Coldplay: 26 facts you need to know about the band
Get to know the 'Music of the Spheres' band a little better
Coldplay may have formed over 20 years ago, but the band are truly unstoppable. The group, consisting of Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion, have had plenty of hits over the years, including their collaboration with K-Pop group, BTS 'My Universe', and 'Humankind', which has a spectacular video.
Forming as a duo in 1996, Coldplay have a couple of decades experience in the music business to look back on. The band have now been announced for the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival, making it the fifth time they have headlined the iconic festival, and the first since 2016.
1) What were Coldplay originally called?
Coldplay weren't always called Coldplay! The band formed in 1996 when Chris Martin met lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at university in London. As a duo they were known as Pectoralz. Guy Berryman then joined as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish.
A little later, drummer and backing vocalist Will Champion joined to complete the line-up. In 1998 the band changed their name to Coldplay - something Chris Martin explained in a Carpool Karaoke segment with James Corden.
WATCH: Chris Martin on James Corden's Carpool Karaoke
2) What's the inspiration behind the song title 'Yellow'?
Coldplay's 2000 song 'Yellow' was so-called because Chris Martin spotted the Yellow Pages when he was trying to think of a name for the song. Not quite as romantic as we thought!
3) Where are Coldplay from?
The band members all met at university in London, but they come from all over the UK. Chris Martin comes from a village near Exeter in Devon, whilst Jonny Buckland comes from London. Guy Berryman was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland and Will Champion is from Southampton.
4) Did any of the band ever go to university?
They sure did - like we said, it's where they met! Three members of Coldplay continued with their university degrees in the early days of the band starting out, but Guy decided to work in a London bar.
Chris has a degree in Ancient World Studies and Jonny studied Astronomy and Mathematics.
5) How was the music video for 'The Scientist' filmed?
As fans of Coldplay will know, the music video for 'The Scientist' is no normal music video! The whole video is played in reverse, showing Chris walking backwards and telling the storyline from end, to beginning. Chris, however, is singing the track from beginning to end.
So how was this filmed? Simple - Chris Martin had to learn to sing 'The Scientist' backwards for the music video - which makes it even more impressive!
WATCH: Coldplay - 'The Scientist' (Official Video)
6) They take the London tube
Yep - Coldplay take the London tube, just like the rest of us! Chris once travelled to his own gig at the O2 Arena in London by tube, but despite his superstar A-list status, no-one recognised him - even though he was surrounded by Coldplay fans!
7) Where do they record their music?
Coldplay have their own studio in north London. They bought a bakery in 2006 and converted it into a studio aptly named The Bakery. They decided to get a studio to help them refocus after the success of 'X&Y'.
8) Can any of them speak another language?
Word on the street is that Chris can speak Devonian, 'farm language'. Other than that, he will normally learn a couple of phrases in the language of any other countries the band are performing in.
9) 'Something Just Like This' broke a record
The lyric video for Coldplay's single with The Chainsmokers, 'Something Just Like This', broke the record for the most streams in 24 hours. It had over nine million streams in the first 24 hours - impressive!
WATCH: Coldplay & The Chainsmokers - 'Something Just Like This' (Lyric Video):
10) Former president Obama is a Coldplay fan
Former US President Barak Obama is a HUGE Coldplay fan, and back in 2012 revealed had their music loaded onto his iPod. He apparently allowed his rendition of 'Amazing Grace' to be included on their 'A Head Full of Dreams' album.
Of course, Chris Martin and his ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow are also famously friends with Jay-Z and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter.
11) Who is Phil Harvey?
Phil Harvey is the band's current creative director and former manager, having single-handedly managed Coldplay during their early years. He is often referred to as the band's fifth member.
12) Why are there two music videos for 'Viva La Vida'?
There are two versions of the music video for 'Viva La Vida' - one directed by Hype Williams, and the other directed by Anton Corbijn. They were released alongside one another, with Anton's version being tribute to his previous video for Depeche Mode's 'Enjoy the Silence'.
WATCH: The official music video for 'Viva La Vida' by Coldplay
WATCH: The Anton Corbijn Version of 'Viva La Vida' by Coldplay
13) Are Coldplay in any films?
Yes! Both Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland made cameo appearances in the cult comedy horror film Shaun of the Dead - they're even good friends with film star Simon Pegg!
Chris Martin also appeared in an episode of Modern Family Season 9, which aired in November 2017.
WATCH: Chris Martin in Modern Family
14) What was their first release?
Coldplay's first music release was back in 1998, when they released an EP called 'Safety'. Only 500 copies of that EP were made!
15) What is a Xyloband?
The Xyloband is a radio-controlled LED wristband which can change colour in time with the music. They were first used for Coldplays 'Mylo Xyloto tour' in 2012. The bands were made popular by Coldplay and have since been frequently used at shows and concerts.
WATCH: Coldplay's 'Xylobands' in action:
As the band embarked on their 'Music of the Spheres World Tour', videos began to go viral of the gorgeous scenes as the crowd's Xylobands lit up.
16) Has Coldplay's music been on any adverts?
Despite being enormously popular, Coldplay will rarely allow their music to be used for advertising and endorsements. They have apparently turned down multi-million pound contracts from both Diet Coke and GAP.
However, in 2021 the band's song 'Higher Power' was used in an advert for BMW's ix and i4 electric cars. With the line 'this joy is electric' and the song title, it is a fitting choice of song for an electric car advert.
17) Do Coldplay always use the same music producer?
Coldplay have worked with a few producers, however have worked particularly closely with Brian Eno on a number of songs - including their fourth album 'Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'. Brian was also involved with 'A L I E N S' which is featured on their long-awaited EP 'Kaleidoscope'!
18) Which charity did the profits for 'A L I E N S' go to?
All profits from 'A L I E N S', a track which is featured on their Kaleidoscope EP, were donated to an international NGO which rescues migrants called Migrant Offshore Aid Station.
19) They once announced an album by writing letters to their fans
Shaking things up a bit when it comes to announcing a new album, the band took the unusual decision to announce their 2019 album 'Everyday Life' by sending a typed letter to their fans.
After receiving the letters in the post, fans took to social media to ask if anyone else had received the letter. It revealed the album would be made up of two halves called, 'Sunrise' and 'Sunset'.
The letter confirmed details of the album, including its release date of 22nd November 2019, and featured the band members' signatures written in gold pen.
20) They had an exclusive album launch show
Coldplay had an exclusive album launch show for 'Music of the Spheres' in London, on 12th October 2021. Only 2,000 lucky fans attended the performance!
The band thrilled fans with the announcement of their ninth studio album 'Music of the Spheres', which was released on Friday 15th October 2021. The album has 12 tracks, including 'Higher Power', which came out in May 2021 as the lead track.
WATCH: Coldplay's 'Higher Power'
21) Their latest tour was their most eco-friendly yet
In 2019, it was revealed that Coldplay were set to take a break from touring until their concerts are 'environmentally beneficial'. In 2022, the band pledged for their upcoming tour to 'cut the tour's direct emissions by more than 50% compared to our previous tour (2016-17)'.
Coldplay announced several UK dates for the 'Music of the Spheres tour' in London and Glasgow for August 2022. They later added six more dates for May/June 2023.
Shows included eco-friendly features such as kinetic dance floors and stationary bikes, as well as the band making reforestation pledges involving planting and protecting trees - including one for every ticket sold.
Speaking about the new green technologies included in their shows, Guy said: "You don't want to come across as being overly earnest. This stuff is really good fun as well. That's the way it will bed in, if people see it less as a sort of onerous responsibility and more as a kind of opportunity to do something fun."
22) The London Tube forced them to move tour dates
The band originally had three dates at Wembley, but added three more due to high demand. Then, in early August 2022 they announced they would be moving the extra gig on the 19th August to the 21st, due to planned industrial action on the London Underground.
In a statement the band wrote: 'Due to planned industrial action on the London Underground network, Coldplay’s Wembley Stadium concert on Friday 19 August 2022 has had to be rescheduled for Sunday 21 August 2022.
'We have been informed that there will be insufficient transport for ticket holders on August 19 so, with regret, the event cannot be licensed for that day.
'All tickets for Friday 19 August will remain valid for Sunday 21 August.'
23) Chris didn't think their collab with BTS would ever happen
Coldplay released their song 'My Universe' with world-renowned boyband BTS on 30th September 2021. ahead of the release of 'Music of the Spheres'. In keeping with the astronomy theme of the album, the music video for 'My Universe' follows a sci-fi storyline which takes place in space many years in the future.
Despite the song's resounding success, Chris revealed that he wasn't sure the collab would ever even happen, questioning how their two sounds would fit together.
In an interview with Ellen Degeneres, he shared how the collaboration came about: "That (collaboration) came about because someone said to me, ‘Oh, BTS asked you to do a song for them’, that’s what I got told," he explained.
He then added how he didn’t think the project would ever happen, revealing: "‘How are we going to fit these two things together?'"
He continued: "Then the idea started to seem really attractive in its weirdness, and then one day, the right song just kind of arrived.
"And I just knew at the time (that) this was the song we were supposed to do with BTS and it’s supposed to be about people who can’t be together, or told they shouldn’t be together."
In April 2022, he also said on the Audacy podcast: "I don’t think we’ll ever be able to match the BTS surprise... That was surprising even for us," he explained, before adding: "It’s an amazing lesson for myself in keeping an open mind all the time, because you just never know what life or music is gonna throw you."
24) They hold a BRIT Award record
Coldplay have the current record for most BRIT Award nominations for a band, with 30 nominations to date. Of these, they have won nine BRIT Awards over the years, with their first awards in 2011 for British Group and British Album of the Year, and their most recent in 2016 for British Group.
They were nominated in the 2022 BRIT Awards for Best Rock/Alternative Act and Best Group but the awards went to Sam Fender and Wolf Alice respectively.
25) Their first performance after the pandemic was on a pontoon
Coldplay had their first TV performance following the pandemic when they opened the show at the BRIT Awards in 2021 from a pontoon! They performed their song 'Higher Power' and wowed fans with an incredible light show and fireworks.
26) They've performed at the Super Bowl Half-Time show
Coldplay performed at the Super Bowl Half-Time show in 2016! The band headlined and performed alongside special guest performers Beyoncé and Bruno Mars. Coldplay performed songs including 'Viva la Vida', 'Paradise' and 'Adventure of a Lifetime' during the incredible show.
WATCH: Coldplay - Higher Power (Live at The BRIT Awards, London 2021):
You can listen to Coldplay on Hits Radio!
Take a look at Coldplay through the years:
1996 - 1997
Coldplay formed in 1996 after members Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion met whilst at University College London together. The band was initially called Pectoralz, and at that time was just Chris and Jonny, who had met during the university's orientation week.
Bassist Guy joined the group soon after, being in the same classes as the other two, and the group was renamed to Starfish in 1997 when the band would play gigs in Camden. Chris appointed his old school friend Phil Harvey to be the band's manager, and Will joined the group as percussionist - learning the drums quickly as he'd no previous experience, although he was already musically gifted. The band settled on the name Coldplay.
1998 - 1999
Coldplay released their first EP in 1998, entitled 'Safety'. There were only 500 copies made, and only 50 of those made it into public circulation as the rest were given to record labels, and friends and family of the band. It contained tracks 'Bigger Stronger', 'No More Keeping My Feet on the Ground' and 'Such a Rush'.
The band signed to independent label Fierce Panda in December 1998, and released their first single 'Brothers & Sisters' in 1999 before signing to Parlophone.
2000
The band made their Glastonbury debut in 2000, having recorded their second EP 'The Blue Room' in October 1999, spawning songs 'Don't Panic', 'See You Soon' and 'High Speed', as well as including 'Such a Rush' and 'Bigger Stronger' from the previous release. Whilst making the record, it's reported that the band fell out quite severely - but this led to them putting down ground rules, which seem to have served them well over the last 20 odd years.
Coldplay embarked on their first tour in June 2000, and achieved their first Top 5 single in 'Yellow', which appeared on their debut album 'Parachutes', released in July that year. The album debuted at Number 1, and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.
2001
Coldplay won the BRIT Awards for Best British Group and Best British Album for 'Parachutes' in 2001 - as well as the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. At this point, Phil Harvey resigned from his role as manager due to stress, and took on the role of creative director. He's now referred to as the official fifth member of the band.
Coldplay began recording their second album 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head' in September 2001, and after writing 'In My Place' had a breakthrough after feeling creatively stalled. After writing more than 20 songs for the album, the track list was whittled down to the final 11.
2002 - 2004
The album was released in August 2002, followed by a worldwide tour which included a slot at Glastonbury, and finished in October 2003. At the BRIT Awards 2003, Coldplay once again won Best British Group and Best British Album, as well as three awards at the MTV Video Music Awards and the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.
After winning Record of the Year for 'Clocks' at the 2004 Grammys, Coldplay spent most of that year out of the spotlight recording their third album, 'X&Y', which was released in May 2005 and was the UK's third fastest-selling album.
2005 - 2007
Coldplay spent 2005 to 2007 on the road, taking the 'Twisted Logic Tour' all around the world and even bringing The Verve's Richard Ashcroft onto the stage at Live 8 to sing 'Bitter Sweet Symphony'. In February 2006, they won Best Album and Best Single at the BRIT Awards, and in October that year began recording album number four: 'Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'.
After taking a break from recording, Coldplay toured Latin America and Spain, and said that this would give the upcoming album a 'Hispanic influence'. Regarding their first three albums as a 'trilogy', Chris described 'Viva La Vida' as a new direction for the band.
2008- 2012
'Viva La Vida' was released in June 2008, and became the world's best-selling album of that year. EP 'Prospekt's March' followed in November, and the 'Viva la Vida Tour' also began in June. They released free album 'LeftRightLeftRightLeft', which was made up of live recordings from the tour. Taking the rest of 2009 off, Coldplay released 'Christmas Lights' in December 2010, with Chris' pal Simon Pegg starring in the music video.
The band had finished making fifth record 'Mylo Xyloto' in the summer of 2011, and also headlined Glastonbury Festival. The album was released in October 2011, receiving three Grammy nominations and two BRIT Award nominations as well as the band winning Best British Group for the third time at the 2012 awards. They performed at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and released documentary film and live album 'Coldplay Live 2012'.
2013 - 2015
Coldplay contributed to the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire with 'Atlas', and released sixth album 'Ghost Stories' in May 2014 which was followed by a six-date tour of 'intimate' shows around the world. The album received two Grammy nominations, and the themes of heartbreak throughout the album were thought to reflect Chris' real-life separation from wife Gwyneth Paltrow.
In December, Chris announced their upcoming seventh album 'A Head Full of Dreams' could be their last, and it was released one year later in December 2015. Prior to that, the band performed at the Global Citizen Festival, which is curated by Chris himself, at Central Park in New York.
2016 - 2017
In February 2016, Coldplay headlined the Super Bowl halftime show, bringing on guests Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Bruno Mars. They then embarked on their 'A Head Full of Dreams Tour', with a total of 122 shows around the world. They performed at Glastonbury Festival 2016, singing a duet of 'Stayin' Alive' with Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees.
Coldplay collaborated with EDM duo The Chainsmokers on 'Something Just Like This', released in February 2017, and they performed it together at the BRIT Awards. The 'Kaleidoscope EP' was released in July 2017, featuring the single, and was described as being a "leftover bag of ideas" from 'A Head Full Of Dreams'. In August, live album 'Live in Buenos Aires' was released, and the group performed at a benefit concert in Mexico, with proceeds going towards relief and aid for affected countries. They also performed at the 'One Love Manchester' benefit concert for the victims of the Manchester Arena attack.
2018 - 2019
In November 2018, the group released 'Global Citizen EP 1' under the pseudonym Los Unidades, which included song 'E-Lo' featuring Pharrell Williams. Proceeds went towards 'efforts to end global poverty'. Chris also performed with Kylie Minogue during her emotional 'Legends' slot at Glastonbury 2019.
2019
Thankfully, Chris' prediction that 'A Head Full Of Dreams' would be their last record proved to be incorrect, as the band announced in October 2019 that their eighth album was on the way. The double album, entitled 'Everyday Life', is set to be released on 22nd November 2019, with the track listing being announced in a newspaper.
They released two singles, 'Orphans' and 'Arabesque', from the upcoming album in October 2019, with official press from the band revealing that the unusual album artwork is based on a '1919 photo of guitarist Jonny Buckland's great-grandfather's band'.
2019
After announcing they would not be touring their new album 'Everyday Life' due to environmental concerns, explaining that they're "taking time to see how our tour can be actively beneficial," Coldplay gave an incredible one-off concert at the Natural History Museum in London in November 2019, which was later broadcast on Absolute Radio.
They performed underneath a 25.2-metre-long blue whale skeleton, with proceeds going to the environmental charity Client Earth. Their set-list included old classics 'Lovers In Japan', 'Fix You', 'Viva La Vida' and 'Sparks', as well as new tracks 'Daddy', 'Arabesque', 'When I Need A Friend', 'Orphans', 'Guns' and 'Everyday Life'.
2020
Coldplay kicked off the new decade with a music video for 'Cry Cry Cry', a single from their newest album 'Everyday Life', released in November 2019. The music video was directed by Chris' partner Dakota Johnson.
Later in 2020, the band released another single off the album, 'Champion Of The World'.
2021
The group released 'Higher Power' in May 2021, their first single in almost 18 months. They said of the track: ''Higher Power' is a song that arrived on a little keyboard and a bathroom sink at the start of 2020. It was produced by Max Martin who is a true wonder of the universe.'
Coldplay are also set to open the BRIT Awards 2021, performing from a pontoon on the River Thames.
2021
On 11th May 2021, in what was their first TV performance in over a year, Coldplay opened the show at The BRIT Awards 2021. Not only did the band perform their new track 'Higher Power', but they did so from a pontoon on the Thames near The O2, along with a vibrant lights and fireworks show.
2021 - 2022
Coldplay's album 'Music of the Spheres' was released on 15th October 2021 and the band performed an exclusive album launch show in London on 12th October.
On 14th October, they announced four UK dates for their world tour. Coldplay will be performing in the UK in August 2022, with the tour set to take place in London Wembley Stadium on Friday 12th, Saturday 13th and Tuesday 16th August and they will then perform at Glasgow Hampden Park Stadium on Tuesday 23rd August.
2022
Coldplay's 'Music of the Spheres' was a huge hit with fans, so it came as no surprise that it was nominated for multiple awards! The album received three Grammy Award nominations in 2022 - including Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, for 'My Universe' with BTS.
2022
Coldplay started their 'Music of the Spheres' world tour in Costa Rica in March 2022. It is their most sustainable tour ever and at each venue electricity-generating bikes would be installed along with kinetic dance floors, which would generate energy to help power the show through audience movement, both of these would cut mainstream electricity usage.
2023
It's fair to say that Coldplay's 'Music of the Spheres Tour' took fans' breath away - with plenty of viral videos going around showing the gorgeous scenes of wristband lights filling the arena as they sing huge tracks like 'Fix You' and 'Yellow'.
Due to phenomenal demand, the band delighted fans as they added extra dates to their summer UK tour in 2023! In addition to the already announced dates in May and June, Coldplay added a third date in Manchester, which took place on Saturday 3rd June, and a fourth on Sunday 4th June.
Bringing out special guests such as Manchester-born rapper Aitch, Coldplay also delighted the crowd as they performed a cover of James' 'Sit Down'.
2023
Coldplay set off on the 'Music Of The Spheres Tour' on a mission to reduce their direct carbon emissions by 50%, and in June 2023 they revealed the emissions data from the first 12 months of the tour. They wrote: 'The emissions data from the first 12 months of the tour has now been collated, assessed and independently validated by Prof. John E. Fernandez of the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative.
'On a show-by-show comparison, the Music Of The Spheres Tour has so far produced 47% less CO2e emissions than our last stadium tour (2016-17). This is a good start - and something that our incredible crew should be very proud of - but clearly there's still room for improvement.
'Now that we're into the second year of the tour, we've started to run the entire show (audio, lights, lasers etc) from an electric battery system that allows us to use 100% renewable energy as efficiently as possible. We have been using electric vehicles and alternative fuels wherever we can, as well as reducing waste and plastic usage to a minimum.'
The band went on to thank their fans, as well as all of the 'brilliant' and 'creative' minds that have helped them so far.
2023
To mark 13 years since the release of their festive hit 'Christmas Lights', Coldplay released a five interesting facts about the accompanying music video. The song also crept back into the charts in December 2023 - as it does most years.
2024
In March 2024, the highly-anticipated line-up for Glastonbury Festival was announced - with Coldplay topping the bill alongside other huge names such as Dua Lipa, SZA and Shania Twain.
The festival will take place from 26th-30th June 2024, with Coldplay's headline date (Saturday) falling during their extended tour dates throughout Europe. Coldplay's bill-topping set will be their record-breaking fifth headline appearance at the famous festival, also marking the first time they've played there since 2016.
2024
In late 2023, Coldplay called on their fans to lend their vocals to their upcoming 10th studio album, which will be 'Moon Music'. The album is reportedly set for release in early 2024, with the band confirming they had almost completed it in November 2023.
The new album, which fans are hoping will be released soon in 2024, will feature the dulcet tones of those who responded to Coldplay's call for them to sing "Ahhhh" on a new track called 'One World'.
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