Viva la Vida

Background:

“We're trying to get to the very highest level. We want to be better than Mozart. That doesn't mean we are, but that's what we're trying for. To me, there's no point in trying for anything less.” Coldplay

English alternative rock band Coldplay, whose members are Chris Martin (vocals/piano), Jonny Buckland (guitar), Will Champion (drums), and Guy Berryman (bass), enjoyed an early taste of stardom with the release of their multi-platinum debut album “Parachutes” (2000), which spawned the hit singles "Shiver," "Yellow," and "Trouble." They followed it up with a more successful album, "A Rush of Blood to the Head" (2002), which delivered such hits as "In My Place," "The Scientist," and "Clocks."

The Grammy Award-nominated band achieved worldwide fame with their #1 U.S. albums "X&Y" (2005) and "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends" (2008). Their recent hit singles include "Speed of Sound," "Talk," "Violet Hill," "Viva la Vida," and "Lost!"

“I just want to make the best music of all time with my best friends.” Chris Martin

Starfish

Childhood and Family:

“There would be no Coldplay music without Jonny Buckland.” Chris Martin

In September 1996, vocalist Chris Martin (born March 2, 1977) met guitarist Jonny Buckland (born September 11, 1977) at the University College London (UCL) and formed a band called “Pectoralz.” They were joined by their classmate, bassist Guy Berryman (born April 12, 1978), and renamed themselves “Starfish” in 1997. The group finally settled on the name "Coldplay" after drummer Will Champion (born on July 31, 1978) joined the band.

“Will is like a human jukebox. He's more a guitarist than a drummer. Me and Will used to sit on the stairs at our halls of residence and he'd know more songs than anyone. You name it, he'd play it.” Chris Martin

Speed of Sound

Career:

“To be a frontman, you have to be half very driven and half a total knob. I like to think I'm both.” Chris Martin

In May 1998, Coldplay released 500 copies of their first EP album, “Safety,” and signed to the independent label Fierce Panda in December. On April 26, 1999, the English band released their debut single, "Brothers & Sisters," and signed to Parlophone for a five album contract in the spring of 1999. Coldplay released their third EP, "The Blue Room," on October 11, 1999.

On July 10, 2000, the alternative rock band released their debut album, "Parachutes." It spawned the hit singles "Shiver," which rose to #35 on the U.K. Singles Chart, "Yellow," which rose to #4 in the United Kingdom and became the band's first Top 10 hit on the U.K. Singles Chart, and "Trouble," which went to #10 on the U.K. Singles Chart. Album "Parachutes" was a critical and commercial success and went seven-times platinum in the UK and placed #12 on the list of the “20 Biggest-Selling Albums of the 21st Century in the United Kingdom.” In the United States, the album peaked at number 51 on the Billboard 200 and has since been certified two-times platinum. It also won the band a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2002.

Referring to the song “Yellow,” Chris Martin said, “In an alternative universe this song would be called ‘Playboy.’”

Coldplay's follow-up album, "A Rush of Blood to the Head," hit the music stores on August 26, 2002. It was a commercial success, debuting at number one in the U.K. It has been certified eight-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry.

"A Rush of Blood to the Head" delivered the hit singles "In My Place," which rose to #2 on the U.K. Singles Charts (won Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 45th Grammy Awards), "The Scientist," which rose to #10 on the U.K. Charts (video won three MTV Music Video Awards), "Clocks," which rose to #9 on the U.K. Singles Chart (won Record of the Year at the 2004 Grammy Awards), and "God Put a Smile upon Your Face." Meanwhile, Coldplay toured from June 2002 to September 2003 for the “A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour.” In December 2003, they were named by readers of Rolling Stone magazine “The Best Artist and the Best Band of the Year.”

"X&Y," Coldplay's third studio album, was released on June 6, 2005. Considered a landmark achievement, the album topped charts worldwide thanks to the singles "Speed of Sound" (#8 US, #2 UK), which was nominated twice at the 48th Grammy Awards and won a Brit Award in the category for Best British Single, "Fix You" (#4 UK; #18 US Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks), "Talk" (#10 UK; #86 US), "The Hardest Part" (#37 US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks), "What If," and "White Shadows."

“In mathematics, X and Y are always the answers, but in life, no one knows. To me, the album is about unanswerable questions.” Chris Martin

June 11, 2008, saw the release of Coldplay's fourth studio album, "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends" (also simply known as “Viva la Vida”). Four singles released from the album are "Violet Hill" (#9 US Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart; #8 on the UK Singles Chart), which was nominated for Grammy Awards in the categories of Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group, "Viva la Vida," which rose to the top spot on the U.K. Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or a Group at the 2009 Grammy Awards, "Lost!" (#55 UK; #94 US), and "Lovers in Japan," which debuted at #10 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.

Coldplay kicked off their “Viva la Vida World Tour” in June with a free concert in London. The album also raised controversy in December 2008 when rock guitarist Joe Satriani filed a copyright infringement suit in the Los Angeles Federal Court against Coldplay for allegedly copying portions of his instrumental "If I Could Fly" from the album “Is There Love in Space?” for use in "Viva la Vida." Coldplay denied the accusation.

Denying accusations Coldplay stole an idea from Joe Satriani for their song "Viva La Vida," Chris Martin explained, “When these things happen it's a coincidence and we're as surprised by it as anybody else. Oh, I know exactly where the song came from. It came in the middle of the night, on a piano. I just get embarrassed about having to talk about these things. I do feel a bit upset about it because I wrote the song. But, you know, these things happen. Whatever will be will be.”

An active supporter of various social and political causes, including 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.

“Well, I'm still going to die and I'm still in the same band. Those are two things I think about, Coldplay and death, which might explain some of our music.” Chris Martin

Awards:

• Brit Awards: Best British Single, "Speed of Sound," 2005

• Grammy: Record of the Year, "Clocks," 2004

• Grammy: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, "In My Place," 2003

• Grammy: Best Alternative Album, "A Rush of Blood to the Head," 2002

• Grammy: Best Alternative Music Album, "Parachutes," 2002