Coldplay

Coldplay are a British alternative rock and britpop group formed in London in 1996 and active from 1996 to the present. The line-up consists of Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, Will Champion and Phil Harvey. Martin sings and plays piano, Buckland plays guitar, Berryman plays bass, Champion plays drums, and Harvey is credited as creative director. The band members meet at University College London and first perform together under the name Starfish before taking the name Coldplay.

Early releases and breakthrough

The band independently releases the EP Safety in 1998 before signing to Parlophone in 1999. Their debut album, Parachutes (2000), includes “Yellow” and wins the Brit Award for British Album of the Year and the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, while also receiving a Mercury Prize nomination. Their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), wins the same Brit and Grammy categories and includes “Clocks”, which wins the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

Albums and musical development

Coldplay’s third album, X&Y (2005), follows a difficult production process and completes a trilogy the band considers to include their first three albums. Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008) wins the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album and receives the band’s first Album of the Year nomination. Its title track becomes the first song by a British group to reach number one in the United Kingdom and the United States at the same time in the 21st century. The albums X&Y and Viva la Vida each top the charts in more than 30 countries and become the best-selling albums of their respective years.

Later releases include Mylo Xyloto (2011), Ghost Stories (2014), A Head Full of Dreams (2015), Everyday Life (2019) and Music of the Spheres (2021). Across these records, the group broadens its sound beyond alternative rock and britpop into styles including soft rock, pop rock, piano rock, post-britpop, electronica, ambient, pop, R&B, funk, classical, jazz fusion and progressive rock.

Live performance and recognition

Coldplay gain a reputation for large-scale live performances. Their 20th-anniversary documentary, directed by Mat Whitecross, premieres in selected cinemas and includes previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage. The band sells 100 million albums worldwide and is described as one of the best-selling music acts of all time. They are also credited with major chart and industry records, including the seventh-highest-grossing tour of all time, the most number-one records in the United Kingdom without ever missing the top, and becoming the first British group to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In Brit Awards history, they hold the most nominations and wins for a band. Coldplay are widely regarded as one of the most influential bands of the 21st century.