Coldplay + Rihanna: Princess of China
When news broke that Coldplay had collaborated with Rihanna on their upcoming record, Mylo Xyloto, many doubted that the pairing would fit together. But frontman Chris Martin assured fans when he told MTV that “her bit on the record is his favorite bit.” He explained, “When the song came out, it sort of asked for her to be on it.”
“And I think at this point, we have nothing to lose, and so we’ve been trying some new things and trying to break down the perceived boundaries between different types of music. Because from where we’re sitting, it seems like you can try and sound any way you like nowadays. You don’t have to be in a rock box or a hip-hop box or a pop box, and I think it’s fun when you embrace that idea.”
And when the two paired up for the studio track “Princess of China”, they let their creative flag fly, breaking musical boundaries and crossing genres.
Narrating the tale of two broken hearts over a heavy synth beat and melodic call outs, it opens with Martin singing “Once upon a time we fell apart/ You were holding in your hands the two halves of my heart.”
Followed by the R&B diva’s side of story, “Once upon a time we were burning bright/ Now all we ever seem to do is fight.”
Listen to “Princess of China” below now and pick up Coldplay’s upcoming album Mylo Xyloto, available everywhere on October 25.
