'Toy Soldiers’ success no surprise to Martika

Press, 6 October 1989, Page 27

'Toy Soldiers’ success no surprise to Martika

Music

By

NEVIN TOPP

Martika is pleased, but not surprised, about the pop success of her single, “Toy Soldiers,” which has been in top 10s round the world. It seems surprising that a song about drug addiction should get to No. 1. “Toy Soldiers” was co-written by Martika and the American singer and producer, Michael Jay. Martika is one of the sort of multi-media persons who combine acting and singing now becoming prevalent in the music industry. She is on the look-out for new challenges. She has done a lot of television work, including an American programme, “Kids Inc.,” and would not like to go back to television unless it offered something to extend her talents. “It has just been announced that Michael Jackson is going to do the first three-dimensional programme, so I can’t say that

I’ll never go back to television,” she said. Martika is the daughter of Cuban immigrants in the United States and grew up in Southern California with the ambition from an early age of “making it.” She began singing and dancing at the age of four, and was promising in ballet before taking up acting. At the age of 11 she was already calling agents on her own, and it was at this point her parents realised she was serious about a show business career.

Now her mother is her manager, and her family accompany her on tours. One of her brothers will accompany her on a promotion tour to Europe, and her mother was with her on a 30date U 5. tour over six weeks with Rick Astley.

Martika has no qualms about show business; she chose her own band after holding auditions. Perhaps, the only disadvantage she has is that there are greater demands on her time because she is a solo artist. She acknowledges this when asked if she has plans to tour New Zealand, stating she is in demand in other places as well.

Other ambitions include starring in a mini-series, if she returns to television work, and making an album of Spanish music, since Spanish is the language that she uses when she is at home.

Work has already started on a new album as a follow-up to her debut LP, but she does not expect to have a new record out until some time next year. In the meantime, her work with Jay, producer of such groups as Five Stars and Miami Sound Machine, is paying off.