Midi Kwakwa Reflects On Growing Up In Germany and Finding Her Musical Identity

Diaspora-based singer, Midi Kwakwa, has opened up about her multicultural upbringing and how it shaped her unique musical identity.

Speaking on Culture Daily, the Ghanaian-born artiste shared that her stage name “Midi” actually originated from a childhood nickname.

“My full name is Mildred,” she explained. “When I was younger, my cousin couldn’t pronounce Mildred properly and kept calling me Midi and it just stuck.”

Her full name, Mildred Schmidbauer, often surprises people due to its strong German roots. According to the singer, the name sometimes leads people to assume she is European when they first hear it.

Although both of her parents are Ghanaian, Kwakwa was born and raised in Germany, where she spent most of her early years before eventually relocating to the Netherlands.

She recalled discovering her musical ability at the age of 12 when her music teacher noticed her talent in school and began mentoring her.

“He introduced me to legends like Nina Simone and Ray Charles, so I started performing a lot of soul music,” she said.

The exposure helped shape her sound and stage presence, with performances both in school and across her local community in Mülheim, Germany.

Despite being one of only two Black students in her school, Kwakwa says she experienced strong support from classmates and teachers.

“We were treated like superstars in school because we were the singers,” she recalled.

Kwakwa credits global pop culture and Black musical icons for shaping her artistic direction. She cites artistes such as Beyoncé, Brandy, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu as key influences.

Her music blends Afrocentric themes with alternative R&B, Reggae elements and neo-soul influences.

Kwakwa said her professional journey began around 2018 when she recorded music independently and later released a song titled FLOW with the help of friends while visiting Ghana.

Initially attempting to upload the song herself, she later learned she needed a distributor to release music on digital streaming platforms.

Since then, she has continued releasing music and performing internationally.

The singer recently released a new single titled FREAKY, which she describes as an experimental blend of alternative R&B, Rock elements and Reggae influences.

The track was recorded across multiple locations, including London and the Netherlands, with Kwakwa often producing vocals from her home studio setup.

She says Ghana remains an important part of her journey and credits the local music community for supporting her early work.

“Without Ghana, my career might look very different,” she said.