Martina Topley-Bird
Encyclopedia
Martina Topley-Bird is a British vocalist and songwriter who first gained fame as the featured female vocalist on trip hop
pioneer Tricky
's debut album, Maxinquaye
(a printing error credited her as "Martine"). She worked with him on his follow-up albums and, in 2003, released her own solo album, Quixotic
.
,Topley-Bird was educated at Clifton College
where she sang in the choir. It was while she was a teenager at the school that she met trip hop pioneer Tricky, with whom she worked on his first album Maxinquaye
. She continued her collaboration with Tricky on his follow-up albums Nearly God
, Pre-Millennium Tension
and Angels with Dirty Faces
.
Following a falling-out of their professional and personal relationship in 1998, she began pursuing a solo career. It was not until 2003 that she released her debut album, Quixotic
(Independiente Records
), mainly produced by Topley-Bird and production team AMP9 (Alex McGowan, Steve Crittall, Nick Bird) at Space Eko Recording Studios London. Upon its release, it received positive reviews from critics and was a finalist for the 2003 Mercury Music Prize. The song "Sandpaper Kisses" from the album was featured in the video game, Fahrenheit
(released in North America as Indigo Prophecy).
The album finally saw a release, of sorts, in the United States
in July 2004 when the Palm Pictures label released a re-designed and re-sequenced version with a new title (Anything), a trimmed-down tracklisting and all-new cover art.
The following year she appeared on the Starbucks
compilation album, Sweetheart 2005: Love Songs
, which features contemporary musicians covering classic love songs. She sang "I Only Have Eyes for You
", a song originally by composer Harry Warren
and lyricist Al Dubin
.
Her second solo album, The Blue God
, was released in May 2008. The track "Carnies" was released as the first single on 3 March 2008 and reached No.20 on the UK Indie Charts. "Poison" was released as the second single and reached No.9 on the Indie Charts.
In 2010, Topley-Bird appeared on the album Heligoland by Massive Attack
, lending her voice on the tracks "Psyche" and "Babel". She also toured with Massive Attack as their support act and providing guest vocals. Topley-Bird's third album, Some Place Simple, was released in July 2010. It contained stripped-down versions of songs from her first two releases, along with four new songs.
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
pioneer Tricky
Tricky
Tricky is an English musician and actor. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound and a whispering sprechgesang lyrical style. Culturally, Tricky encourages an intertwining of societies, particularly in his musical fusion of rock and hip hop, high art and pop...
's debut album, Maxinquaye
Maxinquaye
Maxinquaye is the debut album of the English musician and actor Tricky, released in 1995. Expanding on the sonic template of fellow Bristolians Massive Attack, and featuring then-girlfriend Martina Topley-Bird on vocals, Maxinquaye is a dark, mysterious album featuring a combination of hip-hop,...
(a printing error credited her as "Martine"). She worked with him on his follow-up albums and, in 2003, released her own solo album, Quixotic
Quixotic (album)
Quixotic is the debut album by English singer-songwriter Martina Topley-Bird. The album spans several musical styles including trip-hop, electronic and rock. It was co-written and produced by Topley-Bird and received positive reviews from music critics upon its release and was shortlisted for the...
.
Biography
The daughter of a well known advertising executive, Drayton BirdDrayton Bird
Drayton Bird was born in 1936 near Liverpool, UK. His father ran a pub and he credits this with his lifelong interest in people.In November 2003 the Chartered Institute of Marketing named Drayton Bird one of 50 living individuals who have shaped today’s marketing, other names included Kotler,...
,Topley-Bird was educated at Clifton College
Clifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
where she sang in the choir. It was while she was a teenager at the school that she met trip hop pioneer Tricky, with whom she worked on his first album Maxinquaye
Maxinquaye
Maxinquaye is the debut album of the English musician and actor Tricky, released in 1995. Expanding on the sonic template of fellow Bristolians Massive Attack, and featuring then-girlfriend Martina Topley-Bird on vocals, Maxinquaye is a dark, mysterious album featuring a combination of hip-hop,...
. She continued her collaboration with Tricky on his follow-up albums Nearly God
Nearly God
-Album name, recording history, collaborators:The album's title comes from an interview where Tricky was asked "So how does it feel to be God... well, nearly God."...
, Pre-Millennium Tension
Pre-Millennium Tension
-Track notes:*The song "Christiansands" appeared in Ultimate X: The Movie, 24, G:MT – Greenwich Mean Time and Face/Off.*The song "Makes Me Wanna Die" appeared in The Replacement Killers.-Album Reception:...
and Angels with Dirty Faces
Angels With Dirty Faces (Tricky album)
Angels with Dirty Faces is the fourth album of Bristol, England rapper/producer Tricky, released in 1998. The title is taken from the film of the same name....
.
Following a falling-out of their professional and personal relationship in 1998, she began pursuing a solo career. It was not until 2003 that she released her debut album, Quixotic
Quixotic (album)
Quixotic is the debut album by English singer-songwriter Martina Topley-Bird. The album spans several musical styles including trip-hop, electronic and rock. It was co-written and produced by Topley-Bird and received positive reviews from music critics upon its release and was shortlisted for the...
(Independiente Records
Independiente Records
Independiente is a record label formed in 1997 after Andy MacDonald sold Go! Discs Records to PolyGram in 1996 for a reported £30 million. In the UK, the label is distributed Vital PIAS....
), mainly produced by Topley-Bird and production team AMP9 (Alex McGowan, Steve Crittall, Nick Bird) at Space Eko Recording Studios London. Upon its release, it received positive reviews from critics and was a finalist for the 2003 Mercury Music Prize. The song "Sandpaper Kisses" from the album was featured in the video game, Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit (video game)
Fahrenheit, also known as Indigo Prophecy in North America, is a cinematic adventure video game developed by Quantic Dream and manufactured and marketed by Atari Europe SAS...
(released in North America as Indigo Prophecy).
The album finally saw a release, of sorts, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in July 2004 when the Palm Pictures label released a re-designed and re-sequenced version with a new title (Anything), a trimmed-down tracklisting and all-new cover art.
The following year she appeared on the Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
compilation album, Sweetheart 2005: Love Songs
Sweetheart 2005: Love Songs
Sweetheart 2005: Love Songs is a compilation album, released under Starbucks' Hear Music label in January 2005 in the United States. Sold in stores, the album features contemporary musicians covering classic love songs.-Track listing:...
, which features contemporary musicians covering classic love songs. She sang "I Only Have Eyes for You
I Only Have Eyes for You
"I Only Have Eyes for You" is a popular song by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Al Dubin, written in 1934 for the film Dames where it was introduced by Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler....
", a song originally by composer Harry Warren
Harry Warren
Harry Warren was an American composer and lyricist. Warren was the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song eleven times and won three Oscars for composing "Lullaby of Broadway", "You'll Never Know" and "On the Atchison,...
and lyricist Al Dubin
Al Dubin
Alexander "Al" Dubin was an American lyricist. He became known through his collaborations with the composer Harry Warren.-Life and works:...
.
Her second solo album, The Blue God
The Blue God
The Blue God is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter Martina Topley-Bird, her first in five years. Released on May 12, 2008, the album had been complete since at least September 2007. Since then, Topley-Bird slowly revealed track titles and posted songs from the album on her...
, was released in May 2008. The track "Carnies" was released as the first single on 3 March 2008 and reached No.20 on the UK Indie Charts. "Poison" was released as the second single and reached No.9 on the Indie Charts.
In 2010, Topley-Bird appeared on the album Heligoland by Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
, lending her voice on the tracks "Psyche" and "Babel". She also toured with Massive Attack as their support act and providing guest vocals. Topley-Bird's third album, Some Place Simple, was released in July 2010. It contained stripped-down versions of songs from her first two releases, along with four new songs.
Albums
- QuixoticQuixotic (album)Quixotic is the debut album by English singer-songwriter Martina Topley-Bird. The album spans several musical styles including trip-hop, electronic and rock. It was co-written and produced by Topley-Bird and received positive reviews from music critics upon its release and was shortlisted for the...
(2003, IndependienteIndependiente RecordsIndependiente is a record label formed in 1997 after Andy MacDonald sold Go! Discs Records to PolyGram in 1996 for a reported £30 million. In the UK, the label is distributed Vital PIAS....
) - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#70 - Anything (2004, Palm PicturesPalm PicturesPalm Pictures is a US-based entertainment company owned and run by Chris Blackwell. Palm Pictures produces, acquires and distributes innovative music and film projects with a particular focus on the DVD format...
) - The Blue GodThe Blue GodThe Blue God is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter Martina Topley-Bird, her first in five years. Released on May 12, 2008, the album had been complete since at least September 2007. Since then, Topley-Bird slowly revealed track titles and posted songs from the album on her...
(2008, Independiente) - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#88, FRFRFR may stand for:* FR Fireball, a fighter aircraft of the US Navy* Farbrausch, a German demogroup* Federal Register, the official journal of the Federal Government of the United States* First responder...
#149 - Some Place Simple (2010, Honest Jon'sHonest Jon'sHonest Jon’s is an independent record shop based on Portobello Road in Ladbroke Grove, London, going since 1974. The shop is owned and run by Mark Ainley and Alan Scholefield, who took over from one of the original proprietors, ‘Honest’ Jon Clare...
) - SWISWISWI can refer to:* Switzerland — this is not the ISO 3166-1 code, which is CHE.* The National Rail code for Swindon railway station, which serves the town of Swindon, Wiltshire in the United Kingdom...
#60
Singles
- 2003 "Need OneNeed One"Need One" is a song by British singer Martina Topley-Bird, released as the first single from the album Quixotic. It was released on 2 June 2003 and reached #76 on the UK Singles Chart...
" - 2003 "Anything"
- 2003 "I Still Feel"
- 2004 "Soul Food"
- 2008 "Carnies"
- 2008 "Poison"
- 2008 "Baby Blue"
Collaborations
- Topley-Bird is credited as a vocalist on "Conversing Among Misfits", a song from 1998 debut (self-titled) album by Earthlings?Earthlings?Earthlings? are a psychedelic rock band based in Joshua Tree, California. The band includes members from Queens of the Stone Age, Desert Sessions, Eagles of Death Metal, Kyuss, Masters of Reality, Goatsnake, The Twilight Singers, Gutter Twins, Yellow#5, Legal Weapon, Sea Hags, Modifiers, Orquesta...
. Her performance is hard to hear in the final mix however. - In 1999, she contributed vocals to "Dirty Drowning Man" and "Coattails of a Dead Man" on PrimusPrimus (band)Primus is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde and drummer Jay Lane. Primus originally formed in 1984 with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth, later joined by Lane, though the latter two departed...
's album AntipopAntipopAntipop is the sixth studio album by alternative rock band Primus, released on October 19, 1999 before their hiatus in 2000-2003. It is also the last album with drummer Bryan Mantia....
. - In 2000, Topley-Bird appeared on David HolmesDavid Holmes (musician)David Holmes is a Northern Irish DJ, musician and composer.-Career:Holmes began djing in Belfast from the age of 15. His first hit was the song "DeNiro", with Ashley Beedle, in 1992. In the early to mid 1990s he ran two club nights in the Belfast Art College known as Sugar Sweet and Shake Yer Brain...
's album Bow Down to the Exit SignBow Down to the Exit SignBow Down to the Exit Sign is an album by David Holmes, featuring contributions from Bobby Gillespie, Sean Gullette, Jon Spencer, Martina Topley-Bird and Carl Hancock Rux.- Track listing :# "Live From The Peppermint Store"# "Compared To What"...
. - In 2004, Topley-Bird appeared on "Into the Sun", a track from Diplo's album Florida.
- In 2004, Topley-Bird contributed vocals to "Spoiled", on the Blues Explosion's album Damage.
- In 2005, she made a guest appearance (alongside Roots ManuvaRoots ManuvaRodney Hylton Smith , better known by his stage name Roots Manuva, is a British rapper from Stockwell, South London. He is currently signed to Big Dada.-Biography:...
) on the GorillazGorillazGorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
track "All Alone", on the album Demon DaysDemon DaysDemon Days is the second studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, released in May 2005. The album features contributions from De La Soul, Neneh Cherry, Martina Topley-Bird, Roots Manuva, MF DOOM, Ike Turner, Bootie Brown of the Pharcyde, Shaun Ryder, Dennis Hopper, the London Community Gospel...
. She also was featured in the unreleased Gorillaz song, "Snakes and Ladders", also with Roots Manuva. - In 2005/2006, Topley-Bird sang vocals for "Can't Be Serious" from A Mountain of One's debut 12" EP, later included on the group's 2007 Collected Works compilation.
- In 2006, Topley-Bird appeared on the song "Devil Take My Soul" on the Son of Dave record 0202 (album)02 is the third album by Son of Dave. It includes original songs and three covers of blues classics.-Track listing:-External links:*...
. - Topley-Bird appears on the songs "Why Should I?" and "Deflect" on LeilaLeila ArabLeila is an Iranian recording artist, producer and dj based in London.She has worked with prominent European musicians such as Björk, and has released music on Rephlex Records, XL Recordings and Warp Records....
's 2008 album, Blood, Looms and Blooms. "Deflect" was also the lead track on the pre-album EP Deflect. - She contributes vocals on the SaturnaliaSaturnalia (album)Saturnalia is the first studio album by The Gutter Twins, a collaboration between Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan. The album, which was started as far back as 2003, was released on March 4, 2008. Prior to the album's release, the duo began posting songs on their official MySpace page...
album by The Gutter TwinsThe Gutter TwinsThe Gutter Twins is a musical collaboration between rock musicians Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan. Dulli and Lanegan have regularly contributed to each other's projects since 2000, most notably in Dulli's Twilight Singers; of the duo's origins, Dulli said "I think Mark told a journalist we were doing...
("The Body") (2008) - In 2008, on her single "Poison", she collaborates again with Roots Manuva and Gorillaz on the B-side track "Soldier Boy".
- She makes an appearance on rapper Common's album Universal Mind ControlUniversal Mind Control-Chart positions:In its first week, Universal Mind Control sold 81,663 in the United States.As of December 31, 2008, the album has sold 211,781.- Release history :-External links:* at Metacritic*...
, on a song entitled "Everywhere". - In 2009, she sang and co-wrote "Psyche" and "Babel" by Massive AttackMassive AttackMassive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
, for their 2010 album Heligoland
Song appearances
- "Need One" appears on the CSI: MiamiCSI: MiamiCSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
episode "Blood Brothers" in 2003. - "Need One" was used in a television advertisement for Toyota's Corolla VersoToyota CorollaThe Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million...
in 2004. - "Sandpaper Kisses" appears on the soundtrack of the 2005 videogame FahrenheitFahrenheit (video game)Fahrenheit, also known as Indigo Prophecy in North America, is a cinematic adventure video game developed by Quantic Dream and manufactured and marketed by Atari Europe SAS...
. - In 2007, her song "Da Da Da Da" was used in the film Virgin TerritoryVirgin TerritoryVirgin Territory is a 2007 romantic comedy film based upon Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron. It has also been known under the working titles The Decameron, Angels and Virgins, Guilty Pleasures and Chasing Temptation. The film's Italian title Decameron Pie pays tribute to both the title of the...
. - "Need One" was featured in an advertisement for H&MH&MH & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
on Swedish and Dutch television during autumn of 2008. - "Ilya" was used in "Lap Dance", an episode from The L WordThe L WordThe L Word is an American co-production television drama series originally shown on Showtime portraying the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Greater Los Angeles, California city of West Hollywood...
' s second season. - "Soul Food" was used in 2009 in the film ObsessedObsessed (2009 film)Obsessed is a 2009 American thriller film directed by Steve Shill. The Screen Gems production stars Idris Elba, Beyoncé Knowles and Ali Larter...
.
External links
- Moon Palace (German fansite)
- "Girl interrupted" from The ObserverThe ObserverThe Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
Magazine, 25 May 2003 - Anything @ Palm Pictures