3 July 2024
Dear Chris Martin,
From the presence of Achilles and Hercules in Something Just Like This, to the Roman/epic imagery of Viva la Vida, to your collaboration with JAY-Z on Most Kingz (a track which was at the centre of my MPhil dissertation), the lyrical allusions to Greco-Roman world in your work prompt the following questions…
- How do the ancients inform your creation of and your relationship to pop music?
- What does it mean for Coldplay to perform in arenas, colosseums, and theatres around the globe?
- How did it feel to play Athens’ Olympic Stadium or to headline the Pyramid Stage?
My name is Tilda Rose. I was one of the many thousands of faces in the crowd watching your set at Glastonbury on Saturday night. Did you see my sign? Or perhaps my stickers dotted around the fields? They bore these words…
Dear Chris Martin, will you fund my PhD?
Having returned from my first ever weekend at Worthy Farm – a place where, more than ever, I have felt compelled, energised, and inspired by the power of music and its ability to connect people – I am writing to you to ask whether you might support my academic dreams.
Earlier this year, I received an unconditional offer from KCL for a PhD in Comparative Literature. My project? An innovative and original piece of research on the relationship between pop music, performance, and the ancient world. Recently, however, I received the devastating news that there was no funding available for my doctorate. Leaving me with two choices: (i) decline/defer my PhD place; or (ii) find another means to fund my research.
Forever perseverant, I have opted for the latter.
Financially, I require a total of £69,639 over three years (£23,213 p/a, between 2024 and 2027) to complete a doctorate. Might you consider making a donation to my research? And/or share my work with your fellow musicians and fans, asking them to support my cause?
Academically, given both your own study of the ancient world and your prominence in the pop music industry, it would be an absolute joy to interview you for my research.
I left the Pyramid Stage last Saturday filled with creativity, optimism and connection. Buoyed by these same feelings, I compose this letter, hoping that it finds its way into your hands and its message resonates.
If so, please reply to me at thepopclassicist@outlook.com – I would be honoured to hear from you. Regardless, thank you for a fantastic performance and best of luck with the rest of your tour.
Very best wishes,
Tilda Rose
The Pop Classicist 