Coldplay

Biography

Over the course of four studio albums, UK group Coldplay have become one of the biggest bands in the world. With over 50 million copies of their albums sold, the group has garnered an impressive array of awards, including 7 Grammy Awards, 6 BRIT Awards, and 4 MTV Video Music Awards. Their brand of emotive alternative rock is often compared to other UK luminaries such as U2, Radiohead, and Travis.

Coldplay formed in 1996 at the University College London. Their line-up consists of Chris Martin (vocals, keyboard), Jonny Buckland (guitar), Guy Berryman (bass), and Will Champion (drums). They achieved immediate success with their 2000 debut album Parachutes and its iconic single “Yellow”, which reached number four in the UK singles chart. The album won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, an honor the band repeated in 2003 with their follow-up album A Rush of Blood to the Head.

Third album X & Y continued the band’s phenomenal success, becoming the best-selling album of 2005. Having described their first three albums as a completed trilogy, Coldplay began work on their fourth album with famed experimental producer Brian Eno. The result was 2008’s Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, which topped the UK album chart and won two Grammy Awards for the song “Viva la Vida”.