Italian Nina is chasing her dream

She has just graduated from the conservatory in Milan, but at the Metal Factory in Eindhoven, Italian Nina Grimm (24 years old) can truly pursue her passion. “There’s a metal scene here.”

It’s certainly not the most logical step to move from a songwriting course at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan to the Metal Factory. But for Nina Grimm – her stage name, her real name being Andreina Grimaldi – it feels like coming home. “In Italy, you can’t make a living from metal music. There are successful metal bands, but they rarely perform in their own country. If you don’t make pop or rap in Italy, you can forget it. So, I quickly realized that I had to leave my homeland because I want to earn a living from metal music.”

Idol Leads Her to Eindhoven

A discovery on Instagram brought her to Eindhoven. “I follow Marcela Bovio on Insta. She’s an amazing singer, truly an idol of mine. In her profile, I saw ‘vocal coach at @metal.factory’. I dived into it. I found out she teaches in Eindhoven, at a school entirely focused on metal. I didn’t know such a thing existed. Wow, I thought, that’s where I want to go! I applied and have been attending the program since September.”

Learning New Skills

Nina enjoys her studies every day. “I learn a lot. Band skills, instrument skills, playing together, composing together. I didn’t learn that at the conservatory. I’m also building a great network and learning from my fellow students. Everyone is very helpful and motivated. Fortunately, the lessons are in English, so I can easily follow them.” As for music theory, they can’t teach Nina anything new in Eindhoven. “I gained that knowledge at the conservatory. Therefore, it’s nice that I don’t have to follow the theory. Instead, I get more Marketing, so I can promote myself well later on. You don’t learn that at the conservatory either.”

Building a Future

Nina also enjoys life in the Netherlands outside of her studies. “I’ve already made some friends and regularly go to gigs. All my favourite bands perform here. Foreign acts, but also Dutch bands like Within Temptation, Anneke van Giersbergen, and For All We Know.” She continues: “I’m grateful for the opportunity I have here. Of course, I miss my family, but my mother, who also loves the Netherlands, visits regularly. My Italian boyfriend would like to come and live with me. My goal is to make a living from my work in metal. That’s possible here, so I’m determined to build a future in the Netherlands.”

Nina Grimm’s video’s

This is Nina’s song ‘into the blue’
This is Nina covering Pain Of Salvation song ‘Song of The Innocent’
This is Nina’s song ‘Spooky Love’