diff --git a/examples/widgets/label_with_markup.py b/examples/widgets/label_with_markup.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a11794d43
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/widgets/label_with_markup.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+from kivy.app import App
+from kivy.lang import Builder
+
+root = Builder.load_string('''
+Label:
+    text:
+        ('[b]Hello[/b] [color=ff0099]World[/color]\\n'
+        '[color=ff0099]Hello[/color] [b]World[/b]\\n'
+        '[b]Hello[/b] [color=ff0099]World[/color]')
+    markup: True
+    font_size: '64pt'
+''')
+
+class LabelWithMarkup(App):
+    def build(self):
+        return root
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    LabelWithMarkup().run()
diff --git a/kivy/core/text/markup.py b/kivy/core/text/markup.py
index 9fe816220..fabdc922d 100644
--- a/kivy/core/text/markup.py
+++ b/kivy/core/text/markup.py
@@ -217,14 +217,15 @@ class MarkupLabel(MarkupLabelBase):
         uw, uh = self.text_size
 
         # split the word
+        default_line_height = get_extents(' ')[1]
         for part in re.split(r'( |\n)', word):
 
             if part == '':
-                part = ' '
+                continue
 
             if part == '\n':
                 # put a new line!
-                line = [0, 0, []]
+                line = [0, default_line_height, []]
                 lines.append(line)
                 continue
 
@@ -310,26 +311,18 @@ class MarkupLabel(MarkupLabelBase):
         # create texture is necessary
         texture = self.texture
         mipmap = self.options['mipmap']
-        if texture is None:
-            if data is None:
-                if platform() in ('android', 'ios'):
-                    colorfmt = 'rgba'
-                else:
-                    colorfmt = 'luminance_alpha'
-                texture = Texture.create(
-                        size=self.size, colorfmt=colorfmt,
-                        mipmap=mipmap)
-            else:
-                texture = Texture.create_from_data(data, mipmap=mipmap)
-            texture.flip_vertical()
-        elif self.width != texture.width or self.height != texture.height:
-            if data is None:
-                texture = Texture.create(size=self.size, mipmap=mipmap)
-            else:
-                texture = Texture.create_from_data(data, mipmap=mipmap)
+        if texture is None or \
+                self.width != texture.width or \
+                self.height != texture.height:
+            texture = Texture.create_from_data(data, mipmap=mipmap)
+            data = None
             texture.flip_vertical()
+            texture.add_reload_observer(self._texture_refresh)
+            self.texture = texture
 
         # update texture
-        self.texture = texture
-        self.texture.blit_data(data)
+        # If the text is 1px width, usually, the data is black.
+        # Don't blit that kind of data, otherwise, you have a little black bar.
+        if data is not None and data.width > 1:
+            texture.blit_data(data)
 
diff --git a/kivy/properties.pxd b/kivy/properties.pxd
index 307c0c7ea..b7c19ccc1 100644
--- a/kivy/properties.pxd
+++ b/kivy/properties.pxd
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 cdef class Property:
     cdef str _name
     cdef int allownone
-    cdef object defaultvalue
+    cdef public object defaultvalue
     cdef init_storage(self, object obj, dict storage)
     cpdef link(self, object obj, str name)
     cpdef link_deps(self, object obj, str name)