Coldplay biography
Coldplay burst onto the music scene following the release of their smash hit single 'Yellow' in 2001, and since then they've gone on to sell millions of records worldwide, picking up over 40 major music awards along the way, including six BRIT awards.
History
Coldplay were formed in 1997 and are one of the world's biggest bands. The band is made up of university friends Chris Martin, the frontman who also plays the guitar and keyboard. Will Champion is on drums, with Guy Berryman on bass guitar and the lead guitarist is Jonny Buckland . They've been compared to the likes of U2, Radiohead and Travis in their time and were propelled to stardom following the release of 'Yellow' which actually only made it to number four in the UK. It was the second single to be taken from debut album Parachutes which was released in 2000 and nominated for a Mercury Music Prize. The record topped the UK charts, and went double platinum in the U.S where it won a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album in 2002.
A Rush Of Blood To The Head
In the same year, Coldplay released their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, which gave them a number of hits including 'In My Place' and 'Clocks.' The latter earned them a Grammy for record of the year in 2004, while the album was again named Best Alternative at the awards the year before. The band continued touring and played some major gigs, including the V Festival and Glastonbury.
X&Y
Coldplay kept a low profile during most of 2004 while they worked on their fourth album X&Y. It became the best-selling record of 2005, shifting over eight million copies after topping the charts in 20 countries. 'Fix You' and 'Talk' were among the singles to be released, but despite the album's huge success, it received some negative reviews. The band began to be unfavourably compared to U2, but Chris Martin brushed off the remarks and the band embarked on a world tour in 2005 and 2006. They performed at the Isle of Wight Festival, Glastonbury and London's Live 8 gig before teaming up with The Verve's Richard Ashcroft for a rendition of 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' in Hyde Park. Before drawing their tour to a close, Coldplay picked up two BRIT Awards for Best Album and Best Single for 'Speed of Sound' and began working on album number four.
Viva La Vida
Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends had a Hispanic feel to it after the band performed across Latin America in early 2007. Chris Martin said it was completely different to their first three albums, which he described as a 'trilogy.' It went to number one in the UK and for the first time, they topped the U.S album charts. The band picked up yet more accolades, winning two Q Awards for the record, but were rocked by guitarist Joe Satriani's claims that they effectively stole the sound from an instrumental track he released in 2004 entitled 'If I Could Fly,' which Coldplay strongly denied. The lawsuit was later dropped after the two parties settled out of court.
Grammy Awards
In February 2009, the band won more prestigious Grammy Awards, picking up three gongs. They won Song of the Year for 'Viva la Vida,' which was voted into 11th place on Absolute Radio's Song of the Decade, compiled in 2010. Coldplay performed the track at the awards after frontman Chris Martin teamed up with Jay-Z for an interpretation of the group's song 'Lost' in front of his emotional and proud wife, Gwyneth Paltrow.
Between 2008 and 2010, Coldplay embarked on their third worldwide tour, to promote Viva La Vida and performed over 150 shows across Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australasia.
2011
Coldplay have a busy year ahead, with gigs planned across Europe, including Glastonbury, and concerts in Japan and Brazil. The group are also continuing to work on their fifth studio album, which is set for release in the Autumn, with Brian Eno involved once again after his input on Viva La Vida. The producer is reported to have claimed the record is completely different to anything the band have done before, and that it will sound 'fresh.'
