Coldplay's Chris Martin to write John Farnham songs

Coldplay'S Chris Martin is set to become "the voice" for his childhood idol John Farnham, penning songs on the Australian singer's first album in two years. Martin and Farnham thrilled crowds with a duet of Your The Voice at Sydney's Sound Relief concert for Victorian bushfire victims this month.

Farnham's manager Glenn Wheatley revealed Farnham's iconic anthem was the first song Martin learned to play on guitar after its massive success on the UK charts years ago. "They were almost in awe of John, they'd grown up with Your The Voice as kids in the UK," Wheatley said on Thursday at the launch of the Big Sound Music Industry Summit in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley. Martin told Wheatley of the Sydney fundraising concert: "It's like I'm playing with the king of Australia."

Wheatley said Martin had offered to pen some songs for an album Farnham's been working on and which is slated for a pre-Christmas release. "There's certainly desire from Chris (Martin) to write some songs with John and he suggested 'I'd love to present you with some songs'," Wheatley said. But any prospect of Martin singing on the album with Farnham will depend on Coldplay's current world tour. "They didn't rule it out," Wheatley said.

In addition to a new album, Wheatley and Farnham are considering an Australian tour. The tour, if it goes ahead, will stage two concerts in each state in September or October, Wheatley said. "It's not confirmed, but we are considering it," he said. "If we do it, it'll be the usual Farnham grand production. We always overspend on that. It will not be on a small scale."

Farnham, who will turn 60 in July, is one of Australia's best-known performers with a career spanning more than four decades.

Source: couriermail.com.au