Chris Martin

This article is about the lead singer of Coldplay. For other people, see Chris Martin (disambiguation).

Chris Martin
Martin performing with Coldplay in 2023
Born	Christopher Anthony John Martin (1977-03-02) 2 March 1977 Exeter, Devon, England
Alma mater	University College London
Occupations	Singer songwriter musician producer
Years active	1997–present
Spouse	Gwyneth Paltrow ​ ​ (m. 2003; div. 2016)​
Partner(s)	Dakota Johnson (2017–present)
Children	2
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Origin	London, England
Genres	Alternative rock pop rock post-Britpop pop
Instruments	Vocals piano keyboards guitar harmonica
Labels	Fierce Panda Parlophone Nettwerk Capitol Atlantic
Member of	Coldplay
Signature

Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and producer. He is best known as the vocalist, pianist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay.

Born in Exeter, Martin went to University College London, where he formed Coldplay with Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion. The band signed with Parlophone in 1999, finding global fame with Parachutes (2000) and following albums. He won seven Grammy Awards and nine Brit Awards as part of Coldplay. Having sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, they are the most successful group of the 21st century. The Independent and Evening Standard have cited Martin among the most influential figures in the United Kingdom, while American Songwriter ranked him as one of the best male singers of the 21st century.

Early life

Christopher Anthony John Martin was born on 2 March 1977 in Exeter, Devon, England. He is the eldest of five children. His father, Anthony John Martin, is a retired chartered accountant. His mother, Alison Martin, is from Zimbabwe and works as a music teacher. His family's caravan and motorhome sales business, Martin's of Exeter, was founded in 1929 by his grandfather John Besley Martin, CBE (a High Sheriff-also Mayor in 1968 of Exeter). His great-great-grandfather, William Willett, campaigned for and made daylight saving time a recognised practice.

Martin lived with his family in Zimbabwe when he was 10 years old, later attending the Hylton and Exeter Cathedral schools, where he found his passion for music. His secondary education was carried out at Sherborne School, where he met Coldplay manager Phil Harvey. Before college in England, he worked at Shed Studios, producing jingles for plays at St. George's College, Harare. He then enrolled at University College London, where he was awarded an Ancient World Studies degree with first-class honours in Greek and Latin. It was at UCL that Martin met Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion.

Career

Coldplay

Main article: Coldplay

Martin performing with Coldplay in 2010 during the Viva la Vida Tour

Martin was responsible for co-founding the band along with Buckland; they met each other during UCL's orientation week in 1996. The pair spent the rest of the year planning a band and started to write their first songs together in early 1997, practising every night as well. Berryman joined the group in the following months and they recorded numerous demos without a drummer. By November, the trio was known as Big Fat Noises. In 1998, they became Starfish "in a panic", as Champion scheduled their debut live performance at The Laurel Tree only a few days after he joined the line-up. Weeks later, the band settled on the name Coldplay, which came from UCL friend Tim Crompton. He originally considered it for his own band after finding a copy of Philip Horky's Child's Reflections, Cold Play (1997), but the idea was ultimately discarded.

Since the release of their debut album Parachutes in 2000, the band have achieved internationally recognised fame and success. Their song "Yellow", from Parachutes, entered the charts at Number 4 and began the group's enduring popularity. To date, they have released ten studio albums in total including Parachutes, A Rush of Blood to the Head, X&Y, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, Mylo Xyloto, Ghost Stories, A Head Full of Dreams, Everyday Life, Music of the Spheres, and Moon Music. They also released several EPs, including Safety and The Blue Room.

Solo work

Martin has written songs for a variety of acts including Embrace ("Gravity") and Jamelia ("See It in a Boy's Eyes", co-written with Coldplay producer Rik Simpson). Martin has also collaborated with Ron Sexsmith, Faultline, the Streets, and Ian McCulloch. He also sang a part of the vocals for the Band Aid 20 single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" at the end of 2004. In 2005, Martin collaborated with Nelly Furtado on the track "All Good Things (Come to an End)", for her 2006 album, Loose. The two were once rumoured to be a couple, after they both performed at Glastonbury in 2002. Furtado joked about it, saying, "Yeah, he's my boyfriend — he just doesn't know it yet".

Martin performing at Music Midtown in Atlanta, Georgia, on 24 September 2011

Martin's fascination with hip hop was shown in mid-2006 when he collaborated with rapper Jay-Z for the rapper's comeback album, Kingdom Come, after the two met earlier in the year. Martin put some chords together for a song known as "Beach Chair" and sent them to Jay-Z who enlisted the help of hip-hop producer Dr. Dre to mix it. Coldplay producer Rik Simpson conceived and performed the drum beats. The song was performed on 27 September 2006 by the two during Jay-Z's European tour at Royal Albert Hall. Martin has also worked on a solo collaboration with Kanye West, with whom he shared an impromptu jam session during a 2006 concert at Abbey Road Studios. He performed the chorus of "Homecoming", from Kanye West's album Graduation.

In 2015, Martin collaborated with DJ Avicii to work on two new tracks for his album Stories. Their first collaboration was officially named "Heaven". Martin wrote the lyrics, Avicii did the production, and Simon Aldred of Cherry Ghost was the vocalist. He also provided the vocals for Avicii's True Believer, also in Stories. In February 2017, Martin performed "A Different Corner" at the 2017 Brit Awards in tribute to George Michael.

A song he co-wrote called "Homesick" appears on Dua Lipa's self-titled debut album, which was released in June 2017. In 2019, Martin was featured on Avicii's posthumous album Tim. The song "Heaven" features vocals by Martin and was written by Avicii and Martin prior to Avicii's death.

Philanthropy

On 12 December 2012, Martin performed three songs, including "Losing My Religion" with Michael Stipe, as a part of the "12/12/12 Concert" which was held as a fundraiser for Hurricane Sandy relief. On 15 November 2014, Martin joined charity group Band Aid 30, performing alongside British and Irish pop acts on the latest version of the track "Do They Know It's Christmas?" at Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill, London to raise money for the 2014 Ebola crisis in Western Africa — this was the second time Martin has contributed to a Band Aid recording having performed in the 2004 version. Martin became the creative director of the newly established Global Citizen Festival in 2015, a role he plans to fulfil for 15 years.

Other projects

Martin and Coldplay guitarist Jonny Buckland made cameo appearances in the film Shaun of the Dead as supporters of the fictional charity ZombAid. In 2006, Martin had a cameo role in the second series, episode four, of the Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant comedy Extras. He also appears singing in the closing credits of the 2009 Sacha Baron Cohen film Brüno, with Bono, Sting, Slash, Snoop Dogg, and Elton John.

In March 2015, Martin attended the televised launch of music streaming service Tidal via a video link, and revealed himself, along with other notable artists, as a shareholder in the company. In June 2015, Martin performed "Til Kingdom Come" at the funeral Mass of Beau Biden, the son of then United States Vice President Joe Biden, after learning that Beau Biden was a fan of his. In August 2017, Martin performed a live solo piano rendition of "Crawling" by Linkin Park. The performance was a tribute to Linkin Park's lead singer Chester Bennington, who died by suicide the previous month.

Influences

Martin performing with Coldplay in 2017

A major influence on Martin and Coldplay was the Scottish rock band Travis, with Martin crediting the band for the creation of his own band. The Irish rock band U2 is another important influence on Martin both musically and politically. Martin wrote for Rolling Stone Magazine's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" on the band, saying: "I don't buy weekend tickets to Ireland and hang out in front of their gates, but U2 are the only band whose entire catalogue I know by heart. The first song on The Unforgettable Fire, "A Sort of Homecoming", I know backward and forward—it's so rousing, brilliant, and beautiful. It's one of the first songs I played to my unborn baby." Martin has been also influenced by Radiohead. In 2024, Coldplay invited and performed alongside Michael J. Fox at the Glastonbury Festival, with the singer saying that when he saw Fox playing guitar in Back to the Future (1985), he knew that was what he wanted to do.

Martin is very vocal about his love for Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha. In 2005, he stated in an interview: "I found myself in Amsterdam the other day and I put a-ha's first record on. I just remembered how much I loved it. It's incredible songwriting. Everyone asks what inspired us, what we've been trying to steal from and what we listened to as we were growing up — the first band I ever loved was a-ha." Martin has also performed live together with Magne Furuholmen of a-ha, introducing him as "the best keyboard player in the world". In November 2011, he stated that "back when we didn't have any hits of our own we used to play a-ha songs."

Martin is also a fan of English rock bands Oasis and Muse, Irish pop group Westlife, English-Irish girl group Girls Aloud, English pop group Take That, and Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire. In 2014, Martin inducted Peter Gabriel into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his solo career, and performed live with him.

Coldplay performed R.E.M.'s "Nightswimming" with Michael Stipe during their Austin City Limits performance in 2005, as a part of the Twisted Logic Tour. Martin went on to call "Nightswimming" "the greatest song ever written". He has called Richard Ashcroft, formerly of the Verve, "the best singer in the world". He also admires the lyrics of Morrissey. Martin was quoted as calling Coldplay's song "Shiver" a rip-off Jeff Buckley influenced by Buckley's song "Grace". In 2008, Coldplay released an alternate music video for Viva la Vida, directed by Anton Corbijn as a tribute to Corbijn's 1990 video for Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence". It shows Martin dressed as a king, as Dave Gahan was in the original video. The band stated: "This is our attempt at a video cover version, made out of love for Depeche Mode and the genius of Anton Corbijn".

Personal life

According to The Times in May 2023, Martin had an estimated net worth of £160 million. In a 2012 interview with the Daily Mirror, Martin revealed that he had been suffering from tinnitus since his early adult years, although he said that he had noticed the symptoms even as a teenager "while listening to loud music". As a result, Martin wears specially filtered earplugs or customised in-ear monitors while performing and has encouraged his bandmates to do the same as a preventive measure. Similarly, he has encouraged his children to wear hearing protection at concerts. Martin has also become an advocate for hearing loss awareness, having partnered with the Royal National Institute for Deaf People. PETA named Martin the World's Sexiest Vegetarian in 2005. However, he began eating meat again after his separation from his then-wife, American actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

Martin is a supporter of Exeter City. He is also ambidextrous. In February 2020, a cassette tape was discovered by a former fellow pupil of Martin's. It contained a three-minute instrumental piece titled "Electric Thunder", which was composed by Martin, aged 12, at Exeter Cathedral School. Martin played keyboards on the track accompanying other pupils performing in a group called Grandisson Ensemble. The cassette was expected to sell for £600 at auction; it ultimately fetched £840 (US$1,100).

Relationships

According to one source, Martin previously had a relationship with live events producer Lily Sobhani around the Parachutes album release. He and Paltrow married on 5 December 2003. Their daughter Apple was born in May 2004 in London. Martin and the band released a song called "I am your baby's daddy" under the name "the Nappies" in anticipation of her birth. Coldplay's "Speed of Sound" was also inspired by Martin's experience and awe at becoming a father, being the lead single for the band's X&Y album. Actor Simon Pegg and Martin's bandmate Jonny Buckland are his daughter's godfathers, and Martin is godfather to Pegg's daughter. His second child, Moses, was born in April 2006 in New York City. The name was inspired by a song of the same name. In March 2014, Martin and Paltrow announced their separation as a "conscious uncoupling" after ten years of marriage. Paltrow filed for divorce in April 2015 and it was finalised on 14 July 2016. From August 2015 to August 2017, he was in an on-and-off relationship with actress Annabelle Wallis. Since 2017, Martin has been in a relationship with American actress Dakota Johnson. They reside in Malibu, California. In 2024, it was revealed the couple have been engaged for several years.

Politics

Martin playing piano at a concert in Brazil in 2007

Martin has been particularly outspoken on issues of fair trade and has campaigned for Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign. He travelled to Ghana and Haiti to meet farmers and view the effects of unfair trade practices. When performing he usually has variations of "Make Trade Fair", "MTF" or an equal sign written on the back of his left hand and the letters "MTF" can be seen emblazoned on his piano.

He was a vocal critic of US President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq. During the Teenage Cancer Trust show at London's Royal Albert Hall on 24 March 2003, he encouraged the sell-out crowd to "sing against war". He was a strong supporter of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, most notably during his acceptance speech for the 2004 Grammy Awards Record of the Year, accepting for "Clocks". He supported Barack Obama for president in 2008, giving a shout-out at the end of a performance of "Yellow" on 25 October 2008 episode of Saturday Night Live.

On 1 April 2006, The Guardian reported that Martin was backing the British Conservative Party leader David Cameron, and had written a new theme song for the party titled "Talk to David". This was later revealed to be an April Fool's joke. While touring Australia in March 2009, Martin and the rest of Coldplay were the opening act at the Sound Relief benefit concert at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, for the victims of bushfires and floods in Victoria and Queensland. Martin appeared in a video for the "Robin Hood Tax" campaign, which proposes a tax on stock trades in the United States. This tax is aimed at levelling the field between the 1% and 99%. In June 2016, Martin supported Vote Remain in the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum.

Discography

With Coldplay

Main articles: Coldplay discography and songs

• Parachutes (2000)
• A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
• X&Y (2005)
• Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)
• Mylo Xyloto (2011)
• Ghost Stories (2014)
• A Head Full of Dreams (2015)
• Everyday Life (2019)
• Music of the Spheres (2021)
• Moon Music (2024)

Solo credits

List of solo credits, showing year, song, artist, album and role

Year	Song	Artist	Album	Role	Ref.
2002	"Where Is My Boy?"	Faultline	Your Love Means Everything	Co-writer · featured artist
	"Your Love Means Everything Part 2"
	"Gold in Them Hills"	Ron Sexsmith	Cobblestone Runway	Piano
2003	"Sliding"	Ian McCulloch	Slideling	Backing vocals
	"Arthur"			Piano · backing vocals
	"See It in a Boy's Eyes"	Jamelia	Thank You	Co-writer · piano · backing vocals
2004	"Everybody's Happy Nowadays"	Ash	"Orpheus"	Backing vocals
	"Do They Know It's Christmas?"	Band Aid 20	—	Featured artist
2005	"What Ever Happened to the Cosmic Kid?"	Various	The Electric Institute	Co-writer
2006	"All Good Things (Come to an End)"	Nelly Furtado	Loose
	"In the Sun"	Michael Stipe	In the Sun (Gulf Coast Relief)	Featured artist
	"Beach Chair"	Jay-Z	Kingdom Come	Producer · featured artist
2007	"Homecoming"	Kanye West	Graduation	Co-writer · featured artist
2009	"Want"	Natalie Imbruglia	Come to Life	Co-writer · keyboards
	"Dove of Peace"	Brüno Gehard	Brüno	Featured artist
2010	"Most Kingz"	Jay-Z	—
	"Me and Tennessee"	Gwyneth Paltrow · Tim McGraw	Country Strong	Writer
	"Halo" (Live)	Beyoncé	Hope for Haiti Now	Featured artist · piano
2012	"I Don't Want You to Die"	The Flaming Lips	The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends	Featured artist
	"Viva la Vida" (Live)	—	12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief
	"Losing My Religion" (Live)	Michael Stipe
	"Us Against the World" (Live)	—
2014	"Iris (Hold Me Close)"	U2	Songs of Innocence	Backing vocals
	"Do They Know It's Christmas?"	Band Aid 30	—	Featured artist
2015	"True Believer"	Avicii	Stories	Co-writer · piano · backing vocals
	"Every Day's Like Christmas"	Kylie Minogue	Kylie Christmas	Co-writer · backing vocals
2016	"Electricity"	David Brent	Life on the Road	Featured artist
2017	"Homesick"	Dua Lipa	Dua Lipa	Co-writer · piano · backing vocals
2018	"Keep Talking"	Rita Ora	Phoenix	Unknown
2019	"Joyride"	Big Sean	—	Featured artist
	"Someone That Loves You '19"	Izzy Bizu	Glita
	"Heaven"	Avicii	Tim	Co-writer · keyboards · featured artist
	"Stratosphere"	Beck	Hyperspace	Backing vocals
2020	"Sondela Forever"	Muzi	—	Co-writer · producer
	"Times Like These"	Live Lounge Allstars		Piano · featured artist
	"Monsters You Made"	Burna Boy	Twice as Tall	Co-writer · featured artist
2021	"Red Love"	Emmanuel Kelly	Your Story	Executive producer
	"Love Is a Mighty River"	Merry Clayton	Beautiful Scars	Co-writer
2022	"Across the Oceans"	Mamak Khadem	Remembrance	Piano · featured artist
	"Riptide"	The Chainsmokers	So Far So Good	Co-writer
2023	"Queen"	Muzi	uMuzi	Featured artist
	"Astronaut"	Griff	Vert1go Vol. 1	Piano
2024	"Over You"	Jacob Collier · Aespa	Djesse Vol. 4	Featured artist
	"Raze the Bar"	Travis · Brandon Flowers	L.A. Times	Backing vocals
	"Wandering Talk"	Orlando le Fleming · Romantic Funk	Wandering Talk	Featured artist

Filmography

See also: Coldplay videography

Television

List of television appearances, showing year, title and details

Year	Title	Details
2006	Extras	Season 2, Episode 4: "Chris Martin" guest appearance
2014	Saturday Night Live	Season 39, Episode 19: "Spider-Man Kiss" sketch
2016	Barely Famous	Season 2, Episode 3: "No Scrubs" guest appearance
2017	Modern Family	Season 9, Episode 8: "Brushes with Celebrity" guest appearance
2020	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Season 10, Episode 6: "The Surprise Party" guest appearance
	The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2020 Inductions	Depeche Mode guest appearance
	The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon	Season 8, Episode 54: "Fallonlore: The 30 Rock Sessions" sketch

Films

List of film appearances, showing year, title, role and details

Year	Title	Role	Details
2003	Mayor of the Sunset Strip	Himself	Documentary
2004	Shaun of the Dead		Cameo appearance
	Band Aid 20: Justice, Not Charity		Documentary
2006	"God's Gonna Cut You Down" (Johnny Cash version)		Cameo appearance
2009	Brüno
	Shadow Play: The Making of Anton Corbijn		Documentary
2017	Avicii: True Stories
2018	The Chainsmokers: Memories
2024	Camden
	Avicii – I'm Tim

See also

• List of people associated with University College London
• List of British Grammy winners and nominees
• List of best-selling music artists
• List of highest-grossing live music artists
• List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart

Bibliography

• Wild, Debs; Croft, Malcolm (2018). Life in Technicolor: A Celebration of Coldplay. ECW Press. ISBN 9781787391093.
• Roach, Martin (2011). Viva Coldplay: A Biography. Music Sales. ISBN 9780857125941.
• Spivack, Gary (2004). Coldplay: Look at the Stars. Pocket Books. ISBN 9780743491969.
• Roach, Martin (2003). Coldplay: Nobody Said It Was Easy. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780711998100.

External links

• Chris Martin at AllMusic
• Chris Martin discography at Discogs
• Chris Martin at IMDb 
• Chris Martin discography at MusicBrainz