This week, our radio.wazee Spotlight gleams on Brit-pop sensations Coldplay. Since their 2000 breakthrough into the mainstream, the boys continue to resist being commercialized and command 100% control of their music. Despite offers ranging in the millions, Coldplay refuses to allow their tracks to be used in mainstream advertising.

The quartet - composed of Chris Martin (vocals/piano), Jon Buckland (guitar), Will Champion (drums) and Scotland native Guy Berryman (bass) - all came from working class families that encouraged them to express themselves musically. They met in the mid-‘90s during their first week as students at University College London and with an eclectic set of influences including Bob Dylan, Stone Roses, Jimi Hendrix and Tom Waits; they formed a band and rehearsed almost every night. "We used to play in bathrooms, the basement, even in the park," revealed Chris, "anywhere we could find to play."

They released the four-track "The Safety EP," which got them a gig at the ‘In The City Music Festival’ in Manchester in 1998. Shortly after, Simon Williams signed them to his Fierce Panda label where they issued "Brothers and Sisters," which, like their previous release, had only 500 copies made. This work soon led to their U.K. deal with major label Parlophone in 1999.

A limited edition five-track, "The Blue Room EP," followed which received critical acclaim as well as lots of coverage from the media. Two more EP's, "Shiver" and "Yellow," were released in spring 2000 and followed by their full-length debut "Parachutes." It won the band a Mercury Music Prize nomination and was released in the U.S. later that year. Coldplay went on to receive three Brit Awards nominations and performed to sold-out shows in the U.S. Rumors of a breakup erupted when they canceled a number of U.S. dates and an entire European tour, but it was only due to Martin’s illness and vocal exhaustion.

Afraid that their success was a fluke, Coldplay went back to the studio and labored to perfect their sophomore album "A Rush Of Blood To The Head," released in 2002. It has been a tremendous success and according to Chris, "A lot of it is meant to be about drive and confidence in the face of worry and insecurity." "A Rush Of Blood To The Head" features the hit singles "In My Place" as well as "Clocks" and "The Scientist."