Singer Mandy Capristo was born on March 21, 1990, in Mannheim, Germany. Best known as a member of the girl group Monrose, Capristo took dancing and piano lessons at the age of four and then became a contestant in Austria's Kiddy Contest in 2001, for which she recorded her first song, "Ich Wünsche Mir Einen Bankomat." Her 2002 follow-up, "Moskito," topped the Austrian charts, but Capristo's parents rejected the record contract she was offered because she was too young. In 2006, at the age of 16, Capristo took part in the casting show Popstars -- Neue Engel Braucht das Land, and eventually was selected to become a member of the pop group Monrose together with Bahar Kýzýl and Senna Guemmour. During the band's five-year existence, the trio scored seven Top Ten singles in Germany and sold over 1.5 million records. After Monrose disbanded in 2011, Capristo launched her solo career with the release of 2012's R&B/soul-tinged pop album Grace, which entered the German album charts at number eight. ~ Christian Genzel