U2 Pays Tribute to Rosalía on New Song “The Mirror Maker”

Carnaval De Luz is U2’s 16^th studio LP. Produced by Jacknife Lee, the album features a tribute to Rosalía on the track “The Mirror Maker (Rosalía)”. This is U2 studying the modern pop landscape and writing with awe about arguably the most exciting pop singer of our time.

But U2 isn’t the only Irish rock band in Rosalía’s fandom. Fontaine’s D.C. recently collaborated with the Spanish singer on “Where Is Gone?”, a gorgeous noir from the band’s stunning Dopamine Chamber.

Here’s a look into “The Mirror Maker” and what inspired U2 to write a rock-and-roll devotional for Rosalía.

Break the Glass

Bono explained how artists look into mirrors, spotting their own reflections against the rest of the world behind them. But he interprets Rosalía’s vision differently, as if she’s more curious about what’s “behind the mirror,” as he put it to the NME.

Though he mentions a rock star’s narcissism, the oft-used mirror metaphor is a way to recognize, in oneself, what’s being written about on a larger scale. Think of the personal ache that led to “With Or Without You” before it became a global anthem.

The mirror maker sets out to trap light,
Illuminator, silver inside.

Break the glass, what could possibly go wrong?
Stubbornly in the service of her song,
Silver girl, let me sing along.

In the same interview, The Edge said he’s also impressed by how Rosalía navigates various genres—the type of bravery that’s often rare in pop music. It’s the kind of curiosity and experimentalism U2 once explored on groundbreaking albums like Achtung Baby.

U2 is a much safer institution these days. But perhaps they recognize the fearless artist in the mirror as Rosalía has risen to become a cultural force.

Devotional

Finally, Bono mentions Saint Cecilia, the Roman martyr and patron saint of musicians and poets. High praise for Rosalía, whose brilliant album, Lux, explores the feminine spirit inspired by the mysterious transformations of female religious figures—set against a backdrop of orchestral scores that veer between classicism and modern art pop.   

Pura vida, we are not the pure life,
Saint Cecilia, pray for us tonight.

But on “The Mirror Maker”, U2 offers its praise in a loud and glossy track that echoes the spirit of garage rock like a looking glass revealing the band they used to be.

Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for U2