Marta Marrero[1](born May 18, 1969),[2]better known by her stage nameMartika(/mɑːrˈtiːkə/mar-TEE-kə), 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.[3]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 onKids Incorporated.
Martika | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Marta Marrero |
| Born | May 18, 1969 Whittier, California,U.S. |
| Genres | Pop,dance-pop,pop rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
| Years active | 1982–1992, 2000–present |
| Labels | Columbia Records Dunda Chief Records |
| Website | martikamartika |
Early life, family and education
editMartika was born inWhittier, Californiato Cuban parents of Canary Islands ancestry.[2]
Career
editEarly career
editShe entered mainstream show business in an uncredited role as one of the girls in the 1982 motion pictureAnnie.This led to her being cast as Gloria on the long-running children's showKids Incorporatedas one of a group of neighborhood children who rise to local fame by singing staged productions at a cornermalt shop.Once the second season began, she formally adopted herstage nameMartika Marrero before shortening it to the mononym Martika, which she has used ever since. Martika and many otherKids Incorporatedcast members were featured in the musical numbers from theMr. Tmotivational videoBe Somebody... or Be Somebody's Fool!in 1984.
Following her role inKids IncorporatedandBe Somebody,Martika was signed byColumbia Records.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 onEntertainment '80,although it was not available for purchase.[4]
Rise to prominence
editHer first album, 1988'sMartika(No. 15US[5]), spawned the song "Toy Soldiers",which she co-wrote with her producerMichael Jayand it became a top-5 hit in the United Kingdom,[6]Ireland,[7]Germany,[8]and Australia.[9]In the US, "Toy Soldiers" spent two weeks at No. 1 in 1989.[10]"Toy Soldiers" also went to No. 1 in New Zealand.[11]
Two additional singles also went top 40 in the US: "More Than You Know"(No. 18[10]) and "I Feel the Earth Move"(No. 25[10]), which was a cover ofCarole King's song from her albumTapestry.Both of those tracks also hit the top 20 on the US Dance charts[12]and the UK Singles Chart.[6]"I Feel the Earth Move" also reached the top 10 in Australia,[9]New Zealand,[11]and Ireland.[7]A fourth and final single from the album, "Water", entered the lower regions of the UK[6]and Australian charts.[9]
The album was certified platinum in the UK in 1990,[13]and double platinum in Australia.[14]
In 1990, Martika co-wrote the track "Kiss Me Quick" with Michael Jay and Marvin Morrow. The track was recorded by freestyle/pop singerAlishafor her 1990 albumBounce Back,with Martika contributing backing vocals.
1990s
editMartika was encouraged by her agent to combine her love of film and music by scoring soundtracks and, in 1990, she wrote andrecordedthe song "Blue Eyes Are Sensitive to the Light" for the soundtrack to the filmArachnophobia.The producers of the album did not like her vocals, so the song was re-recorded bySara Hickmanfor the film. The song has also been recorded by Brazilian singersDeborah Blando(on her 1991 debut,A Different Story),Elba Ramalho,andFrances Ruffelle.
In 1991, Martika approachedPrinceto do some new tracks.[15]Among these was her second (and last) US Top-10 single,[10]"Love... Thy Will Be Done",which also became a Top-10 hit in the UK[6]and reached No. 1 in Australia.[9]"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,peaked at No. 111 on theBillboardTop Albums chart.[5]The title track received only minor airplay in the US, and reached No. 93 onBillboardHot 100 chart.[10]However, the album was a bigger success abroad, though on a lesser scale than her debut. It peaked at No. 15 in theUK Albums Chart,[6]No. 9 in Australia,[9]and spawned further hits with the songs "Coloured Kisses" and the title track, "Martika's Kitchen".[2]"Temptation", another track from this album, was covered byPatti LaBelleon her albumBurnin'.
Martika played the role of the lounge singer Dahlia Mendez in the crime drama TV seriesWiseguyin 1990,[2]oppositeSteven Bauerwho took over fromKen Wahlfor the fourth and final season.
She eventually faded from the public eye in 1992 after walking away from the music industry, due toburnoutand feeling overwhelmed with the burden of fame.[16]
In 1997, a greatest hitscompilation albumThe Best of Martika: More Than You Knowwas released.
Re-emergence
editDuring the 2000 explosion ofLatin pop,Martika sang backing vocals on various projects[which?]and contributed lyrics to releases by other artists[who?],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, musicianMichael Mozart,formed the bandOppera.Adopting aLatin popsound, she and Mozart released Oppera's debut album,Violince,in 2004. RapperEminemused a sample of her biggest US hit, "Toy Soldiers", for "Like Toy Soldiers",a track on his 2004 albumEncoreand featured Martika on the chorus of the track. In response, Martika's British greatest hits album was repackaged with its title altered toToy 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 sinceMartika's Kitchen.
Oppera released a self-titled second album in 2005. Martika promotedOppera's release with aBordersbookstore tour.
In 2010, Martika, using the stage name Vida Edit, starred as Lolly Pop and co-produced a web-based television action programJ8ded.[17]
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 alongsideDebbie Gibson,Samantha Fox,andRick Astleyat a HitParade Festival in Chile.[18][19]
In July 2016, she was part of the Totally 80s Tour of Australia. The concerts included seven international 1980s acts, including Martika,Berlin,LimahlofKajagoogoo,Paul Lekakis,KatrinaofKatrina and the Waves,Men Without HatsandStacey Q.For her performance at the tour, she received positive reviews from the Australian press.[20]
Personal life
editAs of 2016, Martika was living inDayton, Ohiowith her musician husband, concentrating on married life.[16]
Awards and nominations
edit| Award | Year | Nominee(s) | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASCAP Pop Music Awards | 1990 | "Toy Soldiers" | Most Performed Song | Won | [21] |
| Smash Hits Poll Winners Party | 1989 | Herself | Most Fanciable Female | Nominated | [22] |
| Most Promising New Solo Artist | Nominated | ||||
| 1991 | Well-Dressed Person | Nominated | |||
| Best Female Solo Singer | Nominated | ||||
| Worst Female Solo Singer | Nominated | ||||
| "Love... Thy Will Be Done" | Best Single | Nominated |
Discography
editStudio albums
edit- Martika(1988)
- Martika's Kitchen(1991)
with Oppera
edit- Violince(2004)
- Oppera(2005)
Filmography
edit| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | Annie | 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 | |
| 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 | Episode #10.1 | |
| 1990 | Wiseguy | Dahlia Mendez | 6 episodes |
| Music videos | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1989 | Toy Soldiers | Martika | |
| 1989 | I Feel the Earth Move | ||
| 1991 | Love... Thy Will Be Done | ||
| 1992 | Coloured Kisses | ||
References
edit- ^Roberts, David (2006).British Hit Singles & Albums(19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 351.ISBN978-1-904994-10-7.
- ^abcdLarkin, Colin,ed. (1992).The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music(First ed.).Guinness Publishing.p. 1626.ISBN0-85112-939-0.
- ^"BIOGRAPHY".martikamartika.com.
- ^"Entertainment 80 Ryan Samans, Martika singing 'Bounce Back'".July 20, 2007.Archivedfrom the original on December 11, 2021.RetrievedDecember 16,2012– via YouTube.
- ^ab"Billboard > Artists / Martika > Chart History > Billboard 200".Billboard.RetrievedJanuary 21,2016.
- ^abcde"Official Charts > Martika".officialcharts.com.The Official UK Charts Company.RetrievedJanuary 21,2016.
- ^ab"The Irish Charts – All there is to know > Search results for 'Martika'".RetrievedJanuary 21,2016.
- ^"Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Martika – Toy Soldiers (single)"(in German). GfK Entertainment.RetrievedJanuary 21,2016.
- ^abcdeAustralian (ARIA Chart) peaks:
- Top 50 peaks:"australian-charts.com > Discography Martika".Hung Medien. Archived fromthe originalon February 21, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 21,2016.
- Top 100 peaks:Ryan, Gavin (2011).Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010.Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^abcde"Billboard > Artists / Martika > Chart History > The Hot 100".Billboard.RetrievedJanuary 21,2016.
- ^ab"charts.nz > Discography Martika".Hung Medien.RetrievedJanuary 21,2016.
- ^"Billboard > Artists / Martika > Chart History > Dance Club Songs".Billboard.RetrievedJanuary 21,2016.
- ^"BPI > Certified Awards > Search results for 'Martika'".British Phonographic Industry.RetrievedJanuary 21,2016.
- ^Ryan, Gavin (2011).Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010.Mt. Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^Cashmere, Paul (June 26, 2012)."Martika Explains How Prince Crafted Love Thy Will Be Done".Noise11.com.RetrievedDecember 16,2012.
- ^abDevery, Mike (March 24, 2016)."Martika – Today Extra interview March 2016".Archivedfrom the original on December 11, 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^Adams, Cameron."Whatever happened to Martika?".news.com.au.RetrievedNovember 10,2017.
- ^Cashmere, Paul (October 1, 2012)."Martika Aussie Tour Cancelled".Noise11.com.RetrievedDecember 16,2012.
- ^"HOME".martikamartika.com.Martika.RetrievedDecember 16,2012.
- ^Dwyer, Michael (July 16, 2016)."Totally 80s! review: Martika steals show with timeless hits".Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^"Cash Box"(PDF).Worldradiohistory.com.June 23, 1990.Archived(PDF)from the original on July 17, 2020.RetrievedSeptember 28,2021.
- ^"Smash Hits Magazine Remembered".Archived fromthe originalon August 24, 2018.RetrievedMay 4,2022.
Further reading
edit- Hunt, Dennis (March 5, 1989)."Playing a Sultry Vixen".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedOctober 1,2011.
- Telgen, Diane; Neito, Eva M.; Kamp, Jim (March 1993).Notable Hispanic American Women.Thomson Gale.p. 251.ISBN978-0-8103-7578-9.
External links
edit
