- Former Spotify executive Sulinna Ong has been appointed Management Partner at U2, a newly created role within their existing setup at Full Stop Management.
- Ong spent over seven years at Spotify, most recently as Global Head of Editorial & Curation, Music, and was named to Billboard's Women in Music list four consecutive years (2023–2026).
- She joins Irving Azoff and Jeffrey Azoff in leading the band's management, reporting directly to Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr.
- The move comes as U2 ramps up activity ahead of a new studio album, with the band recently teasing new material in Mexico City.
U2 has appointed former Spotify executive Sulinna Ong as Management Partner, a newly created role that places her alongside Irving Azoff and Jeffrey Azoff in leading the band’s management at Full Stop Management. Her focus will be on creative strategy and innovation, reporting directly to all four band members.
Ong departs after more than seven years at Spotify, where she was widely credited with shaping the platform’s editorial direction. She has been named to Billboard’s Women in Music for four straight years, from 2023 through 2026.
Before Spotify, she held senior roles at Sony Music, Live Nation, and Deezer, where she served as Global Vice President of Artist Marketing.
U2 signed with Full Stop Management in 2022 after nearly a decade with manager Guy Oseary. The Azoffs then guided the band through a landmark 40-show residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, pulling in an estimated $256 million in revenue, a benchmark for live music ambition.
Full Stop Management added Grammy-winner Victoria Monét to its roster, similar to the Temper City signs with Full Stop for Management deal that signals the firm’s continued appetite for diverse, high-profile signings.
Now with a new album on the horizon, the band recently filmed a music video in Mexico City for “Street of Dreams,” described as being from their yet-to-be-announced next studio album, due later this year. They have also released two EPs in 2026: Days of Ash on Ash Wednesday and Easter Lily on Easter.
The appointment of Ong arrives at a pivotal creative moment, much like Jay Wheeler’s recent signing with UTA for global representation, which also signals a wider trend of artists investing in expanded and specialist representation teams heading into the second half of 2026.
Takeaways
This is a significant signal from U2, bringing in a digital-native executive with deep streaming expertise at precisely the moment they’re preparing a new album isn’t coincidental.
Sulinna Ong spent years deciding which artists got editorial priority on Spotify. Now she’s on the other side of that conversation, advocating for one of the biggest bands in the world. That’s not just a hire, that’s a strategic chess move.
The fact that this is a newly created role is equally telling. The Azoffs didn’t hand off responsibilities; they expanded the table. That suggests U2’s next chapter is complex enough: creatively, commercially, culturally, to require a three-partner management structure. With a new album coming, this team is being built to win.
Does Sulinna Ong’s streaming background hint that U2’s new album rollout will lean heavily on platform-first strategy? Will Ong’s editorial expertise influence how U2 approaches playlist placement and streaming partnerships going forward?
