Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, the man who turned Fix You into a global anthem — and then into an ironic punchline — isn’t about to let a corporate scandal kill the band's baby: the Kiss Cam.
Despite the fiasco last month in Massachusetts, when the camera caught Astronomer CEO Andy Byron hugging his human resources chief Kristin Cabot — earning him the unofficial title of “the world’s least discreet boss” — Martin insists the bit will stay.
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Astronomer CEO Andy Byron caught on the Kiss Cam with his human resources chief Kristin Cabot
(Photos: LinkedIn, TikTok)
Martin, 48, equal parts pop star and philosopher, told a crowd at a recent show in England: “We’ve been doing it a long time, and it is only recently that it became a… yeah,” he said. “Life throws you lemons and you’ve got to make lemonade. So, we are going to keep doing it because we are going to meet some of you.”
In other words, the kiss cam is here to stay — even if it wrecks careers and makes people want to crawl into a hole.
Just when it seemed Coldplay had learned it wasn’t cool to film people who didn’t ask to be filmed, Martin swooped in to save the gimmick from the trash heap of history. To ease the tension, he even addressed fan signs in the crowd, including one from a supporter who’d seen the band three times in three months. “You were at that Boston gig. Well, okay, thank you for coming again after that debacle," Martin said, nodding to the cringe-inducing moment that has already earned its place in live-music infamy.
For anyone living under a rock, that night in Massachusetts, Martin tried to play it off with a breezy “Wow, look at those two!” before Byron and Cabot bolted from the screen in panic. Within hours, the internet had outed them, sparking a corporate meltdown: the pair were suspended, an internal investigation was opened and Byron ultimately resigned. The company later said: “Leaders are expected to set an example — in all aspects of conduct.”
But as far as Martin is concerned, the show must go on. The Kiss Cam, he says, is part of Coldplay’s magic — and if it can topple a CEO, trigger a global meme storm, set the internet agenda and even land Gwyneth Paltrow in an Astronomer promo video, maybe it really is the most powerful gimmick in live music.