The Martin Garrix U2 Fireflies single is out now, and it is the first track to feature all four members of U2 alongside the Dutch producer. Released today, July 24, through Garrix’s STMPD RCRDS in conjunction with Darkroom Records, the song rolled out at midnight in each territory and is also available in high resolution audio. It lands exactly one week after Garrix premiered it on the Tomorrowland mainstage with The Edge standing next to him.
Two Stadium Sized Premieres Before Release Day
Garrix closed his Tomorrowland Belgium set on July 17 with the unreleased track in front of roughly 100,000 people. The Edge walked out mid song to play guitar live, a surprise that turned the closing minutes of the set into one of the most talked about moments of the festival’s opening weekend. The following night Garrix closed his show in Quebec City with the song again, this time in front of an estimated 94,000 people, with pyro, fireworks and a drone flying through the crowd to film the moment.
Tomorrowland has dominated headlines all month, from the recovery after the mainstage fire to record attendance. You can read our full breakdown of the Tomorrowland fire investigation and our roundup of things you probably did not know about the festival for the wider context around this edition.
A Song Six Summers in the Making
Fireflies runs 4 minutes and 23 seconds and blends Garrix’s melodic festival production with the unmistakable U2 guitar sound, building toward a repeated chorus of “Fireflies, you and I are fireflies.” According to the liner notes, Bono handles vocals, The Edge plays guitar, Adam Clayton plays bass and Larry Mullen Jr. plays drums, with additional drum credits for Jacknife Lee and Bram Van Den Berg, the Dutch drummer who filled in for Mullen during U2’s Sphere residency and who was originally introduced to the band by Garrix himself. The lyrics are credited to Martijn Garritsen, Paul David Hewson, The Edge and Simon Carmody, with Klahr credited as producer.
“Fireflies has a very unique mood. It’s a special song we started working on six summers ago,” Garrix said. “It felt electrifying and very surreal to finally debut it at Tomorrowland with The Edge.” He added that working with the full band was new territory even for him: “I’ve worked with Bono and Edge before, but working with the whole band I got to get a glimpse of their chemistry and why U2 are who they are. It has been an absolute honour to work with them again.”
The Edge was just as warm about the partnership. “We go back a long way with Martin, and there’s always a sense of adventure whenever we get together,” he said, adding that playing the song for the first time at Tomorrowland “was such a rush” and that he likes it better “when there’s no ceiling.”
Why This Release Matters
Garrix and U2 have a longer shared history than most fans realize. The producer worked with Bono and The Edge on “We Are The People,” the official song of the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, and produced “Your Song Saved My Life” for the Sing 2 soundtrack. Bono has written several songs with Garrix over the years, including “Angels for Each Other,” “Weightless” and “Catharina,” and Garrix holds a writing credit on “Scars” from U2’s recent Easter Lily EP. Fireflies is the payoff of that relationship: a genuine full band collaboration rather than a guest vocal.
The timing gives the single extra weight. U2 are preparing their first album of original material in almost a decade, with rumors pointing to a release before the end of the year, and recently put out the single “Street of Dreams” with Mullen back behind the kit. Garrix also has an album due later this year and has teased sessions with a number of special guests, including what he described as a big rock band. Neither camp has confirmed whether Fireflies will appear on either record, according to DJ Mag.
For dance music, the release is another marker of how far the crossover between rock institutions and electronic headliners has come. A U2 single premiered on the Tomorrowland mainstage, released through a dance label, is the kind of sentence that would have sounded absurd fifteen years ago. Today it is a global release strategy.
FAQ
When was Fireflies by Martin Garrix and U2 released?
The single came out on Friday, July 24, 2026, rolling out at midnight in each country on all major streaming platforms, including a high resolution audio version.
Do all four members of U2 appear on Fireflies?
Yes. Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. are all credited, making it the first Garrix track to feature the complete band.
Where did Martin Garrix first play Fireflies?
He debuted it as the closer of his Tomorrowland Belgium mainstage set on July 17, 2026, joined live by The Edge, then played it again the next night in Quebec City.
Will Fireflies be on an upcoming album?
Unconfirmed. Both U2 and Martin Garrix have albums expected later this year, but neither has said whether the song will appear on them.
The Bottom Line
Fireflies closes the distance between one of the biggest rock bands in history and one of dance music’s defining headliners. Six summers of work, two massive festival premieres and a set of credits that reads like two worlds merging: the single is out everywhere now, and it arrives with both acts building toward bigger releases before the year ends.