Marta Marrero (born May 18, 1969), known as Martika, is an American singer-songwriter and actress, who released two internationally successful albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s, selling over four million copies worldwide. Her biggest hit was 'Toy Soldiers' which peaked at number 1 for two weeks in the American charts in mid-1989.She is also known for her role as Gloria on Kids Incorporated. Toy Soldiers: The Best Of Martika - Playlist. 1 video Play all Flow With the Go - Playlist. This item has been hidden. Uploads Play all. Martika - Martika's Kitchen - Duration: 4 minutes, 11 seconds. 50,639 views; 10 months ago; 4:19.

Marta Marrero^[1] (born May 18, 1969), known as Martika, is an American singer-songwriter and actress, who released two internationally successful albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s, selling over four million copies worldwide.^[2] Her biggest hit was 'Toy Soldiers' which peaked at number 1 for two weeks in the American charts in mid-1989. She is also known for her role as Gloria on Kids Incorporated.

Life and career[edit]

Early life and career[edit]

Martika was born in Whittier, California, United States, to Cuban parents from Havana. 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 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 the stage name of Martika Marrero before shortening it to just 'Martika' and has used it 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. 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 officially available.^[3]

Rise to prominence[edit]

Her first album, 1988's Martika (No. 15 US^[4]) spawned the song 'Toy Soldiers', which she co-wrote with her producer Michael Jay, and became a top-5 hit in the United Kingdom,^[5] Ireland,^[6] Germany,^[7] and Australia.^[8] In the US, 'Toy Soldiers' spent two weeks at No. 1^[9] in 1989 and was certified Gold by the RIAA.^{[citation needed]} 'Toy Soldiers' also went to No. 1 in New Zealand.^[10]

Two additional singles also went top 40 in the US: 'More Than You Know' (No. 18^[9]) and 'I Feel the Earth Move' (No. 25^[9]), which was a cover of Carole King's song from her album Tapestry. Both of those tracks also hit the top 20 on the US Dance charts^[11] and the UK Singles Chart.^[5] 'I Feel the Earth Move' also reached the top 10 in Australia,^[8] New Zealand,^[10] and Ireland.^[6] A fourth and final single from the album, 'Water', entered the lower regions of the UK^[5] and Australian charts.^[8]

The album was certified gold in the US in 1989,^[12] platinum in the UK in 1990,^[13] double platinum in Australia,^[14] and sold three million copies worldwide.^{[citation needed]}

Shop over 3,000 liquors and spirits at Total Wine & More liquor store. Find the best selection of bourbon, whiskey, gin and more for in-store pick-up or delivery to your home. Buy wine and spirits online. AMERICA’S BEST ONLINE LIQUOR STORE. Uptown Spirits delivers your favorite liquor, beer, and wine directly to your door. With a large selection of popular spirits and hard to find rare liquors, we are your one stop shop for all your alcohol needs. Whether you are looking for whiskey, tequila, cognac, liqueur, rum, vodka, or any other type of. Spirits Unlimited liquor stores has been serving beer, wine & liquor to the Jersey Shore since 1979. We have over a dozen locations in Monmouth & Ocean County for your shopping convenience.

In 1990, Martika co-wrote the track 'Kiss Me Quick' with Michael Jay and Marvin Morrow. The track was given to freestyle/pop singer Alisha for her 1990 album Bounce Back, where Martika also contributed backing vocals on the track.^[15]

1990s[edit]

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. The producers of the album did not like her vocals and so the song was re-recorded by Sara Hickman for the film. The song has also been recorded by Brazilian singers Deborah Blando (on her 1991 debut, A Different Story), Elba Ramalho and Frances Ruffelle.

In 1991, Martika approached Prince to do some new tracks.^[16] Among these was her second (and last) US Top-10 single,^[9] 'Love.. Thy Will Be Done', which also became a Top-10 hit in the UK^[5] and reached #1 in Australia.^[8] '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 the Billboard Top Albums chart.^[4] The title track received only minor airplay in the US, and reached #93 on Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[9] However, the album was a bigger success abroad, though on a lesser scale than her debut. It peaked at #15 in the UK Albums Chart,^[5] No. 9 in Australia,^[8] 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 on her album Burnin'.

Martika played the role of the lounge singer Dahlia Mendez in the cop show Wiseguy in 1990, opposite Steven Bauer who took over from Ken Wahl 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.^[17]

In 1997, a greatest hits compilation album entitled The Best of Martika: More Than You Know was released. It achieved sales figures of over 500,000 copies internationally.^{[citation needed]}

Re-emergence[edit]

During the 2000 explosion of Latin pop, Martika sang backing vocals on various projects^[which?] and contributing 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 called 'The Journey'. She also recorded a track entitled 'Monday' for a new solo album which the website stated was on its way. 'The Journey' had 5,000 hits as a free download on mp3.com's music service.^{[citation needed]} Eventually, however, her website was shut down, the album never materializing.

In 2003, Martika and her husband, musician Michael Mozart formed the band Oppera. Adopting a Latin pop sound, she and Mozart released Oppera's debut album Violince, in 2004. Rapper Eminem used a sample of her biggest U.S. hit, 'Toy Soldiers', for 'Like Toy Soldiers', a track on his 2004 album Encore and featured Martika on the chorus of the track. It entered at No. 1 in the United Kingdom.^{[citation needed]} 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, now going under the stage name Vida Edit, starred as Lolly Pop and co-produced a web-based television action program J8ded. The low-budget show was made available via subscription for four episodes.^{[citation needed][18]}

In October 2011, Martika stopped using the stage name Vida Edit and launched a new personal website. She began uploading video blogs promising an upcoming album. In November 2011, she announced the new album would be released in early 2012, and would be primarily house and dance music titled The Mirror Ball.^{[citation needed]} She then announced the first single, 'Flow with the Go'. The single's release was delayed, allegedly for personal reasons; according to her Facebook page, the loss of a family member.^{[citation needed]} She announced the intent to release a second single, 'SloMotion', but as of July 2015 (more than three years later) neither the full-length album or the second single has surfaced.^{[citation needed]}

On October 1, 2012, Martika announced an Australian tour, but it was cancelled without explanation.^{[citation needed]} Her official website announced that the Mirror Ball tour in the United States was due to begin in Chicago on November 19, 2012, with additional dates in Elk Grove and Cincinnati.^{[citation needed]} However, between 2012 and 2015 she appeared in a total of five live performances, all at small club venues. The exception was a performance in 2014 alongside Debbie Gibson, Samantha Fox, and Rick Astley at a HitParade Festival in Chile.^[19][20]

In July 2016, she was part of the 'Totally 80s Tour' of Australia. The concerts included seven international 1980s acts, including Martika, Berlin, Limahl of Kajagoogoo, Paul Lekakis, Katrina from Katrina and the Waves, Men Without Hats and Stacey Q. For her performance at the tour she received strongly positive reviews from the Australian press.^[21]

Martika resided in Dayton, Ohio for several years with her musician husband, concentrating on married life.^[17]

Discography[edit]

• Martika (1988)
• Martika's Kitchen (1991)
• Violince (2004, as Oppera)
• Oppera (2005, as Oppera)

References[edit]

1. ^Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 351. ISBN978-1-904994-10-7.
2. ^'BIOGRAPHY'. martikamartika.com.
3. ^'Entertainment 80 Ryan Samans, Martika singing 'Bounce Back''. YouTube. July 20, 2007. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
4. ^ ^ab'Billboard > Artists / Martika > Chart History > Billboard 200'. Billboard. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
5. ^ ^abcde'Official Charts > Martika'. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
6. ^ ^ab'The Irish Charts - All there is to know > Search results for 'Martika''. Fireball Media. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
7. ^'Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Martika - Toy Soldiers (single)' (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
8. ^ ^abcdeAustralian (ARIA Chart) peaks:
   • Top 50 peaks: 'australian-charts.com > Discography Martika'. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on February 21, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
   • Top 100 peaks: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
9. ^ ^abcde'Billboard > Artists / Martika > Chart History > The Hot 100'. Billboard. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
10. ^ ^ab'charts.nz > Discography Martika'. Hung Medien. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
11. ^'Billboard > Artists / Martika > Chart History > Dance Club Songs'. Billboard. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
12. ^'Gold & Platinum'. RIAA. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
13. ^'BPI > Certified Awards > Search results for 'Martika''. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
14. ^Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
15. ^'Alisha – Bounce Back (CD, Album) at Discogs'. Discogs.com. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
16. ^Paul Cashmere (June 26, 2012). 'Martika Explains How Prince Crafted Love Thy Will Be Done News Music News'. Noise11. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
17. ^ ^abMike Devery (March 24, 2016). 'Martika - Today Extra interview March 2016' – via YouTube.
18. ^Adams, Cameron. 'Whatever happened to Martika?'. NewsComAu. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
19. ^Paul Cashmere (October 1, 2012). 'Martika Aussie Tour Cancelled Live Music News'. Noise11. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
20. ^'HOME'. martikamartika.com. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
21. ^Dwyer, Michael (July 16, 2016). 'Totally 80s! review: Martika steals show with timeless hits'. The Sydney Morning Herald.

External links[edit]

• Martika on IMDb
• Martika at AllMusic
• Martika discography at Discogs
• Dennis Hunt (March 5, 1989). 'Playing a Sultry Vixen'. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
• Diane Telgen; Eva M. Neito; Jim Kamp (March 1993). Notable Hispanic American Women. Thomson Gale. p. 251. ISBN978-0-8103-7578-9.