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Chris Martin
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Chris Martin was born in Exeter, Devon, in 1977 and is an English singer, pianist, songwriter and producer. He is best known as the singer and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. He grew up as the eldest of five children, lived with his family in Zimbabwe at the age of ten, and went to Sherborne School, where he met Phil Harvey, later Coldplay's manager. There he was president of the Sting fan club and played in a blues band with Harvey. At University College London he studied Greek and Latin and graduated with the highest honours.
Music and breakthrough
In 1996 he met Jonny Buckland during freshers' week. They came up with the idea of a band and from early 1997 wrote their first songs. Guy Berryman joined, followed by the drummer Will Champion. At first they were called Big Fat Noises and then Starfish, before the name Coldplay came about. The band broke through worldwide with the album Parachutes in 2000 and the albums that followed. As a member of Coldplay, Martin won seven Grammys and nine Brit Awards. According to the source, the group is among the most successful of the twenty-first century.
Influence
Martin writes songs built around piano and guitar, with singing that ranges from a whisper to high and exuberant. His lyrics are often about longing, comfort and hope. Coldplay made a form of stadium pop that is emotional and accessible. Martin is the face of the group, and he also writes for other artists.
Listening
Mentioned in other articles
- The Scientist Song
It is a piano ballad: Chris Martin begins alone on piano and the band does not come in until after the first chorus.