By Karina Kurani, Music & Fashion Contributor
Mandy Capristo is a woman that truly embodies beauty, poise and grace. This multi-talented German singer has accomplished unimaginable success despite her young age. If you are living in Germany, Austria or Switzerland, then you have probably heard of Miss Capristo, however for our readers from the UK and beyond allow us a little introduction.
Mandy Capristo comes from Mannheim - a city in southwest Germany and her journey into the performing arts started with music and dance lessons. Very soon a childhood hobby grew into an unstoppable drive, that led Mandy to participate in singing contests and castings. The TV show "Popstars“ was her first big break, after which she was chosen to be a part of the girlband "Monrose". From that point on Mandy's career has gone from strength to strength. The astonishing success she experienced as a member of her band Monrose opened multiple doors for Mandy.
Aside from music, she became the face of leading beauty brands such as L’Oréal and Kiss. Through her solo album "Grace", Mandy uncovered a more personal side of herself which was extremely popular by fans and critics alike. Other highlights in Mandy's resume include: German Disney voice overs and the role of Jasmin in the musical Aladdin. On top of her main ambition in music, Mandy has built a platform called FELICE with the main aim to support mental health. In today's interview Mandy opens up about "FELICE”.
But first...
Meet Mandy
She has two dogs - Don Capone the pug and Butch her Golden Retriever
She is half Italian & half German and speaks both languages
She duetted with Italian singer Marco Mengoni
She recently tried surfing with her boyfriend and loved it
The Interview
Dear Mandy, Thank you so much for joining me for this interview. We are excited to find out all about FELICE and your music!
I have to thank you. I'm sitting here with a big smile on my face, answering your questions. I appreciate your support over all these years and I love the bond I have with my fans. Some I’ve met very often in the last 15 years. Some never, so that’s an incredible way of staying connected. That means a lot to me.
Felice
Q. FELICE is a platform that is all about mental health, finding yourself and unlocking true happiness. So what inspired you to start things off?
The topic of mental health has always been very important to me. Over the years I found myself in moments where I realised that I needed help in certain areas. Besides reading books and keeping myself educated I felt a need to dive deeper into the topic. For me, it came quite naturally, but I started to notice that for a lot of people it is still a taboo subject that wasn’t spoken about enough. In Germany, we call it a "Tabu Thema" which means something you don’t talk about. For me personally, I can’t understand that as I believe we should put our Mental Health first, above all else to prioritise our wellbeing. I came to understand that people don’t know what to do when they find themselves in difficult situations mentally, therefore I wanted to build a platform that could offer help, education and take away the feeling of loneliness by creating an open space to share. To start a community - that is my goal!
Q. What is the most important thing that you would want your listeners to
take away from " FELICE”?
The first step we took was to release a podcast called “Hey, FELICE!". My primary wish was to give people a place where they could find help, get answers for their feelings, share their emotions and feel less alone. It was extremely important to me to interview experts with the knowledge and influence to lead myself and my listeners through these difficult topics. After all, we have tricky brains as humans and we ought to know more about them.
Q. FELICE means happiness in Italian. What is happiness to you?
I find happiness in so many things. Mainly in the little things in life. Most of all, happiness is bring surrounded by my family, my close friends or living through my music. I also love to connect with people. Having good conversations. Sometimes it's also just reading a good book, or buying myself flowers. Happiness knocks so often on our door, we just need to open the door to let it in.
Q. What can we expect from " FELICE” in season two?
We’ll be diving into more topics and sharing the space with some new and exciting guests. But I am also very interested to know what the community would like to hear on the next Podcast so please send me your suggestions!
Q. What is the inspiration behind your podcast content and ideas?
Experience comes from living life and life brings about true emotions and true struggles within us. I want to share what I learned over the years as well as finding answers to the questions I have. I'm almost certain that I am not the only one who doesn’t have all the answers to some of life’s questions yet. Especially when it comes to mental health; there always so much we can all learn.
Hey Felice! Podcast
Let's talk music
Q. Your fans are eager to hear new music from you so please could you give us some insight into what’s to come ?
I am so so grateful for all the support and the love I get from my fans. It is a huge inspiration to me and always drives me to make music. We are just in the middle of planning the next release after taking some time to experiment and try different things so I’m excited to share something that I feel really inspired to have created.
Q. What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in
the music industry?
The biggest thing it taught me is to be disciplined. Do not let the success get to your head or the failure get to your heart.
Q. What are the three most played songs on your playlist right now?
Oh, that’s a good question. So apparently I’m completely in love with John Mayer! I mean who wouldn’t be, right? I love Gravity, Your Body is a Wonderland and Last Train To Home.
Mandy's latest song "GENUG" talks about finding self worth and happiness from within. The video for the song reflects the same message while also highlighting and showcasing the beauty of diversity.
Mandy Capristo - GENUG
Released 4th May 2021
Thanks for reading!
Karina x