Martika

Marta Marrero (born May 18, 1969), better known professionally as Martika ( mahr-TEE-kə), is an American singer and actress. She rose to prominence as an actress, playing the role of Gloria in the television programme Kids Incorporated between 1984 and 1986. Following her appearance in the show, Martika signed a recording contract with Columbia Records, and in October 1988, released her self titled debut album to critical acclaim. It spawned the internationally successful single "Toy Soldiers", which peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. It received similar commercial success in other international territories, and received a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. Other singles released from the album – "More Than You Know", "I Feel the Earth Move" and "Water" – also achieved commercial success. The album sold over three million copies worldwide. Her second and most recent album, Martika's Kitchen (1991), failed to match the commercial success achieved by Martika. It did, however, spawn a number of commercially successful singles, including "Love... Thy Will Be Done" and "Martika's Kitchen", both of which charted within the Billboard Hot 100, while "Coloured Kisses" achieved some commercial success in the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia. The album was certified Gold by both the Australian Recording Industry Association and British Phonographic Industry. Martika's Kitchen is estimated to have sold over one million copies worldwide. In 1992, she quit the music industry, citing burnout and feeling overwhelmed with the burden of fame. She returned to the music industry in 2000, forming the band Oppera with her husband Nikki. In 2005, her single "Toy Soldiers" was heavily sampled on "Like Toy Soldiers" by American rapper Eminem, with Martika credited as one of the songwriters. In 2012, she released her first solo single since 1993, "Flow With the Go", via DCR Records, which originally was intended to serve as the lead single from a third album, titled Mirror Ball. The album was eventually shelved for personal reasons.