Debuting her career at the hands of "the King" Roberto Carlos, Martinha had her songs recorded by him, Erasmo Carlos ("Só Sonho Quando Penso Que Você Sente O Que Eu Sinto"), Melina di Capri, and Sergio Bardotti ("Eu Te Amo Mesmo Assim"), also going to the top parades with her own renditions ("Vai Ser Assim," "Eu Te Amo Mesmo Assim," and "Pouco a Pouco" -- the latter with César Augusto). Martinha was introduced to Roberto Carlos in her hometown back in June 1966. Already famous locally, both as a singer and as a composer (she began at five to play the piano and also played a little guitar at that time), she gave Carlos a good impression and he invited her to São Paulo. Moving to that city, accompanied by her mother, Martinha started in the Jovem Guarda show and started to record jingles for Rádio Jovem Pan. In early 1967, she released her first singles, "Barra Limpa" and "Não Brinque Assim." Soon she became a favorite in the Northeast, near the headquarters of her recording company, Mocambo. Later that year, she released her first LP and had several hits in Brazil and other countries. In February 1968, she won the Chico Viola trophy, which was awarded to the best albums of 1967. In March, she participated in the opening of Roberto Carlos' new TV show, Roberto Carlos À Noite. Beginning her international career at the end of the Jovem Guarda (early 1969), Martinha performed in Portugal and Argentina, where Melina di Capri had success with her re-recording of "Eu Te Amo Mesmo Assim," while Martinha's "Eu Daria a Minha Vida" reached number two in Uruguay, which urged Sergio Bardotti to write a Spanish version. Martinha continued to record and perform, but she was prejudiced by the extinction of Mocambo in the '70s, as her original recordings weren't reissued. ~ Alvaro Neder