Audacy Check In: Coldplay
Chris Martin of Coldplay is joining us on #AudacyCheckIn to talk about the band's new song “We Pray”
Category
🎵
MusicTranscript
00:00Back on the music side with we pray feels like I'm falling in love. Does that tie into?
00:04The sound or however you would describe this this album once we get it in October
00:08Yeah, this is a quite a short album and everything is very
00:13related to everything else and
00:16In a way, it's kind of our manifesto in one record, I suppose
00:23Appreciate you hanging out a little bit today. I know it's been busy. You're in New York right now. Yes, sir
00:29Absolutely. Well, we are here to talk about we pray congrats man on I mean all the releases right now loving that feels like I'm falling
00:36in love
00:37It's so great to always get new music from you for we pray for people that maybe haven't heard it yet
00:42How would you describe that sound of the songs? It's so fun. Oh, well, first of all, thank you for making time for me
00:47I know you're the busiest man in radio right now
00:51And it's a pleasure to speak to you the song we pray
00:55I sort of wrote itself like some some of the good songs do and
01:01in Taiwan in the middle of the night, I woke up and the song was in my head and I don't know where it come from
01:08so the sound of it sort of dictated itself and
01:13That's that's how it's all I just sort of followed the roadmap that it said
01:18Did you dream of like burn a boy and little sims or how does the basically? Yeah
01:23Yeah, I was curious about what at this point like when it comes to your vision with these songs
01:27Like how do you decide the the features? Well, that's a really good
01:31Well, I think with features you have to let the song decide the song sort of says what it needs and I think that the song
01:38We pray
01:39Probably arrived from wherever it arrived from because I've been thinking a lot about all of these
01:45Conflicts and people that hate each other
01:46We're all praying for the same things and we probably all get along if you just sat down long enough
01:52So I think that was the sort of
01:54Field into which it landed and
01:57Then it felt very natural that I wouldn't do all the verses or wouldn't sing it all on my own
02:03It felt like it's a song about different types of people. So we should have different types of people singing it and
02:10Burn a boy Eliana
02:12teeny little sims
02:14They're all they're all from different continents and different languages. And that's what just felt really
02:20Right
02:21So the song says what the collaboration should be. Mm-hmm. I love that. It's like the universe. It's the moon
02:27It's the moon music right those to be
02:31Do ten albums coming up later this year. I mean, what would Chris like pre parachutes even say about you know, ten albums?
02:39Yes, that's a great question
02:42it's funny because I maybe you have this in your own life or
02:45Hmm
02:47Athletes have it you you have what's in front of you and then a sense of where you're going in the bigger picture
02:53and you also
02:55become more and more aware that everything you're doing and
02:58Have done is all a gift and it's you're sort of doing it but sort of not doing it to
03:04everything is given so I
03:06Think the younger version of me would be surprised but also okay. Well, I
03:11Don't know where these songs come from. I don't know why I got given this particular
03:16set of specialist skills to paraphrase Liam Neeson, um
03:20you know, so
03:22Yeah, I think it'd be a mixture of yeah, that sounds about right or no way
03:26Wow
03:27Are you learning something still every time like every time you go through the process of making all the time?
03:33Mm-hmm. And also I think with music you're realizing more and more how much you don't know anything at all
03:39Music is so infinite and unknowable like life itself, I guess and I
03:45Think as some people as they get older claim to know less and less and I think that's how I feel about music
03:51it's like it's more and more of a mystery and more and more amazing and magical and
03:57you realize you're just so lucky to be able to do it and and
04:01there's so many great young people coming through and
04:05Older music you haven't heard so you if you stay a fan there's more and more things to be fans of
04:10which in itself is inspiring and humbling and
04:14So there's always something that you feel that I could improve or I'm inspired by that all the time
04:21Such a fun time for music to where it feels like your music was always kind of in that realm
04:26But the the genres are just kind of non-existent anymore. It's just yeah good music
04:30Whatever you like, which is how it should be. So I think you're right, man. I think I
04:35Feel like music if I can speak
04:39in a boring way for a minute
04:41music kind of shows where culture could go in terms of how humans work if you think about the fact that
04:47The first gay people that were really accepted was in music the first place where racial diversity
04:53Became totally normal was in music. And so I feel that
04:58Maybe there's sort of no genres and no there's no there's no us and them in music
05:04It doesn't feel like and I feel that's such a healthy place for us all to head towards
05:10It's a cool time to see like Post Malone do a country music or like yeah
05:14Let's have going from Coldplay to like chaperone, you know, it's just brilliant
05:18And that's how that's how that's how the whole world could be
05:21So, what are your feelings this what's going through your mind when you perform a song like we pray for the first time
05:27Live before an audience like a Glastonbury. Yes
05:31well
05:32What's going through our mind is don't mess this up, which of course made me mess it up
05:39We've only performed that song once so far as a special thing and I did make a mistake but hmm
05:45Apart from that it's a feeling of I wonder how that you know
05:48Like anything that you've worked on in private when it when it's shared with other people
05:53It suddenly feels different and sometimes it feels better and sometimes you write
05:56Oh, this is no good. So first thing is I hope this song feels good to play for people
06:02and for we pray it did but
06:05That's the kind of thing that yours the same the same nerves that you have when you're in sixth grade
06:10Doing the school play or anything. I hope this goes. Okay
06:14Yeah, are you looking at you for any specific reaction or is it that people are just having a good time?
06:19And that's hard to that's a very good question because sometimes people will be on their phone
06:23But they're saying something nice or sometimes they look like they're bored and they're just listening. Well, you can never tell that's so true
06:31It's such a good point where it's just like I can't see their face
06:34How are they feeling? I think I'm looking for how I feel
06:37Because there's a sort of sixth sense
06:40That you have if you do concerts or you can feel if something's working and you can feel if it's not
06:44Yeah, I know. I feel that so strongly. I'll never forget when we had you do one of our concerts
06:49it was we can survive and that I'll be honest if that was like the first concert that I ever felt like a
06:53Really a spiritual element of just people together and being one and it was amazing. I've always remembered that that feeling
07:01All those years ago. So thank you for that
07:03Well, you know what? I mean, I don't know where this interview airs, but
07:07What's so beautiful about the Olympics?
07:10Is that it's a healthy amount of us and them but it doesn't it's not really a serious us and them
07:17It's enough to make the whole thing interesting, but ultimately it's one massive collaboration
07:23between
07:24people who are supposed to hate each other right and a big concert is like that to a
07:30Big concert these days is one of the only peaceful places in
07:34The world where thousands of people just hang out together without caring. Who's what?
07:41Mm-hmm, and that's what the Olympics does and I think
07:46That's why that's why we all love watching these things because it shows oh this is no problem here
07:51Yeah, it's even better being here I haven't had you know, I've had nothing but pleasant experiences
07:56It's so fun, even though we don't speak the same languages even you know, right positive positive vibes into it
08:02It's crazy how like college football in America is like that's where it gets weird
08:06You know, that's where we have the issues by Olympics on a global stage is so peaceful. So I love that
08:11yeah, well one thing that's important to remember in sport is
08:16You need
08:18The opposition you can't have the game without them so you can't hate them too much
08:22Hmm, you know, I mean and if they're not good then it won't be
08:26So in a way your enemy is your friend and I think that's important
08:32Putting that on a t-shirt. I love it
08:37Can I ask you what moon music comes from for the title of the album
08:41Yes, I've been trying to think of a good answer for this because it's coming up. Of course. I don't have a good answer
08:47it's just
08:49Sometimes things in my life. Just tell me what they're supposed to be named. That could be a child. It could be an album
08:55And I just say okay, that's what it is. Then. I
08:59Love the way that the phrase moon music looks. I love all the M's and the O's and the other bits Wow
09:07Almost the shape of the words that kind of yeah, I just find it really pleasing and that's all I
09:13Love that well what goes to my mind with moon and everything is fears and just how it all ties them together, right?
09:19Like this fear in Vegas. I can't imagine seeing Coldplay there. Is that something that's like
09:24Possibility at some point. Have you been to the sphere? I have been to I went to see you too, right?
09:28Wasn't that amazing like it was just I'm a big big you to fan
09:32it was
09:34Among if not the best thing I've ever seen them do and it took me to this place of just being a total fan again
09:40and I
09:41Was there with my best friend Phil who's our creative director in the band?
09:45So we've been working on our band since we were 13 and we loved you too then
09:50Yeah, and especially acting baby
09:52And it just made me happy for the band made me happy for you, too. It made me
09:56so inspired
09:58but
09:59Unfortunately, it made me swear to not play this fear for a long time because they nailed it and I don't want to compete with
10:05That yeah, can't do it
10:07But I respect it, you know, it's like following Usain Bolt, you know, you wouldn't be in the event after that
10:15Absolutely, I love how much you guys really focus on, you know, lowering co2 emissions, you know with your tour
10:20And I just want to know a little bit more what goes into that. What's your you know your process for making that happen?
10:26Okay. Well, we have a guy we have a few people that we work with to help do all this and their job is really
10:32Harness the skills of other people. So we're not really doing anything except providing a place to
10:39try these new technologies and implement new ways of
10:44business really because one thing we very committed to is
10:48that all of the environmental stuff we're trying to do is also really sensible economically because we're we're trying to prove that you can
10:56Still make money and be profitable
10:59By being clean and green and we're we have a long way to go still on both those things
11:05But it's definitely seems possible now in a way that it didn't three years ago
11:10So we're at the point where some of the decisions we make are
11:15Environmental and economic at the same time, which is where I think there's a real area of promise
11:22Wow
11:24Well kudos to you again, that is so fun, but it's not kudos to me. It's kudos to loads of other people
11:30Kudos to us maybe because we're saying okay, we want to try this in our business
11:34Yeah, but also we want to be a profitable business so that we can show this isn't some hippie
11:41Dippy weird thing that we're doing. It's sensible
11:44Yeah, no, I just say kudos for the blueprint of hopefully setting up the next
11:48You know touring and and you know helping the planet so it's really commendable and I love that you're you know
11:53Making that a priority when we talk about
11:56The blueprints back on the music side with we pray it feels like I'm falling in love
12:00Does that tie into the sound or however you would describe this this album once we get it in October?
12:06yeah, this is a quite a short album and everything is very
12:11related to everything else and
12:14In a way, it's kind of our manifesto in one record. I suppose
12:18and
12:19Each of those songs have to fight off other songs to get their places. It's uh
12:26Yeah, so they all
12:28They're all cousins
12:30Well, I can't wait to play we pray on the radio. What should people be doing in their cars when listening to the song?
12:38Whatever they want
12:39Yeah, driving safe swerving maybe but driving safe. Yeah, I'm sorry. Yes, of course
12:44I don't want them to be on VR playing tennis, but yeah, you know, I mean, absolutely
12:49Yeah, it's so fun to get to meet you and talk to you too, man. What a pleasure. Thanks for making time
12:54All right time and have a great time. All right. Have a you to have a great time