No matter the artist, if you ever attain a high level of success you will develop haters because universal love does not exist in this world. Chris Martin knows this better than anybody. Well, almost anybody.
In a new cover story for Rolling Stone, the Coldplay frontman explains with a "profound generosity of spirit" why he thinks there are so many detractors amongst their many fans.
“It would be terrible if we lived in a society where everyone had to [like the same thing]," Martin says. "We’re a very, very easy, safe target. We’re not going to bite back. We are four white, middle-class men from England. We deserve to take some s**t for what our people have done. There’s a reason we get to play all around the world, and part of it is not necessarily very healthy.”
Martin feels that even though the world is such a divided place at the moment, part of his job is to avoid focusing on the "chasm between two groups of people."
“Of course, I have my own general leanings, which would probably be described as extremely Democratic,” he admits. “But the elections and the news cycle make you think: 'Oh, there’s two different types of humans on Earth, and they hate each other, and it’s a disaster.' You could look at it like that, that there’s this chasm between two groups of people. But I’m in a job where I don’t see anything except the opposite of that. Every day I go onstage, I don’t see a chasm at all, I only see collaboration. So my point is, how can we, as a band, be a force for helping people remember ‘Oh, we’re not actually at war with the rest of humanity’?”
Part of Coldplay's allure (and perhaps, distasteulness) is the message of positivity they spread not just in their music but in their actions, such as speaking out about making the touring industry more sustainable and promoting many good causes to support through their platforms.
“When I’m saying these things about world peace, I’m also talking about my own inside,” Martin explains. “It’s a daily thing not to hate yourself. Forget about outside critics — it’s the inside ones, too. That’s really our mission right now: We are consciously trying to fly the flag for love being an approach to all things. There aren’t that many [groups] that get to champion that philosophy to that many people. So we do it. And I need to hear that too, so that I don’t give up and just become bitter and twisted and hidden away, and hate everybody. I don’t want to do that, but it’s so tempting.”
He also knows how this all sounds when he talks with such optimism, noting it seems to come from a Disney-like lens, which is again, another way in which some might be put off by the band's messaging.
“Maybe the theatrics are all part of that,” he adds. “It’s a bit Disneyland-ish in terms of ‘OK, let’s exist for a couple of hours in this place where no one hates each other.’ The second-happiest place on Earth. Copyright, Coldplay.”
Read the full interview here.
Coldplay will be bringing those theatrics to Toronto in July 2025 for four sold-out shows at the soon-to-be-constructed Rogers Stadium.
Our January 2025 cover star is one of the biggest and happiest bands in the world: @Coldplay
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) December 19, 2024
Chris Martin opens up to us about how the band stopped worrying, ignored critics, and reached new heights.
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