Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay, from left to right: Guy Berryman, Jonny
Buckland, Chris Martin, and Will Champion
Background information
Origin
London, England
Genre(s)
Alternative rock
Years active
1997–present
Label(s)
Parlophone
Capitol
EMI
Website
coldplay.com
Members
Chris Martin
Jonny Buckland
Guy Berryman
Will Champion
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band
formed in London, England in 1998. The
group comprises vocalist/keyboardist/guitar-
ist Chris Martin, lead guitarist Jonny Buck-
land, bassist Guy Berryman, and drummer/
backing vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Will
Champion. Coldplay have sold 50 million al-
bums,[1] and are also known for their hit
singles, such as "Yellow", "The Scientist",
"Clocks", "Speed of Sound", "Fix You" and
"Viva la Vida".
Coldplay achieved worldwide fame with
the release of their single "Yellow", followed
by their debut album, Parachutes (2000),
which was nominated for the Mercury Prize.
Its follow-up, A Rush of Blood to the Head
(2002), won multiple awards such as NME’s
Album of the Year. Their next release, X&Y
(2005), received a slightly less enthusiastic
yet still generally positive reception. The
band’s fourth studio album, Viva la Vida or
Death and All His Friends (2008), was pro-
duced by Brian Eno and released again to
largely favourable reviews, earning several
Grammy nominations and wins.[2] All of Cold-
play’s albums have enjoyed commercial suc-
cess.[3][4]
Coldplay’s early material was compared to
acts such as Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, U2, and
Travis.[5] Since the release of Parachutes,
Coldplay have drawn influence from other
sources,
including Echo and the Bunny-
men,[6] Kate Bush and George Harrison[7] on
A Rush of Blood to the Head, Johnny Cash
and Kraftwerk for X&Y and Blur,[8] Arcade
Fire and My Bloody Valentine on Viva la
Vida.[9] Coldplay have been an active sup-
porter of various social and political causes,
such as Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair campaign
and Amnesty International. The group have
also performed at various charity projects
such as Band Aid 20, Li