Daughter of Martinho da Villa, Mart'nália has been playing samba since birth. Since a young age, she has accompanied her father, an icon of Brazilian samba, in the “samba rodas” of Vila Isabel.
It was in this atmosphere that she fell in love with samba and learned to dance, sing, play the guitar and the tambourine.
Professionally on stage from the age of 16 as her father's singer alongside her sister Analimar. In the mid-90s, she began her solo career and performed live under her name, which led her to release her first samba album, titled Minha Cara.
 
Mart'nália has had the privilege of being recognized by big names in Brazilian popular music. Caetano Veloso provided artistic direction for his album Pé de meu Samba, of which he composed the title song, and Maria Bethânia produced the album Menino do Rio. From these two albums, Mart'nália began to attract media attention, performing in concerts throughout Brazil and then internationally with tours of Europe and Africa.