Over the last two-and-a-half decades, Coldplay have sold over a hundred million records worldwide,
released countless number one singles, and played some of the biggest live shows ever.
But the ride hasn't always been easy for Chris Martin and company. Here are some tragic details about Coldplay.
According to Chris Martin himself, Coldplay's journey has been anything but smooth — and
things were especially tough when they were first making a splash in the music industry.
"We didn't really have anyone to tell us what to wear—"
"What, there wasn't a stylist?"
In an interview with The Guardian, the singer said that, while he's always been the worrying
type, being a part of Coldplay only made things tougher. Whenever he felt overwhelmed, however,
he'd call his father for advice. Martin said:
"I always ring my dad when I want to quit. And he goes, 'Well I wouldn't give up yet,
boy.' So I think, 'All right then. I won't.'"
It wasn't just Martin who found himself feeling unsteady, though — his bandmates were wary
of fame as well. They were particularly overwhelmed after their debut album, Parachutes, became
hugely successful. After a tour in their early days, Jonny Buckland became severely ill and
had to miss out on attending the prestigious Mercury Prize awards. Martin later remembered that evening, saying:
"[I] felt extremely paranoid. I thought my hair was falling out."
Things got even worse for Coldplay when they faced a barrage of criticism for their album
X&Y, forcing them to reconsider the direction in which the band was headed. Speaking to
Rolling Stone about one particularly scathing review from the New York Times, Martin said:
"It was a big deal. It's the first real attack on your band, and from a publication we all respect.
I agreed with a lot of the points... so, in a way, it was liberating to see that
someone else realised that also."
Coldplay's drummer, Will Champion, almost wasn't a part of Coldplay at all, having been
asked to leave in the band's early days. Champion's bandmates felt that he simply couldn't stay
on track with their recording sessions when they were working on the first album. It didn't
help that a producer had told them that they weren't up to the mark, either. As such, they
felt that it was wise to ask him to quit. Martin later admitted:
"We didn't really know that music is supposed to be about the feel of it, we thought it
had to be technically perfect because we have a record deal now, so it ended up with us asking Will to leave."
Fortunately, the other band members quickly realized their mistake, and Martin convinced
Champion to come back and be a part of Coldplay again.
For drummer Will Champion, the release of Parachutes was a bittersweet experience, as
his mother died of cancer right before the album's release. Champion had shared a close
bond with his mother, and later told Drum Magazine that she had helped him embrace his
love for music. He said:
"I think music first clicked as a creative pursuit when my mom taught me how to play
three chords on guitar."
Champion's mother, Sara, was a widely-respected archaeologist who made several contributions
to her field and supported women who chose to join the industry. She was 54 years old
when she died, and her funeral was held on the day Chris Martin filmed the music video
for the band's hit song "Yellow."
Chris Martin's ex-wife, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, was linked to one of Coldplay's greatest hits
of all time, "Fix You." The song was meant, in a way, to comfort Paltrow after she lost
her father, television producer Bruce Paltrow. Later, the actress spoke about the song, saying:
"'Fix You' was about [Martin] trying to put me back together after my dad died. I think
it's pretty nice."
Bruce Paltrow died in 2002 after coming down with pneumonia, and Gwyneth has since said
that Coldplay's music helped her and her brother to cope with their loss. Evidently, the song
still means a lot to Martin himself, too, who told Rolling Stone in 2008:
"That song is very special to me, because there’s no element of it trying to be cool.
It’s not trying to be edgy. If your f--kin’ granddad died, it might be something that
makes you cry, you know?"
Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow famously divorced in 2016, but Coldplay's front-man
isn't the only band member to have gone through a little heartbreak. Bassist Guy Berryman
had been married to his longtime partner, Joanna Berryman, when they split in 2007 — just
six months after having a baby. A friend who was close to them reportedly said:
"They are both absolutely devastated but the relationship has been on the rocks for a while."
The couple had allegedly hoped that the baby might help them sort out their differences,
but that wasn't to be. Many friends apparently believed that Guy's work schedule also made
things very difficult for his relationship.
Joanna moved on and later married an entrepreneur named Philip Bergkvist. She once said that
she and Guy had a rough time during her pregnancy, spending a lot of time apart and only barely
coping with their relationship's many highs and lows. She also mentioned feeling insecure at the time, recalling:
"I had naively read horrible online forums where people would call me fat, unglamorous
and question why Guy was with me. It was hard not to read them."
In 2011, Coldplay found themselves dealing with an unexpected controversy after a video
was posted on the band's Facebook page. The video in question was of a song by the OneWorld
collective called "Freedom for Palestine", which addressed topics such as human rights,
prison camps, and other such injustices.
Inevitably, the post attracted all kinds of negative attention in basically no time at
all, and many fans claimed that they would be boycotting the band. Some even demanded
that Coldplay's members issue a formal apology to Israel.
Certain well-known figures got involved in the scandal, too. Comedian Mark Thomas said
that he supported the band's move, while political commentator Glenn Beck argued that the video
was, in his words, basically "propaganda." The link was eventually removed by Facebook
after the complaints continued to pour in. That incident doesn't seem to have dissuaded
Chris Martin from his stance on Israel, however. In 2019, the singer gave an impromptu speech
during a gig in Jordan, in which he advocated for equal rights in Gaza.
Despite spending more than a decade together, something eventually went awry in Chris Martin
and Gwyneth's Paltrow's relationship. Then, just a few months after they announced their
breakup in 2014, the band released their sixth studio album, Ghost Stories.
Martin doesn't hold back on Ghost Stories, expressing his feelings on topics such as
loneliness and heartbreak. One music producer, Tom Wilcox, suggested to The Guardian that
a move in such a dark direction could have been disastrous for the band. He said:
"Breaking away from that catchy, anthem formula is obviously a risk, because it is what has
built Coldplay up into one of the most successful bands of our time, and that massive audience
they've built up might not go with them."
Luckily, the band's new direction paid off, with Ghost Stories going on to become 2014's
fifth best-selling album.
While it's undeniable that Coldplay is something of an international phenomenon, it's fair
to say that not everyone is a fan. For example, when they were selected to play at the Super
Bowl during halftime in 2016, folks were more than a little annoyed, taking to social media
to express their colorful thoughts on the matter.
Many critics feel that Coldplay's style is dull and that their songs simply aren't exciting.
Before the release of Coldplay's album Viva La Vida, Chris Martin admitted that the band
members were aware that they were failing to strike a chord with some listeners, and
that it was something that they had consciously worked on. Martin told Rolling Stone:
"On our last album, we took a real beating from some people, and by the end we felt like
no producer would really want to work with us, basically. We were bigger than we were
good — we were very hungry to improve on a basic level."
Coldplay have also been criticized for teaming up with other musicians. One Esquire piece,
for example, came down particularly hard on the band, claiming, among other things, that
not one of their collaborations had been any good. One of the group's collaborations even
made headlines back in 2006, when a team-up with Jay-Z rubbed Kanye West up the wrong
way, and contributed to the two rappers' ever-growing feud.
It would also seem that not all musicians have been too excited to work with Coldplay.
Take Beyoncé, for example. Even though she performed with the band at the Super Bowl,
when they approached her with a song idea, she refused to be a part of it. Talking about
the incident, Martin later said:
"[She said no] in the sweetest possible way: She told me, 'I really like you — but this is awful.'"
Luckily for Coldplay, at least, it seems that Beyonce changed her mind; the super-star ended
up contributing backing vocals for one of their songs in 2015.
"It's like when the headmaster comes into your classroom, like, 'oh no…'"
"It's Beyonce!"
"This had better be good."
Perhaps the cruellest rejection of all, however, came from one of music's greatest icons. Coldplay
had always been keen to work alongside David Bowie, and they eventually suggested that
he join them on what Martin later called a "multi-part harmony." Bowie, however, simply replied:
"It's not a very good song, is it?"
Coldplay drummer Will Champion later admitted that he had appreciated Bowie's careful consideration
for the projects he picked. The drummer said:
"He was very discerning — he wouldn't just put his name to anything. I'll give him credit for that!"
One of the perceived problems with Coldplay is that Chris Martin often gets a major chunk
of the publicity, while the rest of his bandmates, by comparison, are left in the shadows. This
pattern has upset Martin's fellow band members a fair bit in the past — especially when
they first started working together. Soon enough, however, they realized that it was
better living life out of the limelight, since it meant they wouldn't be constantly hounded
by fans and the press.
Martin had his own demons to fight when it came to fame, too, something that he admitted
to the BBC in 2021. He said:
"Last year was quite an eye opener. I was like, 'Who am I without Wembley Stadium saying, 'you're awesome'?"
Martin went on to explain that he has learned to stop being so dependent on external validation, explaining:
"I'm trying in my life right now to not attach too much to being a pop star."
Strangely enough, for such a prolific musician, Chris Martin tends to stay away from addictive
substances such as drugs and alcohol. He once told The Guardian that he'd only been drunk
two times in his life, and that, after one of those instances, he was left in bed "dribbling
red stuff." He also added that alcohol simply doesn't entice him, and that he feels more
than okay about staying teetotal. Martin said:
"I don't feel like I'm missing out."
That said, Chris Martin has had some issues with addiction in the past. In 2008, he told
Cosmopolitan that he had become dependent on sleeping pills, often using them while
writing songs. He told the outlet that he'd pop one to pass out, then think of a song
idea and start working on it right then and there. Martin said:
"And then [the sleeping pill] kind of kicks in halfway through. I wake up the next morning
and find these strange notes to myself!"
Things may seem relatively okay for the rest of the band's members, but all of Coldplay
have gone through periods of uncertainty, in which they've had to depend on each other
for support. Despite wanting to stay away from such things, Chris Martin has admitted
that the band have each faced their own demons, telling the Evening Standard:
"Success and fame, alcohol and drugs. We've been through all of those things. They're
just pitfalls, and that comes from a lot of travelling and a lot of down time."
Martin also mentioned that touring is often an extremely lonely experience for the band.
What helps them through it, however, is their ability to rely on each other. They also also
try to play fair and share everything equally — including songwriting credits. Martin explained:
"It means when one of us is having a hard time or a problem, then we all have the best
interests of each other at heart."
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit
the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's
National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).