The woman who sang one of the most iconic song intros of all time was pushed aside in favor of “more traditionally photogenic people.” 33 years later, viewers are realizing where the vocals from a certain legendary ’90s track came from. Her name is Martha Wash, and few millenials know who she is despite being the face of a once number-one track.
Martha Wash Sang Famous Song Intros in the 90s
Wash is a powerful house music singer, part of 15 number-one songs and intros. Even though her voice was heard, she was never really seen until now. People call her “the most famous unknown singer of the ’90s.” She sang the intros to songs like “It’s Raining Men” from 1983, “Ride on Time” from 1990, and “Give it to You” from 1993.
Recently, an interview resurfaced of Wash on the Arsenio Hall Show in 1990, where Wash is seen belting out the opening lines of “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now),” shocking viewers as they recognized her voice.
Viewers React to the Interview
Viewers finding the video now reacted with comments like she looked exactly the way they thought she would look. Another viewer added that they knew the voice belonged to a curvier lady because they grew up in church hearing choirs sing. Yet another pointed out the downside of the 80’s music was too focused on singers looking like flashy, pretty models, and that the people who actually had a good voice were hidden in the background. Most agreed that Wash deserved more credit and air time than she got.
Wash talked about “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” in a 2017 interview and how her vocals were intially recorded as a demo. She said it felt like she was “reaching for the ceiling trying to hit the notes” due to how high the vocals were, feeling like she was screaming, but fans everywhere would surely disagree.