Bono’s singer son says his band’s fans haven’t heard of U2

The Irish rock band are tipped to reach number one on Friday with their critically-acclaimed debut album It Won’t Always Be Like This.

Hewson told the PA news agency being the son of a rock star had opened “a lot of doors” but the band still had to prove themselves.

He said: “I don’t blame people who are interested in it. I would be interested if I heard that some person was in the same position I was in.

“But I think we have grown to accept it. It is what it is. I don’t think there is much point deflecting. If people want to talk about it, they want to talk about it.

“We have definitely found our own fanbase in the UK who maybe don’t know who U2 is or are. It has definitely allowed a lot of doors to be opened but I think those doors shut just as fast because some people may have pre-biases to the band.

“But we are OK with that as long as you come to see a show and you buy a T-shirt on the way out.”

The quartet from Dublin released their first single, I Want You, in 2017 and were recognised as up-and-coming talent after they placed fifth in BBC’s Sound Of 2020.

Hewson said suggestions that he sounds like his father, who has fronted U2 since 1976, are “not much of a surprise because it’s just DNA, isn’t it”.

He added that the band “grafted” to reach their current level of success, despite the pandemic halting their career progression.