COLDPLAY - COLDPLAY'S CHRIS MARTIN BACKS JAY-Z AT GLASTONBURY

COLDPLAY'S CHRIS MARTIN BACKS JAY-Z AT GLASTONBURY

Coldplay's lead singer Chris Martin has come out in support for this year's Glastonbury headliner Jay-Z.

Speaking to BBC Radio 1 DJ Jo Wiley, Martin said he could not understand why the US rapper was receiving such criticism ahead of his headline slot on June 28th.

"Why would we need to [play Glastonbury], considering the best musician on the planet is headlining?" Martin asked.

"I find it pretty embarrassing, all the palaver [over Jay-Z's booking].

"We recently came back to England to find all this all this hoo-hah, grandpas complaining about things they don't know about.

"Coldplay not playing and Jay-Z playing is exactly what needs to happen for the world. He's the best rapper in the world," Martin said.

The band appeared on Wiley's show today to give their new single Violet Hill its first play.

Fans of the band will be able to download the single from Coldplay's website from 12:15 BST tomorrow.

Speaking about the band's upcoming album, Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends, Martin said: "It's colourful and it's short which is what these things should be. The intention was to try and be good and get better as opposed to bigger."

He added: "We felt incredibly hungry to prove why people have heard of us.

"I wanted it to be OK to be that 16-year-old who says they like Coldplay in the playground.

"Hopefully with this record they won't get teased so much."

Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends is due to be released in June.