Guy Rupert Berryman (born 12 April 1978) 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.[1]
Guy Rupert Berryman was born on 12 April 1978 in
Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland.[5] He is the youngest son of engineer Rupert Berryman and his wife Elizabeth, whose family were merchants and factory owners in the region.[6] Raised close to the
Beveridge Park area, he said his childhood was one with "a huge sense of freedom", as he went out with friends and "just did whatever we wanted from a very young age", which included exploring the
Raith Estate and the woods near it.[6] Still during his childhood, he developed a passion for watches as well, exploring the ones his father had even though "the drawers were meant to be off-limits".[7]
Moreover, Berryman has said that listening to
Stevie Wonder's "
My Cherie Amour" was a pivotal moment in his life: "I can remember being maybe six years old, having this experience. I had obviously heard music in the background, in the house and stuff, but that was the first moment that I ever connected with music on a personal level and since then I've always been a huge fan of
soul music and
Motown, and that's what made me become a bass player.[6]
With his father involved in building the
Channel Tunnel as a project manager, Berryman's family moved to
Kent when he was around 12 years old, the same period in which he began to play bass.[8] During his time at
Edinburgh Academy, he played drums and trumpet for the school band.[9] The lessons made him notice he was "a leftie who plays right-handed" and the bassist later founded a group named Time Out.[10] His education was continued at
Kent College, in Canterbury.[11] He then applied for
mechanical engineering at
University College London, where he met
Chris Martin,
Jonny Buckland and
Will Champion, eventually forming Coldplay.[12]
Berryman was the third member to join the band in 1997.[13] Their college friend Kris Foof described him as "a quiet young man who had been put in 'Paris Block', the less populated block of rooms in
Ramsay Hall. The rest of the band had been placed in 'New York Block', but not Guy, he was the outsider that the insiders all knew about, namely from his stockpile of musical instruments in his room".[10] Martin affirmed having a wrong impression of Berryman when they first met: "He's not as scary as he looks [...] Everyone thinks he's moody, soft-spoken is better".[10] Along with Buckland, they recorded a number of demos without having a drummer and, by November of that year, the trio called themselves Big Fat Noises.[13] Champion then completed the performing line-up in 1998.[b] Berryman later dropped out of his original degree and enrolled in a seven-year
architecture program at
the Bartlett, which in turn was abandoned to focus on playing bass.[15] He worked as a bartender to pay rent.[10]
During the Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams (2018) documentary, the bassist mentioned the marketing campaign for X&Y (2005) was a very turbulent period for the band, as they had frequent arguments, particularly between him and Martin: "I was probably much more opinionated back then, which was a huge pain in the ass for everyone, I don't know if I was trying to get away from myself or if I wasn't comfortable with myself, but I definitely had a drinking problem".[16] When the band were asked about their creative process in an interview for The Howard Stern Show, they claimed that while Buckland is usually more optimistic to either disapprove or give his input on Martin's initial ideas, Berryman tends to be more critical, concluding that if he does not like a certain song, "there's no point in ever playing it again".[17] Conversely, he has been responsible for starting tracks such as "
Magic" on his own, which was released as the lead single for their sixth album, Ghost Stories, in 2014.[18]
Berryman formed a supergroup called Apparatjik with
Magne Furuholmen (from
a-ha),
Jonas Bjerre (from
Mew) and
Martin Terefe in 2008.[19] Their debut single, "Ferreting", was the musical theme of
BBC Two series Amazon, being included in the Songs for Survival album as well.[19] Proceeds were donated to
Survival International.[19] Two years later, the band released We Are Here (2010) for digital download on their official website and performed at the
CTM Festival.[20] In 2011, they played at the
Neue Nationalgalerie,[21] appeared at the Steirischer Herbst Festival,[22] then launched Apparatjik World, an
iPad application in which fans helped them to produce songs.[23] After several versions of the project, the final one was named Square Peg in a Round Hole (2012) and made available as their second studio album.[24] In 2020, the group published a song called "Julia" on their
YouTube channel.[25] However, Berryman has not performed with the rest of the band since 2011, consequently becoming unclear whether he contributed to the track's creative process or not.[26]
Business ventures
In 2019, the bassist founded quarterly magazine The Road Rat along with two friends and car specialists.[27] They celebrate classic automobiles, but on-diary stories are not covered because each issue is meant to be "timeless".[28] He manages the project from his garage and works as its creative director.[29] In the following year, he launched Applied Art Forms, a fashion brand inspired by utilitarian, workwear, and military clothing.[30] Berryman established their headquarters in
Amsterdam, Netherlands and is responsible for both the designs and the creative direction, though the former role is shared with Marcel Verheijen.[31] Furthermore, he observed that his focus is on longevity,[32] creating a permanent collection with occasional updates instead of following the seasonal calendar.[30] The bassist also mentioned bringing a sewing machine with him while touring with Coldplay to make pieces.[31] Still in 2020, Berryman helped to release a plant-based protein food
start-up called Bodyhero.[33] He then donated part of his personal archive to Marrkt in 2022, with the proceeds going to
Save the Children.[34] In 2023, Applied Art Forms switched their menswear presentation to unisex,[31] sold exclusive wireless headphones in partnership with
Master & Dynamic,[35] and collaborated with Hannah Martin to launch their first
jewellery collection, which drew influence from
industrial and
punk aesthetics.[36]
With a style described as "slick" and "relaxed",[46] Berryman is usually seen using different models of a
Fender Precision Bass, including editions such as
Squier,
Mustang,
Jazz and
Jaguar.[47] The latter was used during the recording sessions for Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008).[48] He mentioned the first "proper" bass used after joining Coldplay was a
Rickenbacker 4001, which can be seen on the music video for "
Shiver".[48] In 2003, his gear included two
Ampeg SVT amplifiers, two 15" cabinets, one 8"x10" cabinet and a
Tone Bender pedal for distortion.[49] In 2012, it was reported he bought a custom-made
Hiwatt bass rig.[50] The 200-watt amp head was hand-built in the United Kingdom and paired with a 4x12 cabinet, loaded with Fane speakers.[50] When questioned about his musical taste, Berryman stated that it was hard to condense it down, but he "could not live without
the Beatles or
Motown".[51] Additionally, he mentioned
James Brown,
Marvin Gaye,
Kool & the Gang and
the Funk Brothers as musical inspirations.[52]
Personal life
According to The Times, Berryman has an estimated wealth of £113 million as of May 2022.[53] He is a known supporter of
Raith Rovers,[8] showing interest in photography, fashion and electrical gadgets as well.[40] After six years dating, he married interior designer Joanna Briston in 2004.[54] The couple filed for divorce three years later, but remained close to raise their daughter.[54] He subsequently moved to the
Cotswolds and built a workshop to repair the cars from his collection.[55] In 2014, he became engaged to Dutch model Keshia Gerrits,[56] while 2024 saw them relocating to
Amsterdam.[57] Berryman has two children with her.[55]
Before restoring automobiles, he took flying lessons and wanted to refurbish a
Spitfire and a
Tiger Moth, eventually growing bored of aircraft.[58] He is also a collector of
synthesisers,
cameras and
watches: "I'm a completist when it comes to collecting, so I have to restrain myself [...] At least with cars you have to have space to keep them all in. But you can get a lot of watches into a drawer".[7] Berryman likewise is the founder of Dawghaus, an online catalogue focused on curating "the best in design" and promoting well-established creations alongside the ones he thinks that deserve more attention.[7] He is the only Coldplay member with a personal social media account.[59]
^The term "records" is for album and single sales combined.[2] Coldplay, however, sold 100 million copies in albums alone, while
Parlophone have not disclosed the amount of records.[3]
^Overall, the fifth and final member was manager and creative director
Phil Harvey.[14]
^"Latest Coldplay News". Capital FM (Press the "View More" button on the "Facts" column). 2023. Archived from
the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
^Snelgrove, Kevin (2013). 101 Interesting Facts on Coldplay. Apex Publishing Limited.
ISBN9781909949935.
^"Travel with Music – 夜 上海: 电影 原声带" [Travel with Music – The Longest Night in Shanghai: Original Movie Soundtrack]. QQ Music (in Chinese). 19 September 2007.
Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2023.