Martin's praise for Lewis

Coldplay rocker Chris Martin loves British female pop stars - he can't stop gushing about Leona Lewis and Girls Aloud.

The rocker, who is married to Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow, adores the singers - and is especially blown away by Lewis' powerful voice.

He told the Daily Mirror: "Leona is phenomenal. She is world class, that girl. We saw her singing in LA.. - she's as good as anybody and I've got nothing but respect for her."

And Martin's admirations don't stop at Lewis - he has nothing but praise for Girls Aloud, who are supporting the band on their forthcoming UK stadium dates next year.

He added: "Girls Aloud are my favourite girls in the world, aside from my wife and daughter, of course! But they definitely come third to eighth.

"I chose them for the tour because I was pretty sure if people knew they were doing a gig with us they'd think that was great. I'm definitely thinking about doing a cover of a Girls Aloud song."