Marta Marrero (born May 18, 1969), better known by her stage name Martika ( ), is an American pop singer and actress. She released two internationally successful albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which sold over four million copies worldwide. Her biggest hit was " Toy Soldiers", which peaked at #1 for two weeks on the American chart in mid-1989. She is also known for her role as Gloria on '' Kids Incorporated''.

Early life, family and education

Martika was born in Whittier, California to Cuban parents from Havana.

Career

Early career

She entered mainstream show business in an uncredited role as one of the girls in the 1982 motion picture ''

Annie Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

''. This led to her being cast as Gloria on the long-running children's show '' Kids Incorporated'' as one of a group of neighborhood children who rise to local fame by singing staged productions at a corner malt shop. Once the second season began, she formally adopted her

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Martika Marrero before shortening it to the mononym Martika, which she has used ever since. Martika and many other ''Kids Incorporated'' cast members were featured in the musical numbers from the Mr. T motivational video '' Be Somebody... or Be Somebody's Fool!'' in 1984. Following her role in ''Kids Incorporated'' and ''Be Somebody'', Martika was signed by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. Her first solo release was released only in Japan: "We are Music" was recorded to promote Sony cassette tapes in the Japanese market, where the song was released in 12", 7" and CD formats. In 1987, Martika recorded a version of the Michael Jay/Gregory Smith song " Bounce Back", which included a music video which was aired on ''

Entertainment '80 Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousan ...

'', although it was not available for purchase.

Rise to prominence

Her first album, 1988's '' Martika'' (No. 15 US), spawned the song " Toy Soldiers", which she co-wrote with her producer Michael Jay and it became a top-5 hit in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, and Australia. In the US, "Toy Soldiers" spent two weeks at No. 1 in 1989. "Toy Soldiers" also went to No. 1 in New Zealand. Two additional singles also went top 40 in the US: " More Than You Know" (No. 18) and "

I Feel the Earth Move I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...

" (No. 25), which was a cover of

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...

's song from her album '' Tapestry''. Both of those tracks also hit the top 20 on the US Dance charts and the UK Singles Chart. "I Feel the Earth Move" also reached the top 10 in Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. A fourth and final single from the album, " Water", entered the lower regions of the UK and Australian charts. The album was certified platinum in the UK in 1990, and double platinum in Australia. In 1990, Martika co-wrote the track "Kiss Me Quick" with Michael Jay and Marvin Morrow. The track was recorded by freestyle/pop singer

Alisha Alisha (Arabic: علیشا Romanized: 'Alīshā) is cognate of the female given name Alicia, a variant of Alice, which comes from the Old English name Æthelhādas or Æðelhādas, meaning "noble natured" (noble of kind). Variant forms used by no ...

for her 1990 album '' Bounce Back'', with Martika contributing backing vocals.

1990s

Martika was encouraged by her agent to combine her love of film and music by scoring soundtracks and, in 1990, she wrote and recorded the song "Blue Eyes Are Sensitive to the Light" for the soundtrack to the film ''

Arachnophobia Arachnophobia is a specific phobia brought about by the irrational fear of spiders and other arachnids such as scorpions. Signs and symptoms People with arachnophobia tend to feel uneasy in any area they believe could harbour spiders or that h ...

''. The producers of the album did not like her vocals, so the song was re-recorded by

Sara Hickman Sara Hickman (born March 1, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, and artist.Sara Smile Still ...

for the film. The song has also been recorded by Brazilian singers

Deborah Blando Deborah Salvatrice Blando (born March 3, 1969) is an Italian-born Brazilian and Italian singer and composer. She has sold about six million copies sold worldwide, with six albums released between 1991 and 2002. She has seven number 1 single and t ...

(on her 1991 debut, ''A Different Story''),

Elba Ramalho Elba Ramalho (born August 17, 1951, in Conceição, Paraíba) is a Brazilian songwriter, performer, poet and actress. She is sometimes called "The Queen of Forró". In addition to her successful solo career, Elba has collaborated with a number ...

, and

Frances Ruffelle Frances Ruffelle (born 29 August 1965) is an English musical theatre actress and singer. She won a Tony Award in 1987, and represented the United Kingdom in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest with the song " Lonely Symphony (We Will Be Free)", f ...

. In 1991, Martika approached Prince to do some new tracks. Among these was her second (and last) US Top-10 single, " Love... Thy Will Be Done", which also became a Top-10 hit in the UK and reached No. 1 in Australia.Australian ( ARIA Chart) peaks: *Top 50 peaks: *Top 100 peaks: "Love... Thy Will Be Done" started out as a prayer written by Martika, and Prince then changed it into a song. Her second album, ''

Martika's Kitchen ''Martika's Kitchen'' is the second (and final) studio album by pop singer and former child actor Martika, released in 1991 on Columbia Records. The album was reissued in deluxe 2CD edition in 2018 as ''Martika's Kitchen (Reheated Edition)'' wi ...

'', peaked at No. 111 on the ''Billboard'' Top Albums chart. The title track received only minor airplay in the US, and reached No. 93 on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. However, the album was a bigger success abroad, though on a lesser scale than her debut. It peaked at No. 15 in the UK Albums Chart, No. 9 in Australia, and spawned further hits with the songs "Coloured Kisses" and the title track, "Martika's Kitchen". "Temptation", another track from this album, was covered by

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...

on her album '' Burnin'''. Martika played the role of the lounge singer Dahlia Mendez in the crime drama TV series '' Wiseguy'' in 1990, opposite

Steven Bauer Steven Bauer (born Esteban Ernesto Echevarría Samson; December 2, 1956) is a Cuban-born American actor. Bauer began his career on PBS, portraying Joe Peña, the son of Cuban immigrants on '' ¿Qué Pasa, USA?'' (1977–1980) and is perhaps most ...

who took over from

Ken Wahl Ken Wahl (born October 31, 1957) is a retired American film and television actor, popular in the 1980s and 1990s, best known for the CBS television crime drama '' Wiseguy''. Early life and career Wahl, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, Note: ...

for the fourth and final season. She eventually faded from the public eye in 1991/1992 after walking away from the music industry, due to

burnout Burnout or burn-out may refer to: Entertainment * ''Burnout'' (film), a 2017 Moroccan film * ''Burn Out'' (film), a 2017 French film * Burnout (ride), a Funfields amusement ride in Australia * ''Burnout'' (series), a racing game series created by ...

and feeling overwhelmed with the burden of fame. In 1997, a greatest hits

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

''The Best of Martika: More Than You Know'' was released.

Re-emergence

During the 2000 explosion of

Latin pop Latin pop (in Spanish and in Portuguese: Pop latino) is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. Originating in Spanish-speaking musicians, Latin po ...

, Martika sang backing vocals on various projects and contributed lyrics to releases by other artists, although she failed to receive any major-label attention for herself. Instead, she built martika.net in 2001, a website for her fans, and released a remix of a newly self-recorded song, "The Journey". She also recorded a track "Monday" for a new solo album which the website stated was on its way. Eventually, however, her website was shut down and the album never materialized. In 2003, Martika and her husband, musician Michael Mozart formed the band

Oppera Oppera is an American pop duo consisting of singer Martika and her musician husband Michael Mozart. They began recording together in 2003 and released their first album, ''Violince'', in 2004. A co-headlining tour in support of the album occurre ...

. Adopting a

sound, she and Mozart released Oppera's debut album ''Violince'', in 2004. Rapper

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

used a sample of her biggest US hit, "Toy Soldiers", for " Like Toy Soldiers", a track on his 2004 album ''

Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pres ...

'' and featured Martika on the chorus of the track. In response, Martika's British greatest hits album was repackaged with its title altered to ''Toy Soldiers: The Best of Martika''. A biography was added to the album insert reflecting the new Eminem sample, though it asserted that she had not released any albums since ''Martika's Kitchen''. Oppera released a self-titled second album in 2005. Martika promoted ''Oppera''s release with a Borders bookstore tour. In 2010, Martika, using the stage name Vida Edit, starred as Lolly Pop and co-produced a web-based television action program ''J8ded''. In October 2011, Martika stopped using the stage name Vida Edit and launched a new personal website. A year later, she announced an Australian tour, but it was canceled. She performed in 2014 alongside Debbie Gibson, Samantha Fox, and Rick Astley at a HitParade Festival in Chile. In July 2016, she was part of the Totally 80s Tour of Australia. The concerts included seven international 1980s acts, including Martika, Berlin,

Limahl Christopher Hamill (born 19 December 1958), known professionally as Limahl (an anagram of Hamill), is an English pop singer. He was the lead singer of the pop group Kajagoogoo beginning in 1981, before embarking on a brief solo career, garnering ...

of Kajagoogoo,

Paul Lekakis Paul Lekakis (born October 22, 1966) is an American actor, model, filmmaker and club music / Hi-NRG singer, who was discovered for his musical and dancing skills at a nightclub while on assignment as a model in Italy. Music career His debut s ...

Katrina Katrina or Katrine may refer to: People * Katrina (given name) * Katrine (given name) Meteorology * List of storms named Katrina, a list of tropical cyclones designated as Katrina ** Hurricane Katrina, an exceptionally powerful Atlantic hurrican ...

Katrina and the Waves Katrina and the Waves were a British rock band widely known for the 1985 hit " Walking on Sunshine". They also won the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Love Shine a Light". History Pre-history (1975–1980) The band's earliest inc ...

, Men Without Hats and

Stacey Q Stacey Lynn Swain (born November 30, 1958), known by her stage name Stacey Q, is an American pop singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Her best-known single, John Mitchell's " Two of Hearts", released in 1986, reached number one in Canada, n ...

. For her performance at the tour, she received positive reviews from the Australian press.

Personal life

Martika lived in Dayton, Ohio, for several years with her musician husband, concentrating on married life.

Awards and nominations

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" , - ! scope="col" , Award ! scope="col" , Year ! scope="col" , Nominee(s) ! scope="col" , Category ! scope="col" , Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable", , - ! scope="row", ASCAP Pop Music Awards , 1990 , " Toy Soldiers" , Most Performed Song , , , - !scope="row" rowspan=6, Smash Hits Poll Winners Party , rowspan=2, 1989 , rowspan=5, Herself , Most Fanciable Female , , rowspan=2, , - , Most Promising New Solo Artist , , - , rowspan=4, 1991 , Well-Dressed Person , , rowspan=4, , - , Best Female Solo Singer , , - , Worst Female Solo Singer , , - , " Love... Thy Will Be Done" , Best Single ,

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Martika'' (1988) * ''

'' (1991)

with Oppera

* ''Violince'' (2004) * ''Oppera'' (2005)

Filmography

{, class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" , Film , - ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes , - , 1982 , , ''

'' , , Dancer , , Uncredited , - , 1984 , , '' Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo'' , , Kid , , as Marta Marrero , - , 1984 , , '' Kids Incorporated: The Beginning'' , , Gloria , , as Marta Marrero Video , - , 1984 , , '' Be Somebody... or Be Somebody's Fool!'' , , Marta, , as The Dimples Video , - , 1998 , ''Exposé'' , Self , , - , 2001 , , ''Route 10'', , Penny , , , - ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" , Television , - ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes , - , 1984-1986 , '' Kids Incorporated'' , Gloria , 65 episodes , - , 1985, , '' Hardcastle and McCormick'' , , Luisa Montega , , Episode: "You're Sixteen, You're Beautiful, and You're His" , - , 1986 , ''One Big Family'' , Natasha , Episode: "Kate's Friend" , - , 1986 , ''Kids Incorporated: Rock in the New Year'' , Gloria , TV movie , - , 1987 , '' Silver Spoons'' , Kiki , Episode: "Band on the Run" , - , 1990 , ''

The Little and Large Show ''The Little and Large Show'' was a sketch comedy series broadcast on BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broad ...

'' , , Episode #10.1 , - , 1990 , ''Wiseguy'' , Dahlia Mendez , 6 episodes , - ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" , Music videos , - ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes , - , 1989 , , ''Toy Soldiers'', , rowspan=4, Martika, , , - , 1989 , , ''I Feel the Earth Move'', , , - , 1991 , , '' Love... Thy Will Be Done'', , , - , 1992 , , ''

Coloured Kisses "Coloured Kisses" is the third single from American singer Martika's 1991 album, ''Martika's Kitchen''. The single did not chart in the US, and achieved minor chart positions in other countries. In the United Kingdom, a limited Valentine edition w ...

'', ,

References

External links

* * Martikaat AllMusic * * * {{Authority control 1969 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Living people Actresses from California American child actresses American entertainers of Cuban descent American women singers American film actresses American child singers American freestyle musicians American television actresses Actors from Whittier, California Singers from California Musicians from Whittier, California Columbia Records artists