caption website associated_acts years_active brief_hiatas label image_size article_title background genre image origin name
coldplay viva la vida tour . from left to right : on chris martin , guy berryman , jonny buckland , will stage champion following a 2009 performance during the current_members = -lcb- -lcb- plainlist apparatjik rihanna avicii brian eno jon hopkins jay-z madeon 1996 -- present 2013-present parlophone capitol atlantic warner bros. . 250 coldplay
 group_or_band alternative rock post-britpop pop rock pop coldplay 2009.jpg viva la vida tour in hannover august 25th london , england , united kingdom coldplay
coldplay

coldplay are a british rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist 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 a bassist and they changed their name to starfish .
will champion joined as a drummer , backing vocalist , and multi-instrumentalist , completing the line-up .
manager phil harvey is often considered an unofficial fifth member .
the band renamed themselves `` coldplay '' in 1998 , before recording and releasing three eps : `` safety '' in 1998 , `` brothers & sisters '' as a single in 1999 and `` the blue room '' in the same year .
`` the blue room '' was their first release on a major label , after signing to parlophone .
they achieved worldwide fame with the release of the single `` yellow '' in 2000 , followed by their debut album released in the same year , `` 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 multiple awards , including `` nme '' 's album of the year .
their next release , `` x&y '' , the best-selling album worldwide in 2005 , was met with mostly positive reviews upon its release , though some critics felt that it was inferior to its predecessor .
the band 's fourth studio album , `` viva la vida or death and all his friends '' -lrb- 2008 -rrb- , was produced by brian eno and released again to largely positive reviews , earning several grammy award nominations and wins at the 51st grammy awards .
on 24 october 2011 , they released their fifth studio album , `` mylo xyloto '' , which received mixed to positive reviews , topped the charts in over 34 countries , and was the uk 's best-selling rock album of 2011 .
on 16 may 2014 , they released their sixth and newest album , titled `` ghost stories '' , topping the itunes store albums charts in over 100 countries .
the band have won a number of music awards throughout their career , including eight brit awards -- winning best british group three times -- five mtv video music awards and seven grammy awards from 25 nominations .
coldplay have sold more than 80 million records worldwide .
in december 2009 , `` rolling stone '' readers voted the group the fourth-best artist of the 2000s .
coldplay have been an active supporter of various social and political causes , such as oxfam 's make trade fair campaign and amnesty international .
the group have also performed at various charity projects such as band aid 20 , live 8 , sound relief , , the secret policeman 's ball , sport relief and the teenage cancer trust in the uk .
