Mandy Capristo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mandy Capristo
Capristo performing in 2024.
Background information
Birth name	Mandy Grace Capristo
Also known as	Grace Capristo
Born	(1990-03-21) 21 March 1990 (age 35) Mannheim, West Germany
Genres	Pop, dance-pop, soul, R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Starwatch Universal EMI Warner
Associated acts	Monrose Senna Gammour Bahar Kizil

Mandy Grace Capristo (born March 21, 1990), also known simply as Mandy, is a German singer and songwriter. She first became famous as a member of the girl band Monrose. Later, she started a successful solo career.

Mandy was born in Mannheim and grew up in Bürstadt, Germany. She began singing and dancing competitions in 2001. She won the Kiddy Contest, a TV singing show for teens in Austria. Her winning song was Ich wünsche mir einen Bankomat. In the mid-2000s, Mandy became well-known with Monrose. This group was formed on the German TV talent show Popstars. Monrose released four albums and many hit songs before they split up in 2011.

After Monrose, Mandy started her own music career. In 2011, she worked with singer Peter Maffay on a song for his Tabaluga musical. Her first solo album, Grace, came out in 2012. She also took part in the German dance show Let's Dance. Her first solo song, "The Way I Like It", was released in April 2012.

Life and career

Early life and career beginnings

Mandy Grace Capristo was born in Mannheim. Her father, Vittorio Capristo, is Italian, and her mother, Carmen, is German. Mandy grew up in Bürstadt. She has an older brother named Anthony. Her parents separated when she was a teenager.

Mandy started gymnastics, dance, and piano lessons when she was four years old. At age seven, she focused on dancing. In 2001, her music teacher encouraged her to join the Kiddy Contest in Austria. She won with her song "Ich wünsche mir einen Bankomat". This song later appeared on a popular album called Kiddy Contest, Vol. 7. Mandy also appeared on TV shows like Tabaluga Tivi. In 2002, she recorded another song called "Mosquito" for a Kiddy Contest album.

Becoming famous with Monrose

Monrose performing at a charity concert in Cologne, Germany in 2007

In 2006, Mandy decided to try out for the German TV show Popstars. This show was on the ProSieben TV channel. In the final show, viewers voted for Mandy to join the girl band Monrose. She became a member along with Senna Gammour and Bahar Kızıl.

The group's first song, "Shame", quickly became number one in Germany. It was one of the best-selling songs that year. Monrose released their first album, Temptation, in December 2006. It also went to number one and sold many copies.

From 2006, Monrose released four studio albums: Temptation, Strictly Physical, I Am, and Ladylike. All of these albums reached the top 10 on the music charts. Their songs "Shame" and "Hot Summer" were both number one hits. Monrose released eleven singles in total, and seven of them reached the top 10 in Germany. They also won awards, including the Comet Award for Best Single in 2008 and Best Band in 2009.

On November 25, 2010, Monrose announced they would break up. Each member wanted to work on their own music. Their last TV performance as a group was on February 27, 2011. They sang "Like a Lady" on the show Austria's Next Topmodel.

Starting a solo music career

Mandy Capristo in 2012

After Monrose ended, Mandy confirmed she had already started recording her first solo album in November 2010. In May 2011, she performed two new songs. One song, "Be You", was written for Be-Yu Cosmetics. The other song was "Overrated".

Mandy also worked with German singer Peter Maffay. They recorded a song called "Die Zeit hält nur in Träumen an". They performed it together on a TV show called Wetten, dass..? in October 2012. Mandy then went on tour with Peter Maffay for his Tabaluga musical.

In March 2012, Mandy announced her first solo song, "The Way I Like It". It was released on April 13. Her first album, Grace, came out on April 27. She worked with new music labels, EMI and Starwatch Entertainment. Her second song from the album was "Closer".

On March 14, 2012, Mandy joined the dance show Let's Dance. This is the German version of Dancing with the Stars. She danced with professional dancer Stefano Terrazzino.

In 2016, Mandy changed her artist name to Grace Capristo. She released a song called "One Woman Army". Later that year, she released "Ricorderai l'Amore (Remember the Love)" with Italian singer Marco Mengoni.

In 2018, she went back to using her original name, Mandy Capristo. She released the song "Si es amor" with singer Larsito. In September 2020, she released her first German song, "13 Schritte", with Warner Music. She plans to release her second album in German.

Artistry

Music and voice

Mandy Capristo has mostly released songs in English. She has sung in German for the Tabaluga project and the movie Tangled (with Monrose). She even sang a song called Grace in Italian, even though she doesn't speak the language.

Mandy has said, "I feel most comfortable with English, because I personally think that my voice sounds at its best." She also added, "It is very important that I decide my projects." Music critics have praised her vocal talent, especially in acoustic versions of her songs.

Musical influences

Mandy Capristo looks up to Beyoncé as a big musical influence and idol. She sang Beyoncé's song "If I Were a Boy" at an awards show. She also named Whitney Houston as another artist who inspired her to sing. Mandy said, "Destiny's Child have been with me all my life, and that's how I started in music." She also enjoys music by India Arie and Sade Adu. Other artists who have influenced her include Rihanna and Nicole Scherzinger. Working with Peter Maffay also taught her a lot for her solo career.

Advertising work

Mandy Capristo has worked with several brands. In 2007, she signed a deal with Gillette Venus. That same year, she modeled for the fashion brand Ed Hardy. In 2008, Mandy filmed commercials for ProSieben and presented their We Love Collection. In October 2008, she was the face of the Nintendo DS game Just 4 Girls. She also modeled for the Otto catalog and was on its cover. From 2010, she had a two-year contract with the cosmetics brand BeYu. She has also modeled for companies like Mercedes and L'Oréal.

Social commitment

Mandy Capristo is involved in social causes. In 2007, she performed at Schau nicht weg!, a concert against violence. This was part of a campaign by Bravo magazine to help young people deal with issues like bullying.

In 2008, Mandy became an ambassador for the Federal Foundation for Children's Hospice. She also supported the issue of climate change through the Climmate Fashion program as a judge. For this program, fashion designers created clothes using only eco-friendly materials. Since 2011, Mandy has also helped with Germany's efforts to aid victims of famine in East Africa. She believes it's important to use her platform for good, especially in the entertainment world.

Personal life

Mandy Capristo dated German footballer Mesut Özil starting in 2013. They appeared together at the Bambi awards ceremony in Berlin in 2015.

Discography

Studio albums

• Grace (2012)

Awards and nominations

Results

Tours

• The Graceful Acoustic Tour (2012)
• Tabaluga-Tour (2012)
• Disney Musical "Aladdin" (2018)

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Mandy Capristo para niños