Austrian schlager vocalist Monika Martin has long been identified by admirers as Der Stille Star, or the Silent Star, thanks to a prolific string of successes that stretches back to her first single, “La Luna Blu,” issued in 1996. Although primarily associated with schlager, she ranks among the foremost Austrian exponents of volkstümliche musik, a contemporary offshoot of volksmusik that favors modern themes and arrangements over traditional Alpine imagery. On three separate occasions she has represented Austria at the Grand Prix der Volksmusik, entering “La Luna Blu” in 1996, “Goodbye Farewell” in 1998, and “Heute Fühl Ich Mich Wie Zwanzig” in 2006.
Martin came into the world on May 7, 1962, in Graz. She enrolled for solo-singing instruction at Kunstuniversität Graz in 1982; to support those studies she fronted the tanzband the Heart Breakers from 1986 to 1992, a group that issued the album Dafür Dank’ Ich Dir in 1990 under the billing the Heart Breakers mit Dr. Ilse Bauer. Concurrently she pursued degrees in art history and ethnology, completing a Ph.D. in 1990, after which she taught art until 2000 and launched a ceramics workshop in Graz in 1994.
Her solo recording career began in earnest in 1995 when she joined Koch Records and unveiled the debut album La Luna Blu the following year. Its title track became one of her signature hits, placing second among Austrian entries at the Grand Prix der Volksmusik. The follow-up, Immer Nur Sehnsucht (1997), again qualified her for the Austrian competition and yielded the major success “Goodbye Farewell.” Her third collection, Klinge Mein Lied (1999), proved her strongest commercial outing to that point, attaining gold certification even without a single matching the impact of “La Luna Blu” or “Goodbye Farewell.”
Having established herself as a bankable artist, Martin left the classroom in 2000 to devote herself entirely to music. A steady sequence of well-received albums ensued: Mein Liebeslied (2000), Napoli Adieu (2001), Drei Stimmen d’Amour (2001, recorded with Mara Kayer and Francine Jordi), Mein Gefühl (2002), Das Beste von Monika Martin (2002), Himmel aus Glas (2003), Eine Liebe Reicht für Zwei (2004), Ave Maria: Lieder Zur Stillen Zeit (2004), Ein Kleines Glück (2005), Schmetterling d’Amour (2005), Heute Fühl’ Ich Mich Wie Zwanzig (2006), Aloha Blue (2007), Sehnsucht Nach Dir (2007), Und Ewig Ruft die Liebe (2008), Erhebet die Herzen (2008), and Du Hast Mich Geküsst (2009). Numerous entries reached the Top 20 or Top Ten in Austria and charted between positions 50 and 100 in Germany. Among her most enduring singles from these years are “Gib Einem Kind Deine Hand” (2000), “Schweige Mein Herz” (2000), “My Love” (2000), “Napoli Adieu” (2001), “Hast Du Heute Schon Gelächelt” (2002), “Eine Liebe Reicht für Zwei” (2004), “Ich Träum Mich Heute Nacht in Deine Arme” (2005), “Heute Fühl Ich Mich Wie Zwanzig” (2006), and “Mozartgasse 10” (2008).
