Beastie Boys' Mike D returns with new music, first show of surprise tour

May 8 (UPI) -- The Beastie Boys' Mike D released his first new song since the pseudo-hiatus of the legendary band 15 years ago, and debuted new music during the first stop of a surprise tour.

The new project, called Mike D 5D, was unveiled late Thursday when the first single, "Switch Up," hit streaming services after he'd played the first show of a four-show tour.

The song and tour follow D, whose real name is Michael Diamond, joining the band Very Nice Person, where he played a couple of Beastie Boys songs a few weeks ago.

The single is the first new music from either D or fellow Beastie Boy Adam "Adrock" Horovitz have released since the death of band mate Adam "MCA" Yauch, who died in May 2012 of cancer.

"Here we go," Mike D said in an Instagram post hours before the show and release of the new track.

"I know we are not putting anybody into space and there are a lot of huge problems in our world right now and I didn't realize this was a big deal to me until I woke up today and was like '[expletive] -- Switch Up comes out tonight,'" he said. "Hoping it brings some happiness for all y'all."

The first show, Thursday night in Los Angeles, saw the debut of several new songs that D has recorded with the new band, as well as a couple of Beastie Boys songs.

D will play another show in Los Angeles on May 10 at Sid The Cat Auditorium before two shows at Xanadu Roller Arts in Brooklyn on May 22 and 23.

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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 9:16 PM.