U2 Release Album Featuring Dolly Parton's Final Vocal Recording

U2 announced Carnaval de Luz, their first album of new material in nine years, set for release on 13 November. The 12-track album, U2's 16th studio effort, is produced by Jacknife Lee and closes with "Torn," a duet between Bono and Dolly Parton that marks her final vocal recording. Parton, who died in August at age 80 following a brief illness, recorded the track in June and approved the final mix before her death.

"Torn" was co-written by U2, Parton, and Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid. According to Bono, Parton initially rejected an Irish folk-influenced sketch he played her over the phone, but suggested her own song "Torn." Bono and McDaid rewrote the lyrics to centre on a mother watching her family split apart. Bono told Rolling Stone that "when she got ill, she got out of her bed to sing this song," and that he cannot now listen to it. Producer Jacknife Lee said Parton approved the final mix and was "thrilled" with her vocal performance. Longtime U2 collaborator Daniel Lanois plays pedal steel on the track.

The album features collaborations with Brian Eno, who co-writes and plays synths on three tracks, and contemporary artists including EDM producer Martin Garrix and pop producer Ryan Tedder. The record explores themes of spirituality, friendship, freedom, and endurance. The Edge described it as "a messy, provocative, sacred collection of songs," while Bono promised "loud guitars, deep bass, some ecstatic rhythms" and a "carnival vibe" reflecting defiant joy.

Carnaval de Luz reunites U2 with Eno and Lanois, who produced landmark albums including The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. The announcement comes 50 years after drummer Larry Mullen Jr. pinned a handwritten note to the noticeboard of Dublin's Mount Temple Comprehensive School in September 1976 reading "Drummer Seeks Musicians To Form Band." The album announcement follows the band's release of two EPs earlier in 2026: Days of Ash (February) and Easter Lily (Easter). "Street of Dreams" was released as the first single in July, with "Silencio" released alongside the album announcement.