EIGHTIES pop icon Martika looks like she’s ageing backwards 35 years after huge hit, working with Prince and Eminem and quitting fame.
The 55-year-old – real name Marta Marrero – is best known for her tune Toy Soldiers which was released in 1989.
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Toy Soldiers got to the number one spot in the US.
She won the best performed song at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards in 1990.
It was such a hit that rapper Eminem sampled the song for his Like Toy Soldiers from his 2004 album Encore.
Martika shot to fame in the early 80s on children’s TV show Kids Incorporated.
It wasn’t until 1988 when her debut studio album Martika was released that she was recognised in mainstream.
She later released Martika’s Kitchen in 1991.
Martika wrote her second album with Prince and it included hits such as Love Thy Will Be Done.
Her popular songs include More Than You Know and I Feel the Earth Move.
In 1992 she decided to take a break from music.
In an interview back in 2016 she explained why, saying she simply “didn’t want to be in the public eye.”
Martika added: “The music industry is extremely self indulgent and egocentric and narcissistic. If all you ever do is talk about yourself what kind of person do you become?
“The pressures of the music industry, of that life, I backed away from that. It’s much better for your sanity and the human side of one’s self.”
She continued to tell News.com.au: “It can be a little bit overwhelming to try and make everyone happy. I didn’t really have a business perspective. Now, all these young acts know it’s a business, they know you’re a brand. And that’s what it is, you’re an artist but you’re really a product.
“But we’re human beings, we’re not a can of soup. It’s not like you’re on the shelf for sale, but yet you’re made to feel like that.
“All of that was confusing for a young mind. I’m just a person. So I took the scenic route of my life. I went ‘Hey, I think I wanna do my life away from that world’.”
On her official website it states that she did perform at a number of events in 2019.
She’s been married to Michael Mozart since 2001.
On May 20 she took to her X account to thank fans for their birthday wishes.
She said: “I want to thank everyone for all of the beautiful birthday wishes! It means so much to me.
“I don’t post often but I do read many of your posts.
“I am working in Martika’s Kitchen (hee hee). I have ALWAYS been slow to produce things, but I am cooking up something.
“Love ya!”
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