Bono wants to emulate his musical heroes by bringing "joy" into the world.
The U2 frontman has cited the likes of The Beatles, Prince and Oasis amongst his favourite artists, and explained how he hopes to ease people around the world through difficult times through hopeful songs.
He explained: "Unlike happiness, joy is one of the hardest human emotions to contrive for an artist but it is the mark of my favourite artists whether that be the Beatles, Prince, Beethoven, Oasis.
"It is life force itself. And I think something to do with the spilling over of gratitude for just being alive. Indeed as I think of it, Beethoven has his ‘Ode to Joy.’ "
The ‘With Or Without You’ rocker also put forward ‘Stop in the Name of Love’ by The Supremes as a defiant anti-war anthem, and said artists have an obligation to fight tough times with joyous music.
He added: "This is where rock & roll came in, this is what makes us useful. We must resist surrendering to melancholy for only the most special moments."
The 57-year-old rocker also referred to his recent performance of ‘Bullet the Blue Sky’ on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’, during which he hit out at US president Donald Trump.
He explained: "It is a little bit of a departure as I’ve always believed in working across the aisle as an anti-poverty activist but this isn’t a matter of right or left. There’s a bully on the bully pulpit and silence is not an option."
Bono wants ‘joy’ in music
