Coldplay Bio

Coldplay Biography

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This Coldplay biography contains information believed to be accurate as extracted from sources around the internet including Wikipedia. If you believe there are errors or omissions in this Coldplay bio, please let us know so that we can correct any inaccuracies.

Coldplay are an English rock band. Formed in 1998 in London, the group comprises vocalist/pianist/guitarist Chris Martin, lead guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Will Champion. Coldplay have been one of the most commercially successful acts of the new millennium, selling over 30 million albums. The band are also known for their hit singles, such as "Speed of Sound" and the Grammy Award-winning "Clocks".

Coldplay achieved worldwide fame with the release of their single "Yellow", followed by the success of their debut album, Parachutes (2000), which was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Both Parachutes and its follow-up, A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), were released to commercial success; the latter was named NME's Album of the Year. X&Y (2005) met with a generally positive reception; and since December 2006, the band has been working with producer Brian Eno on their fourth studio album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, which will be released in June 2008.

Coldplay's early material was compared to acts such as Jeff Buckley and Radiohead, while also drawing comparisons to U2 and Travis. Since the release of Parachutes, Coldplay have drawn influence from other sources, including Echo and the Bunnymen and George Harrison on A Rush of Blood to the Head and Johnny Cash and Kraftwerk for X&Y. Coldplay has been an active supporter of various social and political causes, such as Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign and Amnesty International. The group has also performed at various charity projects such as Band Aid 20, Live 8, and the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Coldplay: History

Coldplay - Formation and first years (1996-1999)

Coldplay, from left to right: Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, Chris Martin, and Will Champion

The members of the band met at the University College London (UCL) in September 1996. Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland were the first members of the band, having met one another during their orientation week. They spent the rest of the college year planning a band, with their efforts culminating in a band called Pectoralz. Eventually Guy Berryman, a classmate of the two, joined the band without considering what musical direction it was taking. By 1997, Coldplay performed gigs for local Camden promoters at small clubs. By that time, the band had renamed themselves Starfish. Martin also had recruited his longtime school friend Phil Harvey, who was studying classics at Oxford, to be the band's manager. Harvey managed the band until 2002.

In January 1998, the band's lineup was finally complete when Will Champion joined the band to take up percussion duties. The multi-talented Champion had grown up playing piano, guitar, bass, and tin whistle; he quickly learned the drums, despite having no previous experience. Eventually Tim Rice-Oxley, a mutual friend, permitted the band to use the name "Coldplay", which he had used for his band but after a while he thought the name was "too depressing". Rice-Oxley was also offered the position as Coldplay's keyboard player, but he refused since he was already committed to the band Keane.

On 18 May 1998, the band released 500 copies of the Safety EP. Most of the discs were given to record companies and friends; only 50 copies remained for sale to the public. In December, Coldplay signed to the independent label Fierce Panda. Their first release was the three track Brothers and Sisters EP which they had quickly recorded over four days in February 1999. Released in April, the EP's initial run was limited to 2,500 copies. Interest in the band was slowly growing across the UK, helped by regular airplay from Radio 1's Steve Lamacq.

After completing their final examinations, Coldplay signed to Parlophone for a five-album contract in the spring of 1999. After making their first appearance at Glastonbury, the band went into studio to record a third EP titled The Blue Room. 5,000 copies were made available to the public in October, and the single "Bigger Stronger", which received airplay on Radio 1, was instrumental in establishing Coldplay. However, the recording sessions for The Blue Room were tumultuous. Martin kicked Champion out of the band but later pleaded with him to return, and because of his guilt, went on a drinking binge. Eventually, the band worked out their differences and put in place a new set of rules to keep the group intact. First, the band declared an all-for-one approach: Coldplay was a democracy, and profits were to be shared equally, taking a page from bands like U2 and R.E.M. Second, the band would fire anyone who used hard drugs.

"Yellow" being performed at the Air Canada Centre

Coldplay - Parachutes (1999-2001)

In March 1999, Coldplay focused efforts on their debut album. They went into "Rockfield Studios" with producer Ken Nelson. They also played on the Carling Tour, which showcased up-and-coming acts. After releasing three EPs without a hit song, Coldplay scored their first Top 40 single, "Shiver". Released in March 2000, the single placed at a modest #35 and earned the band their first airplay on MTV. June 2000 was a pivotal moment in Coldplay's history. The band embarked on their first headlining tour, which included a triumphant return to Glastonbury. More notably, the band released the breakthrough single, "Yellow". The song shot to #4 on the UK Singles Chart and placed the band in public consciousness.

Coldplay released their first full-length album, Parachutes, in July 2000, which debuted at #1 on the UK Albums Chart. Along with critical acclaim, Parachutes was sometimes criticised for bearing a strong resemblance to the music of alt-rock band Radiohead in their The Bends-OK Computer era. "Yellow" and "Trouble" earned regular radio airplay on both sides of the Atlantic. Parlophone originally predicted sales of 40,000 units of Parachutes; by Christmas, 1.6 million copies had been sold in the United Kingdom alone. Parachutes was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in September 2000.

Having found success in Europe, the band set their sights on North America. Parachutes was released in November 2000. The band embarked on a US club tour in early 2001, beginning with a show in Vancouver, Canada, which was coupled with appearances on Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and The Late Show with David Letterman. Whilst Parachutes was a slow-burning success in U.S., it eventually reached double-platinum status. The album was critically well-received, earning Best Alternative Music Album honours at the 2002 Grammy Awards.

Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (2001-2004)

Coldplay returned to the studio in October 2001 to begin work on their second album, once again with Ken Nelson producing. With much anticipation, Coldplay released A Rush of Blood to the Head in August 2002. The album spawned several popular singles, notably "In My Place", "Clocks", and the ballad "The Scientist".

Coldplay toured for over a year, from June 2002 to late 2002, and from early 2003 to September 2003 (for the A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour), visiting five continents including co-headlining festival dates at Glastonbury Festival, V2003, and Rock Werchter. Many shows included elaborate lighting and individualised screens reminiscent of U2's recent Elevation tour. During the extended tour, Coldplay recorded a live DVD and CD, Live 2003, at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion.

In December 2003, they were named by readers of Rolling Stone magazine as the best artist and the best band of the year. At that time Coldplay covered The Pretenders' 1983 hit "2000 Miles", which was made available for download on their official site. It was the top selling UK download that year, with proceeds from the sales donated to Future Forests and Stop Handgun Violence campaigns. A Rush of Blood to the Head won two trophies at the 2003 Grammy Awards. At the 2004 Grammy Awards, Coldplay earned Record of the Year for "Clocks".

A concert in 2005 during Coldplay's promotion of X&Y

Coldplay - X&Y (2004-2006)

2004 was a quiet year for Coldplay, as they spent most of the year out of spotlight resting from touring and recording their third album. In terms of musical influences for this particular album, bassist Guy Berryman has said, "We were listening to lots of different stuff during the early stages [of X&Y], from Bowie, Eno and Pink Floyd to Depeche Mode, Kate Bush and Kraftwerk. And U2 as we usually do." In May, Coldplay teased fans with a new song and music video on their official site to celebrate the birth of Apple, Chris Martin's daughter with his wife, actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

Coldplay's third album, X&Y, was released in June 2005 in UK and Europe. This new, delayed release date had put the album back into the next fiscal year, actually causing EMI's stock to drop. It became the best-selling album of 2005 with worldwide sales of 8.3 million. The lead single, "Speed of Sound", made its radio and online music store debut on 18 April and was released as a CD on 23 May 2005. The album debuted at #1 in 22 countries worldwide and was the third-fastest selling album in UK chart history. Two other singles were released that year: "Fix You" in September and "Talk" in December. Despite the commercial success, the critical reaction to X&Y was less unanimous in its praise than the reviews for its predecessor, with New York Times critic Jon Pareles describing them as "the most insufferable band of the decade."

From June 2005 to July 2006, Coldplay went on their Twisted Logic tour, which included festival dates like Coachella, Glastonbury and the Austin City Limits Music Festival. In July 2005, the band appeared at Live 8 in Hyde Park, where they played a rendition of The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony" with Richard Ashcroft on vocals. In September, Coldplay recorded a new version of "How You See the World" with reworked lyrics to War Child's Help: A Day in the Life charity album. In February 2006, Coldplay earned Best Album and Best Single honours at the BRIT Awards.

Coldplay - Viva la Vida (2006-present)

Chris Martin playing a concert in São Paulo

The band began to work on their fourth studio album as early as December 2006, with Brian Eno as their producer. In addition, music producer Timbaland was rumoured to be collaborating. Coldplay took a break from recording and toured South America in early 2007 for the first time, including shows in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. The band has revealed that the album seemed to be shaping up with Hispanic influences, after having recorded in churches and other areas in Latin America and Spain during their tour; after which they spent the rest of the year recording the new album, mainly with producer Brian Eno.

In December 2007 a post appeared on the band's website suggesting that the group had nearly finished recording, stating that "the creative momentum keeps on gathering." Coldplay have been mixing the record in New York as announced on their site since late 2007. In a Rolling Stone online article, Chris Martin announced that the next Coldplay album is to be titled Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends and will be released on 16 June 2008, although in some countries EMI has announced that the album will be released a few days earlier on 13 June 2008, including in Sweden, in Finland and in The Netherlands.

Martin has described this album as a new direction for Coldplay: a change from their past three albums, which they have referred to as a 'trilogy'. Martin has also revealed that this album features much less of his falsetto, and he has allowed his voice's lower register to take precedence. Some songs on Viva la Vida, such as "Violet Hill", contain distorted guitar riffs and bluesy undertones. "Violet Hill" has been confirmed as the first single from Viva la Vida, with a radio release date of 29 April 2008. After this first play, it was made available free from their website from 12:15 pm (GMT +0) for one week, until it becomes commercially available to download on May 6.

Coldplay: Political and social activism

Make Trade Fair, abbreviated as MTF, is shown on Chris Martin's piano during a concert

Despite Coldplay's worldwide popularity, the band have remained protective of how their music is used in the media, refusing its use for product endorsements. In the past, Coldplay turned down multi-million dollar contracts from Gatorade, Diet Coke, and Gap, who wanted to use the songs "Yellow", "Trouble", and "Don't Panic" respectively. According to vocalist/pianist Martin, "We wouldn't be able to live with ourselves if we sold the songs' meanings like that." Coldplay are a supporter of Amnesty International. Chris Martin is also noted as one of the most visible celebrity advocates for "fair trade", supporting Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign until its dissolution in 2005 after the G8 summit in Gleneagles. Martin has been on trips with Oxfam to assess conditions, has appeared in its advertising campaign, and is known for wearing a "Make Trade Fair" wristband during public appearances, including at Coldplay concerts.

In the band's early years, Coldplay were also widely noted in the media for their claim to give 10% of the band's profits to charity. Bassist Guy Berryman said, "You can make people aware of issues. It isn't very much effort for us at all, but if it can help people, then we want to do it". The band also asks that any gifts intended for them are donated to charity, according to a response on the FAQ section of Coldplay's website. Martin was outspoken against the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and he endorsed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004. Although he is not a U.S. citizen, Martin's wife, American actress Gwyneth Paltrow, is, and both currently live in London and New York.

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