“I would do anything for those guys”- Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin opens up about his experience of working with BTS on ‘My Universe’

On October 3, 2024, Coldplay's lead singer, Chris Martin, shared his experience working with BTS on their collaborative track My Universe in an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone. The English singer-songwriter looked back at the creation and lasting impact of ten songs that have defined the story of Coldplay.

Chris Martin stated that My Universe was a track about people who were informed they could not be together, such as Romeo or Juliet, interracial/interfaith couples, or LGBTQ couples in places where their love is not accepted. He further added about his working experience with the South Korean group on My Universe:

"It felt like the coolest person to sing that song with would be someone who we're not supposed to be with. It turned out to be the most uplifting, natural collaboration. I would do anything for those guys at any time. They were so good. They made the song great."

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Chris Martin confessed that his goddaughter educated him about BTS's fandom ARMY

The 47-year-old singer began the interview by talking about My Universe and citing the prominent artist Bill Rahko, who used to work with Coldplay. Martin stated that he had asked Rahko for any bits of music available. He added that Rahko had prepared "a bit of music" and a "little bit of melody."

Martin admitted to listening to the track on a loop that he had created, and subsequently, a chorus popped into his head- 'You, you are, my universe.' He further stated that if he sang 'you,' someone should sing back, 'You, you, you are, you are.'

The English singer-songwriter said that he received a message about BTS looking for a track. Chris Martin thought it was not true and cited the message as ridiculous. He said,

"That would never work. Don't be crazy. But it stuck in my head."

Martin shared how he embarrassedly tried to sing Korean during the break and contacted the leader of BTS, Kim Namjoon. He explained how the septet penned their lyrics and all their ad-libs:

"A bit embarrassingly, I tried to sing fake Korean in the break in the pre-chorus- which I hope no one ever hears because A, it's probably wrong to do that on some level, and B, it sounded ridiculous. But then I called RM from BTS and said, Here's how it goes. And he said. No problem."

The Fix You singer mentioned that his goddaughter educated him about the group's fandom, ARMY, and introduced the members. In the interview, Chris Martin added that when he arrived in Seoul, he was aware of the need for a rap section in the song and suggested including a part where Suga and J-Hope could contribute their rap. He also noted that he enjoyed working in the studio during the collaboration.

He also shared that initially, everyone was nervous and unsure of what was happening, with cameras installed everywhere. However, when they completed recording the track My Universe, the English singer and songwriter realized that he and BTS were always meant to record the song. He stated:

"But by the end, it was like, oh, this was always meant to be. Now we're a boy band of seven really good-looking young Koreans and one old white guy, and it's totally fine."

According to Coldplay's frontman, they "followed the song wherever the song wanted to go", even if it meant traveling to South Korea to work with a boy band, despite the consequences. He mentioned that the circumstances could destroy "any shred of cool or credibility" or risk upsetting their fandom, ARMYs. He concluded the interview by saying:

"That's the philosophy that we live by...I think with all of these songs we've chosen for this, they've all been allowed to be themselves, and the identity of the band has grown to accommodate that."

For those unversed, My Universe was a collaborative track recorded by British rock band Coldplay and South Korean pop group BTS. It was unveiled on September 24, 2021, through Parlophone and Atlantic Records. The track debuted at the number one position on Billboard Hot 100.

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In recent news, BTS members, excluding Jin, have been enlisted for mandatory military service and are expected to reunite as a group in 2025.