Mina Richman

Mina Richman is the solo project of 23-year-old German-Iranian Mina Schelpmeier. Born in Berlin, having been raised in small-town Bad Salzuflen, she took metropolitan impulses into her childhood spaces from an early point. She started her vocal training at age 16; and first performances left her wanting more. She soon added guitar to her arsenal to make her independent while making music. Her stage name was taken from the Cher quote “Mom, I am a rich man.” Her desire for independence as well as her critical stance regarding gender roles are well represented in her lyrics.

Before the pandemic put an abrupt halt to her live performances, Mina performed at the Bielefeld International Women’s Day demonstration and sang duets with Hamburg musician Bernd Begemann (Kunsthalle Bielefeld; NrzP). She gets going again in 2021, playing solo shows as well as support slots for Enno Bunger and Alin Coen. Inspired by strong women like Joan as Policewoman, Tracy Chapman, or Nina Simone, she enthrals her audiences with her cordiality, a voice that resonates to the core, and a sincere streak that allows for both humour and vulnerability at the same time.