Coldplay’s Chris Martin: ‘I’ll never write lyrics like Jay Z or Morrissey’

The frontman opened up to Zane Lowe earlier this evening (April 28)

Coldplay‘s Chris Martin gave an in-depth, emotive interview with BBC Radio 1’s Zane Lowe earlier this evening (April 28) during which he said that the band’s new album ‘Ghost Stories’ was “42 minutes on an emotional treadmill”.

Martin said that “although it starts off seeming like a heartbreak record” the album is actually about realisation and acceptance. “One thing I’m learning is that I don’t mind what anybody thinks,” said Martin, adding that the album will not be the band’s last, but is “a realisation about trying to grow up.”

During the interview, Martin spoke about his personal turmoil, commenting: “I don’t want to go through life being scared of it, being scared of rejection, being scared of failure”. He explained that “I write music as a diary” and added “in life everybody needs to be broken in some way”. He also commented that he doesn’t care what people think of the new album. “I’m never going to be as adept lyrically as Jay Z or Morrissey. I don’t really mind what anyone says about this album because it’s just the truth. It’s as true as my nose,” he said. “Some people have a real problem with my nose, but what can I do?!”

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Martin revealed that there were lots of songs written for the nine track album, but were left off the record as the aim of the LP was to focus on a journey to get to a “more joyful place”. He explained: “If you don’t really let love in, you can’t give it back… you’ve got to really open yourself up to love… you’ve got to trust the universe”.

“The idea of ‘Ghost Stories’ for me was, how to you let the things that have happened to you in your past affect your present and your future,” he continued, not wanting incidents in his past to “drag you down”. Martin also spoke about being helped by a sufi over recent years.

As well as discussing how his separation from his wife Gwyneth Paltrow inspired the album, he also spoke about the trials of being an arena rock frontman, something which “only about 20 other people do”. He continued: “It does something to your brain which is odd… you have to work really hard not to be a real dick”. He added that his two “key peers” were Bono of U2 and Michael Stipe of REM, who have offered him advice over the years.

Martin also spoke of working with Avicii on the new album, and about how he felt like he was cheating on the band when he asked Avicii to play piano on ‘A Sky Full Of Stars’. ‘Ghost Stories’ is Coldplay’s sixth album and will be released on May 19.

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