Martina Topley-Bird

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Martina Topley-Bird is a British vocalist 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 continued her collaboration with Tricky on his follow-up album Pre-Millennium Tension as well as his Nearly God side-project. Martina and Tricky were never married. However, they did co-habit and have a child together.

Following a falling-out of their professional and personal relationship in 1998, Topley-Bird began pursuing a solo career. It was not until 2003 that she released her debut album Quixotic on Independiente Records (with Tricky appearing on one track, "Ragga," as producer and guest vocalist). Upon its release it received rave reviews from critics and was a finalist for the 2003 Mercury Music Prize. "Need One", "Anything", "I Still Feel" and "Soul Food" were released as singles in the UK. In Brazil, the song "Lullaby" was used in the campaign for the juice powder Clight. The song "Sandpaper Kisses" is featured on the soundtrack of the video game Fahrenheit (known as Indigo Prophecy in the United States).

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.

In 2004, Martina appeared on "Into the Sun," a track from Diplo's album Florida. A year later, she made a guest appearance (alongside Roots Manuva) on the Gorillaz track "All Alone", on the album Demon Days. As of September 2005, she is at work on her second solo album.

Martina did background vocals for two songs on Primus' album Antipop in 1999. She has also appeared as guest vocalist on the track "Devil Take My Soul" featured on the Son Of Dave album 02.

Samples of "Sandpaper Kisses" are prominently featured in Stephen Marley's "You're Gonna Leave" from his 2007 release Mind Control.