When Coldplay released its debut studio album “Parachutes” in 2000, the group — still little-known outside of the United Kingdom — made the decision to donate 10% of their profits to charity. Chris Martin, the group’s frontman, would later explain to the Daily Mail that his mother used to keep one tenth of his 10-pence allowance to teach him the importance of sharing.
Since then, Coldplay has continued to seamlessly marry art and activism, continually evolving but still sticking to their humble roots.
The group supports 30 charities, according to the charity watchdog Look to the Stars. Most notably, Coldplay has pushed for free trade through Oxfam’s “Make Trade Fair” campaign; worked tirelessly with several HIV/AIDS organizations, such as Keep A Child Alive, and the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and War Child.
Coldplay has also supported Global Citizen since 2015, when Chris Martin joined as the curator of the international Global Citizen Festivals.
Most recently, in the wake of the migrant crisis that has displaced millions of people fleeing civil strife in the Middle East, the group threw their support behind the charity Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MAOS), a search-and-rescue organization in the Mediterranean Sea.
Their humanitarian work goes beyond simply giving money to charities.
In the early 2000s, Martin made trips to Haiti and Ghana to speak with local farmers about how they were affected by international trade policies. After Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake in 2010, the group played at a Hope for Haiti telethon aimed at raising money for rebuilding the country’s crumbling infrastructure.
Read More: Coldplay's Chris Martin Brings His Lifetime of Giving to Global Citizen India
They have played at a number of other charity concerts, including a charity concert at Kensington Palace that raised money for HIV/AIDS prevention (and featured an impromptu performance from Prince Harry); Amnesty International’s Secret Policeman’s Ball; and Band Aid 30, which raised proceeds to combat the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
The band members have even gone as far as auctioning the shoes off their feet for charitable causes — like in 2016, when the group teamed up with the Small Steps Project to benefit children who work at landfill sites.
Along with Chris Martin, bandmembers Jonny Buckland (lead guitar), Guy Berryman (bass), and Will Champion (drums) also donated their shoes — and have consistently donated 10% of their profits, as well — to charity.
And now you can help Coldplay's efforts by taking action — and earning tickets to see them in Edmonton for free on Sept. 27 during the bands Head Full of Dreams Tour. Click here to find out more.