Coldplay
, British
rock
group whose melodic piano-driven anthems lifted it to the top of the
pop music
world in the early 21st century.
Coldplay was formed in 1998 at University College, London, with the pairing of pianist-vocalist
Chris Martin
(b. March 2, 1977, Exeter, England) and guitarist
Jonny Buckland
(b. September 11, 1977, London). The
band
was later filled out with fellow students
Guy Berryman
(b. April 12, 1978, Kirkcaldy, Scotland) on bass and
Will Champion
(b. July 31, 1978, Southampton, England), a guitarist who later switched to drums. Coldplay penetrated the
U.K.
Top 100 in 1999 with the single “Brothers & Sisters” on the independent Fierce Panda label before signing with major label Parlaphone. Later that year the band released the
Blue Room
EP to a flurry of glowing reviews.
Britannica Quiz
2000s Music Quiz
Coldplay’s full-length
debut
Parachutes
(2000) sold millions on the strength of Martin’s vocals and such singles as the bittersweet “Yellow.”
Parachutes
earned the band its first
Grammy Award
, for best
alternative
album, and paved the way for the more ambitious
A Rush of Blood to the Head
(2002). The latter album earned the group two more Grammy Awards, and singles such as “Clocks” helped drive the band’s total album sales over the 20 million mark. Coldplay followed the concert album
Live 2003
(2003) with
X & Y
(2005), a collection of guitar-driven, arena-friendly rock anthems (including the hit single “Speed of Sound”) that elevated the group to the rank of such “big bands” as
U2
and
Radiohead
. Meanwhile, Martin’s 2003?16 marriage to American actress
Gwyneth Paltrow
earned him celebrity status independent of his musical achievements.
The band’s 2008 release,
Viva la Vida
, produced in part by
Brian Eno
, topped the charts in the
United States
and the United Kingdom, and the album’s title track, arguably Coldplay’s most radio-friendly effort
yet
, was the number one single on both sides of the Atlantic. That popularity was reflected at the 2009
Grammy Awards
ceremony, where the band collected honours for song of the year, best rock album, and best pop performance by a group. Working again with Eno, Coldplay returned with the sleek
Mylo Xyloto
(2011), which notably featured a duet between Martin and pop singer
Rihanna
. Later releases included the subdued
Ghost Stories
(2014), which yielded the hit singles “Magic” and “A Sky Full of Stars”; the upbeat
A Head Full of Dreams
(2015); and the EP
Kaleidoscope
(2017). To mark the release of
Everyday Life
(2019), Coldplay performed two live-streamed concerts, one at sunrise and the other at sunset, in
Amman
, Jordan. In 2021
Music of the Spheres
appeared, and it became the band’s ninth consecutive studio album to reach the top spot of the British album chart.