Chris Martin is the lead singer and pianist of the popular British band Coldplay. He was born in 1977 in Exeter, England to an accountant father and music teacher mother. Martin met his Coldplay bandmates Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, and Will Champion while they were students at University College London, and they began playing music together in 1997 initially under the names Big Fat Noises and then Starfish. In addition to his musical career, Martin is known for his philanthropic work and care for the environment.