Bono Said When U2 Worked With Ed Sheeran on ‘Yours Eternally,’ Singer Asked, ‘You’re Not Going To Get Me Into Politics, Are You?’

Key Points:

• U2's Bono commented on the controversy involving Ed Sheeran's Loop tour and the removal of rapper Macklemore after his "Free Palestine" chants, urging not to personalize the incident and emphasizing the complexity of politics and religion in pop music.
• Ed Sheeran stated that Macklemore's removal was the promoter's decision, not his, and expressed his desire for his shows to focus on unity, joy, escapism, and love, choosing not to publicly discuss his personal views on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
• Bono revealed that during their collaboration on the song "Yours Eternally," Sheeran preferred to keep his music free from political entanglement, highlighting artists' rights to decide their level of involvement in political issues.
• U2 members criticized billionaire promoters or owners, like Robert Kraft, for influencing artists' speech, stressing that such control contradicts the freedom that allowed U2 to perform politically charged songs like "Sunday, Bloody Sunday."
• The band emphasized respect for individual artists' choices regarding political expression, cautioning against criticism of those who opt to remain apolitical in their public platforms.