Chris Martin on pressures faced by artists: ‘We have to protect people’

Coldplay‘s Chris Martin has opened up on the pressures of fame, only days after Chappell Roan cancelled a festival appearance due to the “overwhelming” effects of her rise to stardom.

Martin was discussing the timely issue in a new interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 to celebrate Coldplay’s upcoming album Moon Music – which arrives this Friday (October 4).

The singer began discussing the impact of fame when he looked back on the group’s 2014 hit ‘A Sky Full Of Stars’. The song was recorded with the late Swedish DJ Avicii – real name Tim Bergling – who died by suicide in 2018.

“I think we have to handle everyone with care, first and foremost,” Martin told Lowe after the host asked about the “vulnerability of being an artist”.

“Secondly, artists, particularly when they’re on their own, it’s a delicate thing, especially now with social media. It’s relentless, and it’s extremely stressful for a young artist, so if someone like Tim [Bergling], who was at the beginning of the real social media craziness, and he was doing four gigs a day, there was no Will [Champion, Martin’s bandmate]. He didn’t have a Will to say, ‘Hey, awesome. Let’s rest for a minute,”‘or ‘Let’s not do seven singles this week. Let’s do one.'”

He went on: “U2 have Larry [Mullen Jr, drummer] who’s like that, who they’re like, ‘Okay, cool.’ They’re the person holding the kite.”

Roan – the biggest rising pop star of 2024 – has been vocal about the effects of fame and faced intense scrutiny last week when she voiced her opinion on the US election in an interview with The Guardian.

She has also said she has a stalker, and broke down on stage during a show in North Carolina over the summer.

Martin also spoke about artists who have been able to successfully navigate fame, praising the close ties between Billie Eilish and FINNEAS, her brother and long-time producer.

“What makes me so happy about Billie Eilish, for example, is that Billie Eilish is really a band, isn’t it? The two of them, and then the further band of their family,” explained Martin.

“So you feel with her that she’s protected and she’s so brilliant, but her and FINNEAS are such a band that I feel like, ‘Well, she’ll be okay.'”

He aded: “The music industry is always in a state of flux, and there’s a certain thought that really, because of AI and because of viral hits, that that’s the only way it will end up with just that, but conversely, this year you have Chappell Roan, Charlie XCX, and Billie Eilish, all of whom are on their sort of fourth or fifth project.

“They have been allowed to develop, so perhaps it’s going to be viral hits in AI, but also there’s a place for long-term people that are looked after, because especially as a fan, then it gives you something to believe in, or Fontaines D.C. or 1975. I still am a fan of bands that I’ve liked for a while, or artists that I’ve liked for a few years. Where are they going to go? As well as being a fan of, ‘Oh. This remix from Transylvania has just blown up. It’s amazing,’ so there’s room for all of it, but the thing you learned from Avicii was we have to protect all people.”

Earlier this month, Coldplay were widely praised when they announced 10 per cent of proceeds from their 2025 UK tour will go towards the Music Venue Trust. The band will play ten shows at London’s Wembley Stadium next summer and two shows at Hull’s Craven Park.

The gigs will also see Coldplay continue their mission to lower the carbon emissions of their live shows, with the Wembley gigs 100 per cent powered by solar, wind and kinetic energy.

The band recently shared a new update from their eco-friendly world tour, revealing that they have reduced their emissions by a huge 59 per cent.

Tune in and listen to the full episode live for free this Monday, September 30 at 6pm UK, 10am PT / 1pm ET, on Apple Music 1, or anytime on demand with an Apple Music subscription HERE.