COLDPLAY - MARTIN PLANNING COUNTRY/HIP-HOP ALBUM

COLDPLAY frontman CHRIS MARTIN is planning to put stadium rock to one side and work on a country album with a hip-hop flavour.

The SPEED OF SOUND hitmaker is so keen to expand his musical boundaries, he is planning a collaboration with retired country singer GARTH BROOKS, KANYE WEST and legendary hip-hop producer TIMBALAND.

The 28-year-old says, "Country is a very sleeping beast within us. We have two things we're not allowed to do - country and rap - just because of where we're from.

"So I think they'll rear their heads at some point in the future. In fact, I think the only future for music is if you bring together the most disparate worlds.

"That would be an album between Garth Brooks, Coldplay and Kanye West and produced by Timbaland."