The dazzling live shows filled with pyrotechnics, confetti cannons and synchronized LED wristbands. The collabs with everyone from the irreproachable Beyoncé to The Chainsmokers. The color co-ordinated outfits, environmental activism and unconscious couplings. It's now hard to imagine Coldplay as anything than other a well-oiled machine who have usurped U2 as the world’s most recognizable stadium band.  

Yet back at the turn of the century Chris Martin and Co. didn’t appear prime candidates for global domination. As this recently resurfaced photo shows, the quartet's unassuming fashion sense didn't extend beyond the student staple of hoodies and corduroys. And their sound was almost entirely free of the studio trickery that would permeate their future chart-topping singalongs.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this month (July 10), debut album Parachutes remains Coldplay's most primitive work. Even its cover art—a $20 globe snapped on a disposable Kodak camera—retained the no-frills approach. But it remains by far and away their most influential, too.

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Frontman Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion headed into Wales' Rockford Studios to begin Parachutes' recording toward the end of 1999, an era where commercial British guitar music appeared slightly lost.

The heavyweights of the once-ubiquitous Cool Britannia movement had either gone AWOL (The Verve), drowned in their own hype (Oasis) or moved onto more challenging, sonically complex fare (Blur). And the post-Britpop bands that had emerged in their wake were struggling to make any lasting impression.

However, the slow-building success of Travis' The Man Who suggested that change was afoot. The Scots' perfectly timed rendition of "Why Does It Always Rain on Me" as the heavens opened at Glastonbury had become the defining moment of that summer's U.K. festival season. And Fran Healy’s boyish looks and willingness to wear his heart on his sleeve showed that loud and lairy didn’t have to be British indie's default mode.

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1998's Safety EP, and closer "Such a Rush," in particular, proves Coldplay were already exploring their sensitive side before Travis' unlikely rise to headliner status. However, the Glaswegians' golden period may well have given Martin the impetus and the confidence to double down on all the melancholy.

Indeed, Parachutes is a far moodier and more atmospheric listen than The Man Who. Having watched their early performances supporting Gomez, the band whose Mercury Prize-winning debut he produced, Ken Nelson realized that Coldplay often left themselves little room to breathe. On his advice, the group slowed down things dramatically—you can almost hear a pin drop inbetween Martin's pleading melodies and Buckland's plaintive riffs on the acoustic balladry of "Sparks," for example.

As a result, Martin's ability to shift from solemn baritone to Jeff Buckley-esque falsetto within the same verse was often allowed to take center stage. So was his fondness for lyrical platitudes: "Yellow"—recently covered by the current Dr. Who, remarkably enough—has likely been belted out in unison at countless festivals over the past two decades, while its accompanying music video is surprisingly minimal, a black-and-white, drizzly long shot depicting a baby-faced Martin singing to the camera in a long walk on the chilly-looking U.K. shore.

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Released in a year when Oasis were continuing to turn things up to eleven and Radiohead were turning experimental on Kid A, Parachutes’ spaciousness and simplicity was a unique selling point.

By the time "Trouble," a haunting piano-led lament to the band’s early behind-the-scenes tensions, became single number three in October, the record was already fast on its way to a million U.K. sales. Pretty soon, audiences stateside were also connecting with its themes—although Parachutes never peaked any higher than No.51 on the Billboard 200, it did reach double-platinum status and pick up a Best Alternative Music Album GRAMMY Award. 

Of course, not everyone was enamored with the group’s sentimental tendencies. The ever-forthright Noel Gallagher reportedly described Coldplay as "a bunch of f***in’ pansies," his Creation boss Alan McGee dismissed them as "bedwetters" and Pitchfork’s sniffy review simply opened with 19 synonyms for the word "inoffensive."

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For Gallagher and McGee, in particular, Coldplay’s everyday demeanor and introspective sound were the complete antithesis of what an indie band should be. Martin was the kind of frontman you could take home to your mom for dinner without worrying about causing offense. And apart from the clattering drums and fuzzed-up guitars of "Shiver"—one of the heaviest moments in the group’s back catalog—Parachutes felt just as suited to the sophisticated dinner party as the teenage bedroom.

But Coldplay, and to a lesser extent Travis, helped to open the floodgates for those who didn’t subscribe to the Rock N’ Roll Star way of thinking. You never saw Martin stumbling out of a club at 4 a.m. with a glamor model, that’s for sure.

Starsailor, a band even more indebted to the swooping dramatics of Jeff Buckley, were one of the first to capitalize, with 2001 debut Love Is Here reaching at No. 2 in their native U.K. Fellow Northerners Elbow, who Martin would later admit to stealing from, heightened the emotions even further on the Mercury Prize-nominated Asleep in the Back later that same year. Turin Brakes, Thirteen Senses, Athlete and Aqualung were just a few of the other outfits who followed suit, while Keane, who briefly replaced Coldplay as the music press' whipping boys, put their own spin on things by eschewing guitars for the grand piano. 

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Interestingly, several bands who'd formed before Coldplay ended up adopting their sad guitar template, too. Snow Patrol had plugged away to little avail for several years before "Run," a grandiose lighters-in-the-air anthem in the vein of "Yellow," helped 2004’s Final Straw shift five million copies. Feeder and Embrace had already achieved modest success in the 1990s but enjoyed a second wind with Coldplay-adjacent releases—the former’s Pushing the Senses was produced by Nelson, while the latter’s triumphant comeback single "Gravity" was written by Martin, et al.

And American bands weren’t immune to Parachutes’ power either. You can certainly hear its DNA in the sync license-friendly pop-rock of The Fray and the earlier work of hit machine Ryan Tedder’s OneRepublic, for example.

Eventually, following 2005’s aesthetically similar X&Y, the group began to distance themselves from their roots, embracing everything from experimental art rock to hands-in-the-air EDM. Even though the band went on to explore a multitude of new genres in the two decades since their studio debut, the 20-year-old Parachutes to this day sounds both timeless and, with the recent success of similarly earnest everymen Lewis Capaldi, George Ezra, surprisingly timely, too.

Phoebe Bridgers Talks 'Punisher,' Japanese Snacks & Introducing Conor Oberst To Memes

Long before Dua Lipa reached pop megastardom, she declared the mantra that would soon become the core of her art: "It has to be fun."

Whether in club-hopping evenings or tear-streaked mornings, Lipa has continuously found a way to bring catharsis and movement into every moment — and, subsequently, every song she's released. So when she announced that her new album would be called Radical Optimism, the second word seemed obvious. But what would radical mean for Dua Lipa, and how did she get there?

Considering her time as a model prior to her music career taking off, many found it easy to write off the London-born singer as by-the-books pop, all-image artist. But even before taking a listen to her self-titled debut, Lipa's upbringing reveals far more complex feelings and inspirations.

The daughter of Kosovo Albanian parents living in London, Lipa took notes from her musician father, digging deep on the likes of the Police, David Bowie and Radiohead, while dancing to Ciara and Missy Elliott with her classmates. After a four-year stint in Kosovo when her family relocated, the then 15-year-old Dua moved back to London to stay with a family friend and build towards an inevitable music-oriented life, which began with clubbing incessantly and posting covers of Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera on YouTube.

Lipa was still working in restaurants when she first made contact with the music industry, burning the candle at both ends — as well as a third end unseen to mortals. "I'd finish work, then go out to whatever nightclub was happening until, like, 3 in the morning," she recently recalled to Elle. "Then I would wake up and go to the studio until I had my shift again at, like, 8 pm."

Warner Bros. Records caught wind of those sessions and signed her in 2014, leading to even more time in the studio (and, likely, less waitressing). Her debut single, 2015's "New Love," showcases everything that would lead to her eventual pop takeover: the resonant, sultry vocals, a propulsive beat, and a video full of effortless cool.

There would be seven more singles to follow from 2017's Dua Lipa, with the budding pop star co-writing a majority of the albums' tracks, alt R&B icon Miguel collaborating on a song, and Coldplay's Chris Martin providing additional vocals on the closer. While there are plenty of hits to take away ("Blow Your Mind (Mwah)" is a particular favorite in its grand and stompy disco sass), the true star here is "New Rules." Detailing the "rules" to avoid a problematic ex, the song could be cloying and twee, but Lipa's chill swagger sells the dance floor intensity and female empowerment in equal doses.

Listeners around the world agreed, as the song marked Lipa's first No. 1 in the UK and several other countries, as well as her first top 10 hit in the U.S. It also earned Lipa spots at festivals, a performance on Later… With Jools Holland, and five nominations at the 2018 Brit Awards — the most of any artist that year. She laid out a pretty clear manifesto after winning British Female Solo Artist: "Here's to more women on these stages, more women winning awards, and more women taking over the world."

As that year went on, Lipa solidified her own role in that mission. She became a hot collaboration commodity, first linking with Calvin Harris for the UK chart-topping "One Kiss"; then teaming with Mark Ronson and Diplo's Silk City for another club hit, "Electricity"; and even being recruited for Andrea Bocelli for "If Only," a track on his 2018 album, Sì. Her breakthrough was cemented in GRAMMY gold at the 2019 ceremony, too, as she won two golden gramophones: Best Dance Recording for "Electricity," and the coveted Best New Artist.

Early word of the Dua Lipa followup, Future Nostalgia, was that Lipa was amping the disco energy. "[The album] feels like a dancercise class," she hinted in July 2019 to the BBC, who also reported that the now full-fledged pop star was working with Pharrell, Nile Rodgers, Tove Lo, and Diplo.

Lead single "Don't Start Now" was co-written with the team behind "New Rules," and the hyper-elastic bass, MIDI strings, and honest-to-goodness cowbell more than lived up to her promise of disco domination. The track went platinum in five countries, a feat that would go on to be topped by multiple tracks on the album, including the smoldering "Physical" and the INXS-interpolating "Break My Heart."

The album's March 2020 release was a thing of anxious beauty. It could've been pure tragedy to release an album designed for sweaty, crowded clubs in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. And when the album leaked a full two weeks prior to its release, even Lipa wasn't sure if her timing was right. "I'm not sure if I'm even doing the right thing, but I think the thing we need the most at the moment is music, and we need joy and we need to be trying to see the light," she said in an Instagram Live days before the album's release.

True to that spirit, Lipa's openhearted enthusiasm and unadulterated fun made the album a staple of lockdown dance parties and wistful dancefloor daydreams. In a bit of chicken-and-egg magic, the album's runaway hit is the inescapable "Levitating." The song's buoyant synth pulse, clap-along disco groove, drippy strings and punchy hook add to something far greater than the sum of its parts. And DaBaby's in-the-cut remix verse helps fulfill Lipa's rap-meets-pop dreams. But it definitely didn't hurt to have the track basically overrun TikTok — and a video produced in partnership with the platform — at a time when we were all stuck at home, looking at our phones as a way to connect with the world.

That was only the beginning of the pop star's effort to make the most of the pandemic era; Lipa continued to find innovative ways to bring fans into her disco-fueled sonic universe for some joy and connection. For one, she evolved Future Nostalgia into a remix album: Club Future Nostalgia, featuring electronic minds like Moodymann and Yaeji, as well as high-profile guests like BLACKPINK, Madonna, and Missy Elliott. And while fans who had grown connected to the album were hungry for an event to attend, she developed Studio 2054. The technicolor, gleeful live-streamed event saw millions of viewers virtually join Lipa in an immaculately choreographed, star-studded dance party — one that further displayed her magnetic personality and in-the-moment attitude.

Through the entire Future Nostalgia era, Lipa's purpose further proved to be more than the music. Yet again, it was about the amount of fun and energy it was able to provide to fans, something that proved to resonate in an even bigger way than her first project.

"[Future Nostalgia] took on its own life. And that in itself showed me that everything is in its own way for its own specific purpose, for its own reason," she told Variety earlier this year. "As long as I'm being of service and the music is there and it's a soundtrack for a moment in time, or in someone's life, then I've done what I was supposed to do."

Before getting to work on her third LP, Lipa kept the dance party going with new and old collaborators. First, she scored another UK No. 1 and U.S. top 10 hit alongside Elton John with "Cold Heart (Pnau remix)"; later, she was enlisted for feel-good singles from Megan Thee Stallion and Calvin Harris' 2022 albums. Then, a reunion with Mark Ronson led to a summer 2023 detour in Barbie land, resulting in another disco-tinged smash, "Dance the Night," for the blockbuster film's soundtrack (as well as her acting debut!).

With the good vibes clearly not fading, Lipa was primed for her next musical venture. In November, she unveiled the lead single to her next project, "Houdini," a swirling track that features a trio of new collaborators — and a brilliant, if seemingly dissimilar, set of co-writers at that: former PC Music electronic experimentalist Danny Harle, Tame Impala frontman (and retro psychedelia mastermind) Kevin Parker, and breezy Canadian singer/songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. But with her trusty songwriter pal Caroline Ailin also in tow, Lipa retained the same trademark dance pop pulse amid crunchy bass and stomping percussion — putting the Radical into the Optimism.

She kept the same team (and energy) for the album's subsequent singles, "Training Season" and "Illusion." The former thumps and jitters underneath Lipa opting for a willowy falsetto in the chorus, a song that can unite Tame Impala psych addicts and more traditional poptimists at the club. And where earlier Lipa tracks might have been more eager to get to a bright punch, "Illusion" smolders patiently, trusting that the vocalist's charisma can buoy even the subtler moments.

While the album's first three singles carry echoes of the propulsive, dance floor energy of Future Nostalgia, Lipa took more notes from a more modern pop era than the disco days on Radical Optimism. "I think the Britpop element that really came to me was the influences of Oasis and Massive Attack and Portishead and Primal Scream, and the freedom and the energy those records had," she told Variety. "I love the experimentation behind it."

But, she insists, that's not to say that she's produced the next "Wonderwall." This isn't Dua Lipa's Britpop turn, but rather her latest experiment in finding freedom and embracing the moment.

"When I hear 'Teardrop' by Massive Attack and I'm like, 'how did this song even come to be? It feels like it just happened in a moment of real freedom and writing and emotion," she continued in the Variety interview. "And I think that was just the feeling I was trying to convey more than anything."

And in her mind, that freedom needs to remain at the core of everything — whether working through a global pandemic or working on a new project. "I think it's important that we just learn to walk through the fire and not hide away from it, or shy away from it," she added. "That's just optimism. It's probably the most daring thing we can do."

Chappell Roan's Big Year: The 'Midwest Princess' Examines How She Became A Pop "Feminomenon"

Over two decades ago, Kurt Cobain famously declared his unapologetic stance — from supporting gay rights to his skepticism about reality — in Nirvana's 1993 GRAMMY-nominated single "All Apologies."

Cobain probed in the opening verse, "What else should I be?/ All apologies," Cobain questioned in the opening verse. "What else could I say?/ Everyone is gay/ What else could I write/ I don't have the right."

In this episode of ReImagined, alternative newcomer Siiickbrain delivers her rendition of the In Utero track, channeling the '90s aesthetic with a vintage camera. Like Cobain, Siiickbrain uses her songwriting to confront and address her mental health.

"[My struggles with mental health] made me want to speak on it within my music, and it kind of gave me a foundation for what I'm doing," Siiickbrain said in an interview with Kerrang! "It gave me a purpose to write about certain things and bring awareness to how common these feelings are."

On March 29, Siiickbrain released "when i fall," featuring Shiloh Dynasty and No Love For The Middle Child, which she describes to Alternative Press as based on "true events that were written and performed as [No Love For The Middle Child and I] were recovering from the challenges of a relationship while simultaneously creating music together." 

Press play on the video above to hear Siiickbrain's cover of Nirvana's "All Apologies," and remember to check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of ReImagined.

Behind The Scenes With Nirvana Photog Charles Peterson

Mastodon's drummer and singer Brann Dailor assures you he did not purchase his shiny golden gramophone at his local shopping mall.

“I won that! I’m telling you. It’s a major award,” he says in the latest episode of Where Do You Keep Your GRAMMY?

The metal musician won his first GRAMMY award for Best Metal Performance for Mastodon's “Sultan’s Curse” at the 2018 GRAMMYs.

“‘Sultan’s Curse’ was the jumping-off point for the whole theme of the album,” he explains. “The protagonist is walking alone in the desert, and the elements have been cursed by a Sultan.”

It’s a metaphor for illness — during the creation of the album, the band’s guitarist Bill Kelliher’s mother had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and bassist Troy Sanders’s wife was battling breast cancer.

For the band, the GRAMMY award represented their version of the American Dream and culmination of their career work. Even if Mastodon didn’t win the award, Dailor was happy to be in the room: “We felt like we weren't supposed to be there in the first place! But it's an incredible moment when they actually read your name."

Press play on the video above to learn the complete story behind Brann Dailor's award for Best Metal Performance, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of Where Do You Keep Your GRAMMY?

Brann Dailor Talks 20 Years Of Mastodon, New 'Medium Rarities' Collection And How He Spent The Coronavirus Lockdown Drawing Clowns

In her latest track "Off Switch," Australian dance-pop artist VASSY captures the exhilarating intensity of a budding romance. She loves the rush but, at the same time, wishes she could fight the feeling, even if only for a few seconds.

"There's something electric between you and I/ The way we connected I can't describe/ We're right on the edge of blurring the lines/ Don't know why I'm scared of this rush inside," she sings in the intro. "I wish my heart, it had an off switch/ 'Cause, boy, I don't know how to stop this."

In this episode of Global Spin, watch VASSY deliver an acoustic performance of her track, playing guitar and using a pair of castanets for added rhythm.

VASSY released "Off Switch" on Jan. 5 with an electrifying music video swirling with vibrant neon lights. 

Recently she wrapped a string of appearances supporting Aqua's United States leg of their world tour and earlier this month, performed a headlining show in San Diego. On May 18, she will take the stage at the BASSINTHEGRASS music festival in Darwin, Australia.

Press play on the video above to watch VASSY's lively performance of "Off Switch," and remember to check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of Global Spin.

2024 GRAMMYs: Kylie Minogue Wins First-Ever GRAMMY For Best Pop Dance Recording For "Padam Padam"