Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1996. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University College London and began playing music together from 1996 to 1998, first calling themselves Pectoralz and then Starfish.

After independently releasing an extended play, Safety (1998), Coldplay signed with Parlophone in 1999. The band's debut album, Parachutes (2000), included their breakthrough single "Yellow" and received a Brit Award for British Album of the Year, a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album and a Mercury Prize nomination. Their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), won the same accolades and included the singles "The Scientist" and "Clocks", with the latter winning a Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Noted for a troubled production, the band's third album X&Y (2005) was the best-selling of the year worldwide, an achievement later repeated its successor, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008), which saw them explore new musical territory following the completion of what was considered a trilogy. It received a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album and their first Album of the Year nomination, while the title track became the first single by a British group to reach number-one in both the United Kingdom and United States in the 21st century.

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