Coldplay’s Chris Martin Was “Scared” To Collaborate With BTS At First
Coldplay‘s Chris Martin confessed during the band’s Argentina concert that he was not originally open-minded about collaborating with BTS.
Coldplay and BTS teamed up for a collaboration song called “My Universe,” and again for Jin‘s solo single “The Astronaut.”
Coldplay and BTS have developed a genuine friendship during all this, and the British band has been especially praised for their respect for the K-Pop group. The Coldplay members have continually praised and defended BTS.
Still, some might think that the two groups are a strange and unusual collaboration. And it turns out even Chris Martin wasn’t always as open-minded.
During Coldplay’s Buenos Aries, Argentina concert as part of their 2022-2023 Music of the Spheres World Tour that Jin guested to debut “The Astronaut,” Chris Martin reflected on the band’s relationship with BTS. In his speech introducing Jin, he explained how they originally met.
Chris Martin remembered how Coldplay felt confined to a box, and though they wanted to come out of it, fear was holding them back. Martin studied and realized the most content people were unafraid and embraced the other.
A few years ago, I felt like we had to play a certain kind of music all the time, we had to fit into a box. And, I felt that way about my life also. And I met some good people and read some good books and met some great teachers and they seemed to be happy, and the thing that made them was not having fear of what you don’t know and people you don’t understand yet. You just ask.
— Chris Martin
BTS had expressed a desire to collaborate with Coldplay for years, and finally, it happened, thanks to a recommendation given to Coldplay. Yet, Chris Martin admitted that initially, he was judgmental of the suggestion to work with a “Korean boy band.”
And, one way that really blessed my life and our life as a band is that about 2 years ago, someone suggested to us that we should work with a Korean boy band. At first, I was full of judgment, which is often my first reaction, because I’m human.
— Chris Martin
He then asked himself why he was afraid to work with BTS, and ultimately the bands released “My Universe” together. And Martin admits that it has been both fun and fulfilling, and friendship has also come from it.
And after a while, I was like, ‘Why do I feel scared about this? Just because they’re different, you know, they make different music?’ And so we went down this road and we did a song together called ‘My Universe,’ and it’s turned out to be one of the most, one of the most fun, fulfilling relationship that we have as a band and it’s taught us so much about ‘Just embrace the other rather than be scared of it.’
— Chris Martin
Despite Martin’s reservations and judgments, he ended up traveling to South Korea to work with BTS in person on the song, having even gone through quarantine due to COVID-19 guidelines. He also learned some Korean so that he could sing parts of the song, which is more than the usual Western collaborator.
Here Are 10 Must-See Moments From BTS And Coldplay’s “My Universe” Documentary
