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| Birth Name(s) : Coldplay |
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Full Coldplay Biography
Coldplay are an English rock band. Formed in 1996 in London, the group comprises vocalist/pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion. Coldplay achieved worldwide fame with their 2000 single "Yellow", followed by the success of their debut album, Parachutes, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Coldplay would go on to be nominated for this prestigious award on two further occasions, once in 2003 and again in 2005. Coldplay have been one of the most commercially successful acts of the new millennium, selling over 40 million albums. The band are also known for hit singles, including "Speed of Sound" and the Grammy Award-winning "Clocks".
Coldplay's early material was compared to acts such as Jeff Buckley and Radiohead, while also drawing comparisons to U2 and Travis. Since the release of Parachutes, Coldplay have also drawn influence from other sources, including Echo and the Bunnymen and George Harrison on A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002) and Johnny Cash and Kraftwerk for X&Y (2005). Both of these albums were released to great critical acclaim and commercial success. In 2002, A Rush of Blood to the Head was awarded the title of Album of the Year by NME.
Since December 2006, the band have been working with producers Brian Eno and Timbaland on a fourth album, expected to be released in early 2008.
Finally, in early 1998, the band's lineup was complete when Will Champion joined the band to take up percussion duties. The multi-talented Champion had grown up playing piano, guitar, bass, and tin whistle; he quickly learned the drums, despite having no previous experience with that instrument. Eventually Tim Rice-Oxley, a mutual friend, gave the band permission to use the name "Coldplay", which he had rejected for his band as he thought it was "too depressing". Rice-Oxley also was offered a position as Coldplay's keyboard player, but he refused since he was already committed to the band Keane.
However, the recording sessions for The Blue Room were tumultuous. Martin kicked Champion out of the band but later pleaded with him to return, and due to his guilt, went on a drinking binge. Eventually, the band worked out their differences and put in place a new set of rules to keep the group intact. First, the band declared an all-for-one approach: Coldplay was a democracy, and profits were to be shared equally, taking a page from bands like U2 and R.E.M. Second, the band would fire anyone who used hard drugs.
On January 26, 2007, during an interview on BBC Radio 4's Front Row, musician and producer Brian Eno revealed that he would be the producer for Coldplay's fourth album. The band confirmed this through a Question and Answer section on their official website. In March 2007, famed producer Timbaland told GQ Magazine that he would be collaborating with the band on their next album.
In July, 2007 Coldplay revealed that the album seemed to be shaping up with Hispanic influences after having recorded in churches and other areas in Latin America and Spain, such as Barcelona. On their website, the band also described taking acoustic guitars and basic recording equipment to churches and experimenting with particular sounds. However, in the same note, it was stressed that the influence was not in any specific sound but a general feel to the songs taken as a whole.
The song "42" may have something to do with the 42 songs that were trashed during the X&Y sessions, or it may have something to do with the decision to make the record approximately 42 minutes long. It may also be a double reference to the answer to life, the universe and everything that appears in Douglas Adams' science fiction comedy series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, as other references have been made previously: the title of the song Don't Panic and the video to Talk, which showed a robot identical to Marvin the Paranoid Android.
Members of the band Embrace, who covered Coldplay's "Gravity", have listened to the album and called it "epic".
Coldplay is a supporter of Amnesty International. Chris Martin is also noted as one of the most visible celebrity advocates for "fair trade", supporting Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign until its dissolution in 2005 after the G8 summit in Gleneagles. Martin has been on trips with Oxfam to assess conditions, has appeared in its advertising campaign, and is known for wearing a "Make Trade Fair" wristband during public appearances, including at Coldplay concerts.
In their early years, Coldplay were also widely noted in the media for their claim to give 10% of the band's profits to charity. Bassist Guy Berryman said, "You can make people aware of issues. It isn't very much effort for us at all, but if it can help people, then we want to do it". The band also asks that any gifts intended for it are donated to charity, according to a response on the FAQ section of Coldplay's website. |
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