Miles Leonard [pictured], the president of Parlophone (EMI) and A&R for Coldplay amongst other artists, has been talking to Hit Quarters website about the latest news on some of the label's artists. The low key article (so low key that it has been available for a week before we found it) talks about Coldplay's fifth album release - more specifically when we can expect it and how the global campaign for promoting LP5 is shaping up. The relevant excerpts are below... [comments/discussion]
Who have you been in the studio with recently?
Tinie [Tempah]. I’ve spent time in the studio with Gorillaz, Kylie [Minogue] on her album, Eliza [Doolittle], and at the moment we also have Coldplay working hard in the studio on their next record.
Are you involved in the creation of Coldplay’s upcoming album?
The band create the album, not the A&R man.
What is your involvement with the band [Coldplay] at this point?
At this time it’s really working closely with the management to make sure we start setting up the global campaign for this album. The band are at a stage now where they don’t need real hands on A&R. The skill of any A&R man is really knowing when to be in the studio and when not. Right now they’re in their recording stage and know what record they want to make and are very busy in the studio making that. Down the line, once we start forming the album or looking at mixes and finalising the record, that’s when the A&R attention to detail is really necessary.
When can we expect it?
Towards the autumn of this year.
You’re well known for guiding Coldplay to success not only in the UK but internationally. What was key to breaking them globally?
We all ask, ‘What is that bit of magic that sets you apart from just being a great UK or European rock act to a global one?’ Those things are sometimes very hard to define. They have a sound and lyrics that touch people and they also worked very, very hard to go out and support their music in America. But if you haven’t got the music that eventually connects with that audience it doesn’t matter how many times you tour America. So, the two are very important but the music always has to come first. Chris [Martin] is also a very charismatic and engaging front man, and they never felt like a parochial UK artist; some bands are very proud to be British, but sometimes come across as being very ‘British’. Coldplay never aspire to that; on one hand they sound British but on the other they sound like a huge global artist. What was the magic of U2 that made people connect with them?
New pictures of Coldplay with fans at the Beehive (31st January - 3rd February 2011): [thanks to bRITAnka & fauo_1995]
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.