For all the thousands of drummers pushing ahead in a tireless quest for rhythm fame, there will always be one या two like Will Champion who just kind of wind up with it. That’s not to say that, as the ढंढोरची, ढोलकिया for the artistically gifted songwriters known as Coldplay, Champion hasn’t worked hard for his career, but with only five years experience holding a pair of sticks, he’s landed comfortably on the fastest of fast tracks.

Although he’s been playing पियानो and गिटार for 18 of his 24 years on the planet, Champion never really thought about pounding out a beat until his sophomore year...