Marta Marrero[1] (born May 18, 1969),[2] better known by her stage name Martika (/mɑːrˈtiːkə/ mar-TEE-kə), is an American pop singer and actress.
[2] She entered mainstream show business in an uncredited role as one of the girls in the 1982 motion picture Annie.
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 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.
15 US[5]), 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,[6] Ireland,[7] Germany,[8] and Australia.
[7] A fourth and final single from the album, "Water", entered the lower regions of the UK[6] and Australian charts.
The song has also been recorded by Brazilian singers Deborah Blando (on her 1991 debut, A Different Story), Elba Ramalho, and Frances Ruffelle.
9 in Australia,[9] and spawned further hits with the songs "Coloured Kisses" and the title track, "Martika's Kitchen".
Martika played the role of the lounge singer Dahlia Mendez in the crime drama TV series Wiseguy in 1990,[2] opposite Steven Bauer who took over from Ken Wahl for the fourth and final season.
She eventually faded from the public eye in 1992 after walking away from the music industry, due to burnout and feeling overwhelmed with the burden of fame.
Adopting a Latin pop sound, she and Mozart released Oppera's debut album, Violince, in 2004.
In 2010, Martika, using the stage name Vida Edit, starred as Lolly Pop and co-produced a web-based television action program J8ded.
She performed in 2014 alongside Debbie Gibson, Samantha Fox, and Rick Astley at a HitParade Festival in Chile.