With Coldplay’s great hooks, sharpened by frontman Chris Martin’s ability to pull heartstrings, and their willingness to evolve their sound, Coldplay has become one of the most commercially successful acts of the new millennium. When Coldplay issued their debut, Parachutes, in 2000, the lead single, “Shiver,” didn’t make much impact. The follow-up, “Yellow” did. It was omnipresent on radio and one of the first power-ballad hits of the new decade. The group’s follow-up, A Rush of Blood to the Head, spun off a fistful of big hits: “In My Place,” “The Scientist,” the piano-driven “Clocks” and “God Put a Smile on Your Face.” In 2005, Coldplay released their third album, X & Y, which went straight to Number One in 22 countries and spun off the radio tracks “Speed of Sound,” “Fix You,” “Talk” and “The Hardest Part.” On 2008’s Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends (Number One, Top 200), Coldplay’s sound became more overtly experimental as the band worked with Brian Eno, who helped bring the band win significant critical acclaim. The single, “Viva La Vida,” hit Number One and won Song of the Year at the 2009 Grammy Awards. In October 2011, they released their fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto, which topped the charts in over 34 countries, and was the UK’s best-selling rock album of 2011. The band has won eight Brit Awards—winning Best British Group three times, five MTV Video Music Awards and seven Grammy Awards. In 2015, Coldplay released A Head Full of Dreams. Coldplay has sold more than 60 million records worldwide. Coldplay continues to rock the world.
