Martina Topley-Bird facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martina Topley-Bird
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Topley-Bird performing with Massive Attack at Conegliano in 2009
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| Birth name | Martina Gillian Topley |
| Born | 7 May 1975 St Pancras, London, England |
| Origin | Bristol, England |
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| Years active | 1993–present |
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Martina Gillian Topley-Bird (born 7 May 1975) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. She first became well-known for her singing on the album Maxinquaye (1995) by the artist Tricky. This album was a big part of the new music style called trip hop.
Martina also worked with Tricky on his next albums, Nearly God and Pre-Millennium Tension (both in 1996). In 2003, she released her first solo album, Quixotic. This album received great reviews and was even nominated for a Mercury Prize, a famous music award.
After Quixotic, she released more albums: Anything (2004), The Blue God (2008), and Some Place Simple (2010). She has also worked with other famous groups like Gorillaz on their album Demon Days (2005). She sang with Massive Attack on their album Heligoland (2010) and toured the world with them. Her song "Sandpaper Kisses" has been covered by other artists and used in a video game.
Contents
Martina Topley-Bird's Early Life
Martina Topley-Bird was born in London, England. She was named after her father, Martin Topley. Her stepfather, Drayton Bird, added his last name to hers. Martina grew up in a big family with many siblings.
Her family later moved from London to Bristol. She remembered moving around a lot as a child. She said it helped her grow and adapt to new places. Martina went to Clifton College, where she sang in the school choir and took piano lessons.
As a child, Martina listened to R&B, opera, and soul music. When she was a teenager, she started listening to alternative rock. She became a fan of bands like The Sugarcubes and Faith No More.
Martina Topley-Bird's Music Career
Working with Tricky
In 1993, when Martina was still a teenager at Clifton College, she met Tricky. He saw her singing to herself near his house. She recalled that it was a very unexpected way to meet.
They started working together on music. Martina sang on Tricky's first album, Maxinquaye (1995). Most of her singing on that album was recorded in just one take. She said it felt very natural and unplanned. Martina continued to sing on Tricky's next albums, including Nearly God (1996) and Pre-Millennium Tension (1996).
Starting a Solo Career
After 1998, Martina decided to start her own music career. In 2003, she released her first solo album, Quixotic. She recorded it in Los Angeles, California. She worked with a production team called AMP9.
Martina said the album was about how people connect emotionally. She also thought about her life as she turned 29, the same age her father was.
Quixotic was a success in the UK. It reached No. 70 on the UK Albums Chart. Critics liked it, and it was nominated for the 2003 Mercury Music Prize. In 2004, a slightly different version of the album was released in the United States. It was called Anything.
In 2005, she sang "I Only Have Eyes for You" for a special album called Sweetheart 2005: Love Songs. This album featured modern musicians covering classic love songs.
Her second solo album, The Blue God, came out in May 2008. The song "Carnies" was the first single from the album. It reached No. 20 on the UK Indie Charts. The album received good reviews. The BBC praised it, saying it mixed different music styles.
In 2010, Martina sang on two songs, "Babel" and "Psyche," for the Massive Attack album Heligoland. She also toured with Massive Attack, performing as a guest singer. Her third album, Some Place Simple, was released in July 2010. It had simpler versions of her older songs and four new ones.
Martina performed the Maxinquaye album live in London in 2012. She also sang on songs for electronic musician Clark's album Iradelphic. In 2013, she worked with Mark Lanegan and Warpaint on a cover song. She also toured with Warpaint. In 2015, she was the lead singer on the song "The Day is My Enemy" by The Prodigy.
In 2018, Martina released the song "Solitude." This song was later part of a four-song collection called MTB Continued. In May 2021, she released "Pure Heart," a song from her album Forever I Wait. This album came out in September 2021. Martina said she was very happy with how Forever I Wait turned out.
Martina Topley-Bird's Music Influences
Martina Topley-Bird has mentioned several artists who inspired her music. She looks up to singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday for their vocal styles. For instrumental music, she is influenced by Tom Waits and Serge Gainsbourg.
She also finds inspiration for her album artwork in Bollywood and Asian movies. She especially likes the work of director Park Chan-wook.
Martina Topley-Bird's Personal Life
Martina Topley-Bird has an older sister named Elizabeth. She lives with her partner in Valencia, Spain, as of 2021. She has said that she believes in having a healthy spiritual life, even though she does not consider herself religious.
Discography
Albums
- Quixotic (2003) (UK)
- Anything (2004) (A different version of Quixotic released in the US)
- The Blue God (2008)
- Some Place Simple (2010)
- Forever I Wait (2021)
Singles
- "Need One" (2003)
- "Anything" (2003)
- "I Still Feel" (2003)
- "Soul Food" (2004)
- "Carnies" (2008)
- "Poison" (2008)
- "Baby Blue" (2008)
- "Crystalised" (2013) (with Mark Lanegan and Warpaint)
- "Solitude" (2018)
- "Pure Heart" (2021)
- "Hunt" (2021)
Guest Appearances
Martina Topley-Bird has lent her voice to many other artists' songs:
- Tricky – on Maxinquaye (1995), Nearly God (1996), Pre-Millennium Tension (1996), and Angels with Dirty Faces (1998)
- Primus – on Antipop (1999)
- David Holmes – on Bow Down to the Exit Sign (2000)
- Diplo – on Florida (2004)
- Gorillaz – "All Alone" from Demon Days (2005)
- Common – "Everywhere" from Universal Mind Control (2008)
- Leila – on Blood Looms and Blooms (2008)
- Massive Attack – "Babel" and "Psyche" from Heligoland (2010)
- Clark – on Iradelphic (2012)
- The Prodigy – "The Day Is My Enemy" from The Day Is My Enemy (2015)
- Tricky – "When We Die" (2016)
Images for kids
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Martina Topley-Bird performing with Massive Attack in Conegliano in 2009
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Martina Topley-Bird performing with Massive Attack in Conegliano, 2009
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Martina Topley-Bird performing with Massive Attack, 2009
See also
In Spanish: Martina Topley-Bird para niños
