A British rock band, Coldplay garnered widespread fame with the release of their hit song, Yellow in 2000. A four-man team, the group consists of Guy Berryman, Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, and Will Champion. Since their debut, they’ve released numerous titles including Parachutes, X & Y, A Rush of Blood to the Head, and A Head Full of Dreams. As of 2017, they have sold over 93 million records across the globe.
Formed in 1996, Coldplay originally consisted of Jonny Buckland and Chris Martin who had met each other during the first week of college; it wasn’t until later on that their line-up was complete with the addition of Guy Berryman, and Will Champion. Eventually settling on their current name, they independently released an EP titled, Brothers and Sisters in 1999. Not long afterwards, they signed a music deal with Parlophone Records.
How Coldplay Became Famous
Ultimately it was the single, Yellow that first brought them fame. A month after its release, the band released their debut album, Parachutes on July 10, 2000. Produced by Ken Nelson, Chris Allison, and Coldplay themselves, its track list boasted ten titles- including Don’t Panic, Trouble, Yellow, and Shiver, all of which were spawned as hit singles.
A critical success, the album peaked at the top of the UK Albums chart not long after its release; in the United States, Parachutes reached as high as number 51 on the Billboard Top 200. Given stellar reviews from critics, it charted in numerous other countries including Canada, Australia, Ireland, Norway, Italy, and Sweden to name a few. As of 2017, well over a decade later, over 14 million copies have been sold worldwide.
Coldplay’s Other Music Albums
Their next album, A Rush of Blood to the Head was released on August 26, 2002. Recorded shortly after the release of Parachute, the alternative rock project was once again critically acclaimed. Preceded by the single, In My Place, it gave rise to eleven new tracks including God Put a Smile Upon Your Face, The Scientist, Clocks, Green Eyes, Warning Sign, A Rush of Blood to the Head.
In the UK, the album debuted at the top of the UK Albums chart with over 270,000 sales. Elsewhere, it also proved to be a chart topper in Canada, Switzerland, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Brazil, and Australia. Considerably more successful than its predecessor, A Rush of Blood to the Head later earned Coldplay a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album. With over 2.9 million copies sold in the United Kingdom, it has gone platinum nine times with the BPI.
Two years later, the rock band dropped their third album, X & Y. Produced majorly by Ken Nelson, it contained twelve numbers including White Shadows, The Hardest Part, Swallowed in the Sea, Twisted Logic, A Message, and Till Kingdom Comes, the last of which is a hidden track. Praised by critics writing for Blender and Q Magazine, the album was yet another success with 464,000 copies sold during its debut week.
Not only did it chart at the top in the UK, but it also soared to number one in the US, Sweden, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Finland, France, Denmark, among several other countries. As of 2017, X & Y remains to be their most successful album, with over 20 million copies moved worldwide.
Then on June 12, 2008, the group released their fourth album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. Recorded between London, Barcelona, and New York City, its lyrics revolved around the themes of life, war, death, and love. Named after a Spanish phrase meaning “Live the Life,” ten new tracks were introduced including Viva la Vida, Cemeteries of London, 42, Strawberry Swing, Violet Hill, and Life in Technicolor.
A smash hit, the album ultimately entered the music charts at number one in 36 countries around the world. For instance in the UK, it topped the chart with 125,000 copies sold on the first day alone; similarly in the United States, over 316,000 units were moved on the first day of release.
Following another three-year long break, their fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto was made available on October 19, 2011. A mix of R&B, pop, and electronica, it produced seven hit singles including Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, Up with the Birds, Hurts Like Heaven, Up in Flames, Princess of China, Paradise, and Charlie Brown. Though it didn’t match the same level of success attained by their earlier titles, the album still managed to peak at number 9 on the UK Albums chart and number 17 on the Billboard 200, with mostly positive reviews from critics. So far, over 8.2 million copies of the album have been sold worldwide.
Since then, Cold play has released two additional albums, Ghost Stories in 2014 and A Head Full of Dreams in 2015. Both number one hits in their native UK, close to 10 million copies have been sold combined as of 2017.
Awards Received by Coldplay
One of the most well known rock bands in Britain, Coldplay has received countless recognition over the years. A seven-time Grammy Award winner, they’ve also won six Billboard Music Awards, nine Brit Awards, two Juno Awards, six MTV Video Music Awards, six NME Awards, three World Music Awards, among countless other nominations.
In total, they’ve been nominated for well over 200 different industry accolades.
Coldplay’s Snapchat Name – coldplay
Considering their popularity, it’s not surprising to know that Coldplay is on Snapchat- if you’d like to add the band to your friend’s list, click here.
Coldplay’s Other Social Media Accounts
Coldplay’s Facebook Account
If you want to follow the rock band on Facebook, go give them a like on their official page at @coldplay, where they already have over 39 million fans!
Coldplay’s Twitter Account
Want the latest news and updates? If so, you wouldn’t want to miss out on their Twitter account- you can find them over at @coldplay.
Coldplay’s Instagram Account
You can find many behind the scene photos and videos over on their Instagram- their account is located at @coldplay. Incredibly popular, they’ve already got themselves over 8.6 million fans on the app!
Coldplay’s Youtube Channel
Many of their official music videos are streamable over at their Youtube channel- you can visit it by going to @ColdplayVEVO.
