Billie Ray Martin

Techno diva Billie Ray Martin was born and raised in Hamburg, spending her teen years in London and Berlin; initially influenced by '60s soul and early '80s industrial, during the mid-'80s she led a Motown-inspired soul band dubbed Billie and the Deep, gaining her first exposure on the Berlin club circuit. After moving back to England in 1987, she formed the techno-pop group Electribe 101, scoring a series of club hits including "Talking with Myself." Eventually going solo, Martin debuted in 1995 with Deadline for My Memories; the first single, "Your Loving Arms," not only reached the UK Top Ten but also topped the American club charts, while its follow-up "Running Around Town" fell just shy of the US Top Ten. Martin resurfaced in 1999 with the Crimes & Punishment EP, which was followed two years later by 18 Carat Garbage, her first album released on her own Sonnenstahl imprint.