guest DJ sessions and more. U2 X-Radio will immerse listeners in the world of U2, introducing so many friends, old and new, fascinating stories, as well as artists, writers, thinkers and activists who are changing the world.
The band team behind U2 X-Radio includes U2’s trusted, long-time creative director, artist and musician Gavin Friday, along with friend and radio host Bill Flanagan, author of ‘U2 at the End of the World.’
Bono said, “Radio introduced me to music so you could say that radio introduced me to my life… It has kept me company all my life… Music dared me to dream outside the four walls of my childhood bedroom… Radio Caroline, Radio Luxembourg, all my heroes, far away at sea, pirate radio rocking me to sleep… Radio is all around, it is air you can be on… revolutionary sounds coming down to meet me on the airwaves… Music is everything to me, I like to sing and I have been known to talk… This will be a bit of both… From the Northside of Dublin, this is the U2 group on the radio.”
The Edge said, “Like most of the world, U2 find ourselves in a strange suspended moment. We can’t tour, we can’t even really get in a room and record together. U2 X-Radio gives us a chance to stay connected with our audience in a new way – to speak directly from our homes to listeners across North America. We are coming up with ideas every day – new music, new guests, new subjects to talk about. U2 X-Radio gives us a unique opportunity to engage in a sort of trans-Atlantic town hall. Bono said yesterday, ‘Can you believe we have a radio station to play with?’ Thanks to our friends at SiriusXM, U2 is going to be on the air and in your ears as much as you want us to be – even while the old world is changing around us.”
Adam Clayton said, “I listen to a lot of radio, I like it as I always find it so informative. America was the land that took radio big and wide, to a whole other level, one that exposed listeners to new voices, ideas and concepts. That is the spirit in which we bring you U2 X-Radio. We hope you enjoy it.”
Larry Mullen, “It all sounds exhausting to me but if people really want to listen to us for 24 hours a day, this is the way to do it.”
“With an unrivalled, globally-decorated, and decades-long career that has propelled music, culture and global activism, U2 represents the very spirit of music evolution and positive change” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM. “We are proud to be launching U2’s very own channel as a further extension of their musical vision, delivering an exclusive listener experience and original content from the band members themselves that creates an audio world found nowhere else. Welcome Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry to the SiriusXM family and our listeners.”
U2 X-Radio list of original programming includes:
BONO CALLING: Bono explores seven questions about life, work, hope and the future with guests from every discipline, from world leaders to local activists to movie stars. First up, BONO CALLING CHRIS ROCK.
CLOSE TO THE EDGE: The Edge talks with fellow musicians, artists and thinkers. A series of revealing conversations about the creative process and more.
DISCOTHÈQUE: Electronic music pioneer, Paul Oakenfold, presents a weekend dance show featuring U2 remixes and club mixes alongside electronic music from other artists and friends for the ultimate summer soundtrack. (More Manchester than Miami!)
DESIRE: A show hosted by the U2 audience themselves. Each episode, a different voice will take to the airwaves to tell their own U2 story and play their five favourite tracks.
ELEVATION: A weekly show celebrating good news and ideas from the worlds of science, medicine, faith and the arts. Hosted by Irish broadcaster and writer John Kelly, ELEVATION will feature music and poetry; interviews with artists, activists, thinkers and scholars; plus, the occasional member of U2. Upcoming guests include civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson (‘Just Mercy’).
(GUEST) PLAYS U2: Tune in to hear fellow artists and friends talk about their favourite U2 songs. First show – MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY PLAYS U2.
Plus, a weekly show from Irish DJ DAN HEGARTY on U2 X-Radio.
For more information on U2 X-Radio please visit www.siriusxm.ca/channels/u2-x-radio.
U2 X-Radio is an example of SiriusXM music channels created with iconic and leading artists including The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Pearl Jam, Eminem, LL COOL J, Grateful Dead, Phish, Dave Matthews, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Diplo, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and more.
Over 100 SiriusXM channels – including U2 X-Radio – are available for free for anyone with an inactive SiriusXM radio in their car as well as on the SiriusXM app through July 6.
The SiriusXM app is available on mobile phones, tablets and computers, as well as on a wide variety of connected devices in the home including smart TVs, devices with Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant, Apple TV, PlayStation, Roku, Sonos speakers and more. The SiriusXM app also offers additional features such as SiriusXM video, Personalized Stations Powered by Pandora that listeners can curate themselves, and an On Demand library with more than 10,000 hours of archived shows, exclusive music performances, interviews and audio documentaries.
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About U2
Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton met at Mount Temple School, Dublin and formed U2 in 1978 before signing to Island Records. Acknowledged as one of the best live acts in the world, U2 have released 14 studio albums and have sales in excess of 170 million. They have won numerous awards; including 22 Grammys, more than any other band or group; two Golden Globe Awards for Best Original Song in 2003 (The Hands That Built America) and 2014 (Ordinary Love); an Oscar nomination; and the Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience. Their most recent album ‘Songs Of Experience’ (2017) debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, setting the recently declared “Artist Of The Decade” (Pollstar Magazine) apart as the only band in history to have topped the chart in four successive decades, including eight albums that reached number one in the U.S.
About SiriusXM Canada
Sirius XM Canada Inc., operating as SiriusXM Canada, is the country’s leading audio entertainment company. SiriusXM creates and offers ad-free music; premier sports talk and live events; comedy; news; and exclusive talk and entertainment. SiriusXM is available in vehicles from every major car company and on smartphones and other connected devices as well as online at siriusxm.ca.
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SiriusXM Canada contact:
Kayla J. Schwartz
Senior Manager, Communications
416-408-6033
kayla.schwartz@siriusxm.ca