Ĭonsequence of Sound's wrote the song "starts off as a heartfelt piano ballad before flourishes of pounding electronics take over the chorus" and noted that it "falls in line with the synth-heavy soundscapes of 'Midnight', but with more danceable flavor." Zane Lowe of BBC Radio 1 named the track his 'Hottest Record' for 29 April 2014. Chris Martins of Spin magazine also commented relatively positively, writing that "The big-tent EDM offering is pretty satisfying in all of the ways that those things are". Chris De Ville of Stereogum gave "A Sky Full of Stars" an overwhelmingly positive comment, stating that the song is "the most energetic and classically Coldplay song we've heard from the album so far". Melinda Newman of HitFix had similar thoughts, calling the song "the most commercial and dance-y track so far" from the album. Carl Williott of Idolator gave the track a positive review, stating: "Quite honestly it sounds more like a Zedd or Avicii offering than a Coldplay one, and it's certainly the loudest and most joyful cut we've heard from the album so far". "A Sky Full of Stars" received generally positive reviews upon release. The artwork is reminiscent of Fürstová's earlier work, Other Skies, which also features various figures, buildings and objects imposed onto a star map. Multiple figures such as angels with wings like of the Ghost Stories artwork, buildings such as a church, and objects such as a maze and a chair, also alluding to those in the Ghost Stories artwork, are depicted encased in a three-dimensional star chart. The artwork continues the motif of artworks in the Ghost Stories album cycle, which feature a scene occurring in a larger, enclosed body. The single art for "A Sky Full of Stars" was etched by UK-based, Czech etching artist Mila Fürstová. The extended play was then released on 29 June 2014 worldwide, with exception of the United States, given that those songs are already available through their exclusive deluxe edition, although in 2021, the EP was made available in the United States on all streaming platforms. On 26 June, Coldplay announced the A Sky Full of Stars EP, which features the radio edit of the song and three bonus tracks from the Target version of Ghost Stories: "All Your Friends", the title track "Ghost Story" and "O (Reprise)". On, the single was released at Google Play store in Australia. On, "A Sky Full of Stars" was released early through Ghost Stories on the iTunes Store worldwide and on Spotify. However, Martin later stated in a BBC Radio 1 interview with Zane Lowe that he felt that he had "cheated" on the band by asking Avicii to play the piano instead of playing it himself. In addition to producing the track, he was also asked by lead singer Chris Martin to play and record the piano parts. Swedish record producer Avicii was invited by the band to collaborate on "A Sky Full of Stars". The studios were both originally constructed for work on their two previous studio albums, 2008's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends and 2011's Mylo Xyloto.
"A Sky Full of Stars" was recorded during the sessions for the band's sixth studio album, at their purpose-built studios The Bakery and The Beehive in North London, England. Swedish record producer Avicii was invited by the band to produce "A Sky Full of Stars". It was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 57th Grammy Awards. It also topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The single peaked at number one in Italy, Israel, Luxembourg, Portugal, Lebanon, and the Walloon region of Belgium. Upon its release, "A Sky Full of Stars" garnered mostly positive reviews from music critics and charted inside the top 10 in over 16 countries such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and United States.Ī music video for the song was directed by Mat Whitecross and was released on 19 June 2014. It was recorded at The Bakery and The Beehive in North London, England. The band co-wrote and co-produced the song with Avicii and received production assistance from Paul Epworth, Daniel Green and Rik Simpson. An exclusive digital EP version of it, with the B-sides "All Your Friends", "Ghost Story" and "O (Reprise)", came out in the following weeks, being considered the band's eleventh extended play. It was released in 2014 as the second single from their sixth album, Ghost Stories (2014). " A Sky Full of Stars" is a song by the British rock band Coldplay.