Claim: Coldplay is British.

Coldplay are a British rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist and keyboardist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London -LRB- UCL -RRB- . After they formed under the name Pectoralz , Guy Berryman joined the group as bassist and they changed their name to Starfish . Will Champion joined as drummer and backing vocalist , completing the lineup . Creative director Phil Harvey is often referred to as the fifth member by the band . The band renamed themselves `` Coldplay '' in 1998 , before recording and releasing three EPs : Safety in 1998 and Brothers & Sisters and The Blue Room in 1999 . The Blue Room was their first release on a major label , after signing to Parlophone .   Coldplay achieved worldwide fame with the release of the single `` Yellow '' in 2000 , followed in the same year by their debut album Parachutes , which was nominated for the Mercury Prize . The band 's second album , A Rush of Blood to the Head -LRB- 2002 -RRB- , was released to critical acclaim and won awards including NME 's Album of the Year . Their next release , X&Y , the bestselling album worldwide in 2005 , received mostly positive reviews , though some critics felt it was inferior to its predecessor . Their fourth studio album , Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends -LRB- 2008 -RRB- , was produced by Brian Eno and released to largely positive reviews , earning several Grammy Award nominations and wins at the 51st Grammy Awards . In October 2011 , Coldplay 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 , but received mixed reviews , In May 2014 , they released their sixth album , Ghost Stories , which also received mixed reviews and topped the iTunes Store albums charts in over 100 countries . In December 2015 , the band released their seventh album , A Head Full of Dreams , which reached the top two in most major markets , but received generally mixed reviews .   Coldplay have won 62 awards from 209 nominations throughout their career , including nine Brit Awards -- winning Best British Group four times -- five MTV Video Music Awards and seven Grammy Awards from 31 nominations . They have sold more than 80 million records worldwide , making them one of the world 's bestselling music artists . In December 2009 , Rolling Stone readers voted the group the fourth-best artist of the 2000s . Coldplay have supported various social and political causes , such as Oxfam 's Make Trade Fair campaign and Amnesty International . They have also performed at charity projects including Band Aid 20 , Live 8 , Sound Relief , Hope for Haiti Now : A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief , The Secret Policeman 's Ball , Sport Relief and the UK Teenage Cancer Trust .