Phil Harvey | |
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Born | Philip Christopher Harvey 29 August 1976 Bristol, England |
Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
Occupations |
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Years active |
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Spouse | Yasmin Harvey |
Awards | Grammy Award (2004) |
Musical career | |
Origin | London, England |
Labels | |
Member of | Coldplay |
Website | coldplay |
Signature | |
Philip Christopher Harvey (born 29 August 1976) is an English manager and creative director. He is best known for his work with the rock band Coldplay. While attending Trinity College, Oxford, he used to organise and promote student parties at local clubs, dropping out of his course to manage the band and helping them finance Safety (1998). They signed a record deal with Parlophone in 1999 and achieved mainstream recognition globally with Parachutes (2000) and following releases.
Harvey left Coldplay's line-up for four years due to the stress of managing the group by himself, a job which usually requires a team. He completed a psychology degree at the University of Melbourne during this interval, returned as a creative director, and started to make select cameo appearances in their music videos. He won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year as part of Coldplay. Having sold over 100 million albums worldwide as of 2021, [lower-alpha 1] they are the most commercially successful group of the 21st century. [3]
Philip Christopher Harvey was born on 29 August 1976 in Bristol, England. [4] He studied at Sherborne School between 1990 and 1995, in the Lyon house. [5] While at the institution, Harvey met and became friends with Chris Martin. [6] He also played bass for The Rockin' Honkies, [7] a group that performed soul and R&B covers. [8] His position, however, was eventually changed to sound engineer. [7] Martin was invited to become their keyboard player around the same time. [7] After Harvey concluded secondary education, he went to Trinity College, Oxford, enrolling in Classical Studies. [9] Martin then formed Coldplay at University College London. [8]
While studying at Oxford, Harvey worked at local nightclubs setting up and promoting student parties. [9] Despite considering those activities to be basic, he has stated that these gigs helped him to understand how to hire a venue, book a musician or DJ, and try to make money. [9] In 1998, Martin complained that one of the local promoters in Camden was spiteful towards Coldplay, to which Harvey suggested the band should organise a performance on their own at Dingwalls. [9] Around 400 people attended the concert and they sold the first 50 copies of Safety throughout the set. [10] The earnings helped Harvey to pay back his father and a roommate, as they financed the extended play. [10] It was around this period that he dropped out of college to dedicate himself to management, [11] which encompassed calling A&R professionals, reading Music Week , and scheduling more shows. [12]
One of the performances arranged by Harvey was for In the City, a festival of unsigned bands in Manchester. [13] Two days later, scout Debs Wild reached out to him, linking Coldplay to the music industry through her connections with Caroline Elleray from BMG Publishing and lawyer Gavin Maude. [12] In 1999, the group wrote "Brothers & Sisters" and recorded it under a short-term contract with Fierce Panda Records. [14] However, when the song was finally released, they already had signed with Parlophone. [15] Harvey later got overwhelmed by the success of Parachutes (2000), as the record topped the UK Albums Chart and led him to work for 16 hours a day: "It was only later that I discovered most international bands have huge teams and organisations supporting them not just one bloke in a shithole office". [10]
Despite Estelle Wilkinson being hired as his assistant to help, [16] he declared that the 2001 Brit Awards was his lowest point, since Coldplay had won British Group and British Album of the Year, but he was feeling exhausted. [17] Harvey announced his departure during the last recording session for A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), a situation he described as dramatic due to his friendship with Martin and the fact he was moving to another continent. [18] His role was jointly taken over by Wilkinson and Dave Holmes, who managed Coldplay in the United States. [17] By the end of the Twisted Logic Tour (2005–07), Holmes had assumed duties alone. [19] He worked for the band until 2022 and sued them over a contractual dispute in the following year. [20] As a result, Harvey became their manager again, but with assistance from Mandi Frost and Arlene Moon. [20]
Well the band encourage me to say that I'm the Creative Director, which I fucking hate. It makes me sound like I run a ballet company or a marketing agency. I don't know... in the album liner notes they always list me as a band member, which is very sweet.
—Harvey, 2018 [11]
Following his years away from the United Kingdom, Harvey went back to London and started to hang out with Martin again. [19] He visited the studio occasionally to give his opinion on what the band were doing, [19] something which became a permanent role by 2006. [21] Two years later, Coldplay published an appeal to Wikipedia via their website to stress Harvey's participation in the line-up, concluding they were actually a quintet. [22] He was included as a member in the liner notes of all albums except Parachutes (2000) and X&Y (2005). [lower-alpha 2] As per Jonny Buckland, things are easier when Harvey is around because his presence gives a sense of security to his bandmates. [19]
He was encouraged to describe himself as their creative director, but showed disdain towards it: "I'm not particularly creative, but I guess I do try to give them some direction from time to time". [19] Moreover, Harvey affirmed that his role includes helping with videos, designing live performances, visiting the studio regularly, writing press releases and handling any other possible situations if necessary. [19] He has appeared as an easter egg in several music videos released by Coldplay, [24] and is known for his interactions with fans of the band on social media. [25] Some conversations led to albums and songs becoming more widely available on streaming services, including the track "Flags", from Everyday Life (2019). [25]
It was reported in January 2019 that Harvey purchased a house in Brentwood, Los Angeles for $15.4 million, where he resides with his wife Yasmin. [26] While away from Coldplay, he travelled to South America, [11] studied psychotherapy and counseling at Regent's College, and graduated from the University of Melbourne with a psychology degree. [27] He worked as a volunteer at Upbeat afterwards; the project was launched in Camden to provide lessons, workshops, equipment, rehearsal space and many other services to musicians who had mental health issues. [28] Harvey is a ClientEarth trustee as well. [29] In 2004, he received a Grammy Award for Record of the Year due to his work in "Clocks", [30] while 2006 saw him visit Leeds Metropolitan University to talk with music industry management students about his experience. [31]
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and manager Phil Harvey. They initially met at University College London, calling themselves Big Fat Noises and changing to Starfish, before settling on the current name.
Christopher Anthony John Martin is an English singer, songwriter, musician, producer and philanthropist. He is best known as the lead vocalist, pianist, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay.
A Rush of Blood to the Head is the second studio album by British rock band Coldplay. It was released on 26 August 2002 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and a day later by Capitol Records in the United States. The album was produced by the band and Ken Nelson, and makes greater use of the electric guitar and piano than the band's debut album Parachutes (2000).
Parachutes is the debut studio album by British rock band Coldplay. It was released on 10 July 2000 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom. The album was produced by the band and British record producer Ken Nelson, except for one track, "High Speed", which was produced by Chris Allison. Parachutes spawned the singles "Shiver", "Yellow", "Trouble", and "Don't Panic". The album was also supported by the Parachutes Tour, which saw the band performing 131 shows in their first world tour.
"Yellow" is a song by the British rock band Coldplay. The band wrote the song and co-produced it with British record producer Ken Nelson for their debut album, Parachutes (2000). The song was released on 26 June 2000 as the second UK single from Parachutes, following "Shiver", and as the lead single in the United States.
"Trouble" is a song by English rock band Coldplay, for their debut album, Parachutes (2000). The band wrote and co-produced it with British record producer Ken Nelson. The song's arrangement is built around the acoustic piano. It was released on 23 October 2000 as the album's third single, reaching number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and becoming the band's second top 10 single in the country. Although "Trouble" failed to chart in the United States, the music press deemed it almost as successful as its predecessor, "Yellow".
"Don't Panic" is a song by the British rock band Coldplay. Originally titled "Panic", the earliest known version of the song existed in 1998, performed live during the band's first gig in the same year. It had a different melody, and was included in the band's second EP, The Blue Room. The track was reproduced by Coldplay and British producer Ken Nelson for the band's debut album, Parachutes.
"Shiver" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. British record producer Ken Nelson and Coldplay produced the track for their debut album Parachutes. Lead singer Chris Martin admitted that "Shiver" was written for a specific woman, from whom the media has generated several speculations. The song contains influences attributed to American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, whom Coldplay's early influences were drawn from. The song's lyrics are a reference to Martin's unrequited love.
Guy Rupert Berryman is a Scottish musician, songwriter, producer, businessman and designer. He is best known as the bassist of the rock band Coldplay and electronic supergroup Apparatjik. Raised in Kirkcaldy, he started to play bass at an early age, drawing inspiration from James Brown, the Funk Brothers and Kool & the Gang. His projects beyond music include The Road Rat magazine and Amsterdam-based fashion brand Applied Art Forms.
Jonathan Mark Buckland is an English-born Welsh musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Raised in Pantymwyn, he began to play guitar at an early age, drawing inspiration from acts like My Bloody Valentine, the Stone Roses and U2. His arrangements are noted for being sparse and delicate, making use of slide bars and delay pedals with a stylistic timbre that led to comparisons to the Edge.
William Champion is an English musician and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer and backing vocalist of the rock band Coldplay. Raised in Southampton, he learned to play many instruments during his childhood, drawing influence from Nick Cave, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and traditional Irish folk music. His energetic drumming style is focused on the essential elements of the songs and he occasionally takes lead vocal duties on live performances.
Safety is the first extended play and public release by British rock band Coldplay. It was recorded at Tottenham's Sync City Studios with Nikki Rosetti between 1 and 2 February 1998, following their debut live performance at The Laurel Tree. Phil Harvey financed the sessions for £1500 and received a box with 500 copies on 19 May 1998. Most of them were given away to record labels, friends and family, but around 150 are known have been on open market.
"Clocks" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was written and composed as a collaboration among all the members of the band for their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head. The song is built around a piano riff, and features cryptic lyrics concerning themes of contrast and urgency. Several remixes of the track exist, and its riff has been widely sampled.
British rock band Coldplay have released 9 studio albums, 6 live albums, 12 compilation albums, 18 extended plays, 41 singles, 13 promotional singles, and 5 charity singles. According to Parlophone, they have sold over 100 million albums worldwide as of May 2021, making them the most successful group of the 21st century and one of the best-selling artists of all time. Luminate revealed that, in terms of pure sales, they have tallied 18.2 million albums and 33.6 million song downloads in the United States alone as of February 2015. Moreover, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) attributed the rise in British music exports to their success multiple times, adding that it boosted the balance of payments of the United Kingdom.
X&Y is the third studio album by British rock band Coldplay. It was released on 6 June 2005 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and a day later by Capitol Records in the United States. The album was produced by Coldplay and producer Danton Supple. It is noted for its troubled and urgent development, as well as manager and creative director Phil Harvey's brief departure from the band. Producer Ken Nelson was originally tasked with producing the record; however, many songs written during his sessions were discarded due to the band's dissatisfaction with them. The album's cover art combines colours and blocks to represent the title in Baudot code.
Everyday Life is the eighth studio album by British rock band Coldplay. It was released on 22 November 2019 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and Atlantic Records in the United States. It is a double album released as a single CD, with the first half titled Sunrise and the other Sunset. The release coincided with Coldplay: Everyday Life – Live in Jordan, in which performances of each half of the album were live streamed from the Amman Citadel in Jordan, at sunrise and sunset, respectively. Many returning producers and collaborators joined the band's efforts including Rik Simpson, Dan Green, Bill Rahko, Davide Rossi, and Emily Lazar.
Music of the Spheres is the ninth studio album by British rock band Coldplay, released on 15 October 2021 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and Atlantic Records in the United States. The album was produced by Max Martin, who is a new producer to the band's discography. It features guest appearances from Selena Gomez, We Are King, Jacob Collier and BTS, as well as returning contributions from electronic producer Jon Hopkins.
"Let Somebody Go" is a song by British rock band Coldplay and American singer Selena Gomez, recorded for the band's ninth studio album, Music of the Spheres. The song was produced by Max Martin, Oscar Holter, Rik Simpson, Daniel Green, and Bill Rahko, and co-produced by Metro Boomin. The song was released for digital download and streaming through Parlophone as the third single from Music of the Spheres on 7 February 2022.
British rock band Coldplay have released 64 music videos, five video albums and five films, appearing on numerous television shows throughout their career as well. They were formed in London by Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland (guitar), Guy Berryman, Will Champion and Phil Harvey (management). Before their recording contract with Parlophone in 1999, a music video for "Bigger Stronger" was shot and directed by Mat Whitecross, who ultimately became one of the long-time collaborators of the band. It was followed by the singles "Shiver", "Yellow", "Trouble" and "Don't Panic" from Parachutes (2000), with the third earning a MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction.