Check out Coldplay's Chris Martin's NME playlist

Mark NMEDuring the exclusive interview with Coldplay's Chris Martin, the frontman also shared a playlist of what he's listening to. Check it out below, along with Martin's guide to songs from artists like Fontaines DC, Peggy Gou, The Flaming Lips, Destiny's Child and more.

This Friday (October 4th) Coldplay's 10th album “Moon Music” will be released. As part of our in-depth interview with the Glastonbury headliners, Martin also introduced us to his curated playlist of tracks he can't get enough of at the moment, which you can stream on Spotify below and on Apple Music here.

“Given the competitive spirit and professional jealousy, I'm very lucky that it's very easy to just get inspired by someone and then become a fan of them,” Martin said NMEbefore giving us the lowdown on his fandom love for The Verve, REM and Missy Elliot in his genre-bending choices. You can find out which titles he chose and why here…

“It Makes You Forget (Itgehane)” – Peggy Gou

Chris Martin: “For me, Peggy Gou is a genius. Their grooves are wonderful. Some people still live in the age of social media and everyone knows everything, while others are just “cool” per se. There's something cool about Nick Cave, Jay Z is effortlessly cool, and I think Peggy Gou is like that. Of course she has “Nanana,” which was brilliant, but I heard “If It Makes You Forget” a few years ago and every time I hear it I’m like, “How does she do that?” It is like that clever. When you talk about people who push you to be your best and she is one of them.”

“Bittersweet Symphony” – The Verve

“Any list of songs I like has to include this one because it is still the most important song in my life. In a strange way, all of our songs essentially say the same thing: “It's a bittersweet symphony' – more focus on the sweet, but always aware of the bitter. I was the perfect age for this song; it was just seismic.

“When we were teenagers in the mid-90s, the Big Five British bands were The Verve, Oasis, Blur, Supergrass and Radiohead. While I still love all five bands equally for different reasons, if I had to pick one song from this period it would have to be “Bittersweet Symphony.” It's only slightly better than “Airbag” [Radiohead]”It is too late” [Supergrass]“Song 2” [Blur] and the whole “Different Class” [Pulp]. 'Bittersweet Symphony' always has to win.”

“Independent Women, Pt. 1' – Destiny's Child

“That's the blessing of being in our band because you're allowed to like all sorts of things because you never have to worry about being cool!” Now, of course, liking Beyoncé is super cool. The first time we played Top Of The Popswe walked up the stage looking like us (students who had just been given a bit of money).

“We didn't look very good, but when we came down the stairs there was this group of goddesses. I hadn't heard of them, but it was Destiny's Child. We had just done our performance of “Yellow” or whatever, and “Independent Woman” came out at the same time. I thought, “Oh my God, there's a whole other level beyond grime bars and indie cool.” To this day, Beyoncé is someone who always inspires me and I'm in awe of. That was the first song that made me realize how good she was.”

“In the Little Hours” – Frank Sinatra

“There definitely comes a time in life when you realize, to paraphrase Spinal Tap, no one has loved and lost like Frank. “In The Wee Small Hours” and “Only The Lonely” – these two records that were recorded in the 50s and arranged by a guy called Nelson Riddle, who also did a lot of Ella Fitzgerald records. His arrangements are composed and brilliantly put together. There's a warmth, a sadness and a beauty to these albums that really touches me now. I feel the same way about Chopin. These are all things that put me firmly in my place.”

“Feel good” – Nina Simone

“For me, she is a real paradigm for one of the key philosophies of our band: see what is missing as an opportunity, see what is broken as the crack through which the light comes in (that's a quote from Leonard Cohen ). Whatever happens to you, is meant to happen to you and is for His highest good. Her story is that she was rejected from a classical conservatory because of her skin color, so she left and became Nina Simone. This is an incredible alchemization of trauma. I consider her in the pantheon of great people.

“I first heard Muse cover this song every night when we opened for them in 2000. I thought, 'Oh, this band is really good and this Nina Simone song is great.'

“Night Swimming” – REM

“REM belongs to the first group of great inspirers. After James, “Bad” by Michael Jackson, Aha and a band called Five Star, they were my first influences. Then came the first real wave of indie and shoegaze – some of which I really liked, others I just pretended to like to impress the older guys.

“My introduction to REM was 'Losing My Religion', but then it was 'Nightswimming' that really made me fall in love with this band. I realized that you can be a great band even without being a virtuoso if you have the gift for songs and you really care about what you do. REM taught me that lesson, and Night Swimming still blows my mind every time I hear it.”

“Starburster” – Fontaines DC

“Will [Champion, Coldplay drummer] told me about Fontaines right at the beginning with “Big”. I listened to it and became insanely jealous, which is my biggest compliment. It was the same thing I felt when I first saw The Flaming Lips or heard Nicki Minaj's verse on Kanye West's “Monster.” “Oh my God, how do you do that?” With “Big” I thought, “This is incredible.” Then “Boys In The Better Land” did the same thing and my son really got into Fontaines DC a few years ago. I thought “Skinty Fia” was a masterpiece and really wanted to hear “Romance” and “Starburster.”

“It shows how you become a brilliant band over a long period of time. It's bold, it's forward-thinking, it has soul, the lyrics are incredible, the melodies are incredible, the production is incredible, it keeps every other band on their toes. You can play it last in a set when no one knows it yet and it holds up. It's perfect. This deep breath is also the best anti-sing-along, it’s breathing along!”

“Die Fledermaus: Overture” – Johann Strauss II

“I saw this at the Hollywood Bowl the other day. My friend is a conductor and he conducted it. It's a waltz. Classical music was pop music back then, and it really touched me the other night. I walked behind everyone to the back of the Hollywood Bowl and watched from the back. I felt like a fan and was intimidated by how good the piece was. It was so full of life and color.

“If this came out tomorrow it would still be a hit in its own way. Even the boundary between “classical” and “modern” music is now being erased. Things are either great or not. This is really, really wonderful.”

“The Spark That Bled” – The Flaming Lips

“When I was 19 and Coldplay formed, you can hear in our early stuff that my two main influences at the time were Jeff Buckley and Radiohead. Jeff because I could sing in the same range. Before I didn't think we had a chance because I couldn't sing like Liam Gallagher, we didn't have the energy of Supergrass, I couldn't watch Jarvis Cocker with Sheffield, I'm in trouble. Forget trip-hop and hip-hop; that seemed so far away to me. Then Jeff Buckley seemed to sing like me, only much better, and Radiohead were from a similar socio-economic part of the country at the time and were brilliant. They made me feel like it was possible to be in a band.”

“You could hear their influence for a while, but then we played at the bottom of the new band's tent at the Reading Festival in 1999. At the top of the list were The Flaming Lips, who I had read about NME And Melody makerbecause they all liked “The Soft Bulletin” and said it was the best album of all time. I had to see them.

“The Spark That Bled” was the first time I heard them live and it changed my whole world. I realized, “Oh, what our band needs to be is just us.” As the internet grew and we traveled further and further, we found influences too many to list. The focus of every artist should simply be the freedom and courage to be themselves – regardless of what others say.

“Even as a human being; As long as you don't try to hurt anyone, you are the greatest thing you can be. Wayne Coyne was the first person I saw in the flesh, he was truly himself. It changed my life.”

“Work It” – Missy Elliott

“I remember the video was brilliant. I probably looked at it in the studio and thought, “Where did that come from?” We’ve never been to America or anything, and that also felt miles away, but it doesn’t anymore. It’s another perfect song.”

Coldplay will release “Moon Music” on October 4th via Parlophone before heading on tour in summer 2025. Tickets and further information can be found here.

Watch the exclusive NME interview with Martin here.