Coldplay don't exactly have street cred. Even getting props from the likes of Kanye West and Jay-Z hasn't helped the sensitive British rockers shake their squeaky-clean image, which is: beloved by moms everywhere. But Coldplay's next album might be a little grittier, as singer Chris Martin has explained it was inspired by graffiti artists.
"The ideas come from graffiti art of the '70s in New York, where people were expressing themselves with paint," the frontman recently told Q Magazine [via the Guardian]. "I've spent a lot of my life playing it a bit safe or conforming to something, even though I didn't agree with it. So I have respect and admiration for people who don't."
In addition to graffiti artists, Martin was inspired by the White Rose, a group of anti-Nazi rebels. "It's about being free to express yourself among negative surroundings," he said. "Being able to speak out or follow your passion, even if everybody seems against it."
As for what this new style is actually going to sound like, the frontman added, "We're just trying some risky things." This corroborates what producer Brian Eno said earlier this year when he described the album as "fresh" and "quite different."
Before we get the rebellious new Coldplay album, we will hear the band's holiday single, "Christmas Lights," which is due out December 1.
"The ideas come from graffiti art of the '70s in New York, where people were expressing themselves with paint," the frontman recently told Q Magazine [via the Guardian]. "I've spent a lot of my life playing it a bit safe or conforming to something, even though I didn't agree with it. So I have respect and admiration for people who don't."
In addition to graffiti artists, Martin was inspired by the White Rose, a group of anti-Nazi rebels. "It's about being free to express yourself among negative surroundings," he said. "Being able to speak out or follow your passion, even if everybody seems against it."
As for what this new style is actually going to sound like, the frontman added, "We're just trying some risky things." This corroborates what producer Brian Eno said earlier this year when he described the album as "fresh" and "quite different."
Before we get the rebellious new Coldplay album, we will hear the band's holiday single, "Christmas Lights," which is due out December 1.
