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 ''Kids Incorporated'' (also known as ''Kids Inc.'') is an American children's television program that began production in the mid-1980s and continued airing well into the early 1990s. It was largely a youth-oriented program with musical performan ...

''.

Early life, family and education

Martika was born in

Whittier, California Whittier () is a city in Southern California in Los Angeles County, part of the Gateway Cities. The city had 87,306 residents as of the 2020 United States census, an increase of 1,975 from the 2010 census figure. Whittier was incorporated in ...

to Cuban parents from

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Career

Early career

She entered mainstream show business in an uncredited role as one of the girls in the 1982 motion picture '' Annie''. This led to her being cast as Gloria on the long-running children's show ''

'' as one of a group of neighborhood children who rise to local fame by singing staged productions at a corner

malt shop A soda shop, also often known as a malt shop (after malted milk) and as a “malted shop” in Canada, is a business akin to an ice cream parlor and a drugstore soda fountain. Interiors were often furnished with a large mirror behind a marble count ...

. 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 Mr. T (born Laurence Tureaud, May 21, 1952), is an American actor. He is known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series ''The A-Team'' and as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film ''Rocky III''. He is also known for his ...

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 Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

. 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'', although it was not available for purchase.

Rise to prominence

Her first album, 1988's ''

Martika 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 wor ...

'' (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 Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads ma ...

''. 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 Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...

", 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 ...

''. 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.Houston Folk Music Archive(Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University)Guide to the Houston Folk Music Archive(Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library ...

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 ...

(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)", ...

. In 1991, Martika approached

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

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 The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

) 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)'' wit ...

'', 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 The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

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

compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...

''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 ...

, 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. 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 music, hip hop in Middle America (United Sta ...

used a sample of her biggest US hit, "Toy Soldiers", for "

Like Toy Soldiers "Like Toy Soldiers" is a song by American rapper Eminem, from his fifth album ''Encore'' (2004). The song received positive reviews from music critics, and peaked at number 34 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Outside the United States, "Like Toy S ...

", 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 Pre ...

'' 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 A border is a geographical boundary. Border, borders, The Border or The Borders may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Border'' (1997 film), an Indian Hindi-language war film * ''Border'' (2018 Swedish film), ...

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 Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Gibson released her debut album '' Out of the Blue'' in 1987, which spawned several international hits, later being certified triple plati ...

Samantha Fox Samantha Karen Fox (born 15 April 1966) is an English pop singer and former glamour model from East London. She rose to public attention aged 16, when her mother entered her photographs in an amateur modelling contest run by ''The Sunday Peopl ...

, and

Rick Astley Richard Paul Astley (born 6 February 1966) is an English singer, songwriter and radio personality, who has been active in music for several decades. He gained worldwide fame in the 1980s, having multiple hits including his signature song " Ne ...

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 Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

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 ...

Kajagoogoo Kajagoogoo were a British new wave band, best known for their 1983 hit single "Too Shy", which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart, and the Top 10 in numerous other countries. History Beginnings (1978–1982) Formed in Leighton Buzzar ...

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 of

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 in ...

, Men Without Hats and Stacey Q. For her performance at the tour, she received positive reviews from the Australian press.

Personal life

Martika lived in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County, Ohio, Greene County. The 2020 United S ...

, 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 The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

, 1990 , " Toy Soldiers" , Most Performed Song , , , - !scope="row" rowspan=6,

Smash Hits Poll Winners Party The Smash Hits Poll Winners Party was a British awards ceremony which ran from 1979 (as the Smash Hits Readers' Poll) to 2005. Each award winner was voted by readers of the '' Smash Hits'' magazine. It ended with the closure of the magazine in F ...

, 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

* ''

'' (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 , , '' 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 , , , - ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" , Television , - ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes , - , 1984-1986 , ''

'' , Gloria , 65 episodes , - , 1985, , ''

Hardcastle and McCormick ''Hardcastle and McCormick'' is an American action crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 18, 1983, through May 5, 1986. The series stars Brian Keith as Judge Milton C. Hardcastle and Daniel Hugh Kelly as ex-con and rac ...

'' , , 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 ''Silver Spoons'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982, to May 11, 1986, and in first-run syndication from September 27, 1986, to May 30, 1987. The series was produced by Embassy Television for the f ...

'' , 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 broadc ...

'' , , 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 ...

'', ,

References

External links

* *

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

* * * {{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