Firmly grounded in the tradition of acoustic-rock, Vicci Martinez writes and performs music that is personal and often autobiographical.

Martinez won the regional tryouts for the first season of American Idol, but declined her invitation to the second round on the grounds that, in her opinion, the contract was too restrictive.

Billboard magazine praised her diverse performance abilities saying "she gives every song a mature delivery and she appears comfortable in whatever skin she has chosen to adopt on a given night.

Her 2012 chart hit, "Come Along", a cover of a 2001 single from Swedish recording act Titiyo, featured Cee Lo Green.

In 2018, after being discovered by the casting director via a google search, Martinez played inmate Daddy on season 6 of the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black.