Melina Sophie

Melina Sophie (born September 13, 1995, as Melina Sophie Baumann) is a German web video producer and influencer. Melina Sophie grew up in Minden alongside her younger brother and attended the Herder-Gymnasium there. She launched her first YouTube channel in October 2013 under the name "LifeWithMelina." She gained significant attention, in part through fellow YouTuber Liont. In late 2014, she moved to Cologne, and over the following years, she evolved into one of Germany's most well-known influencers. At its peak, her YouTube channel reached over 1.8 million subscribers and garnered more than 300 million views. In 2015, she appeared alongside other YouTubers in the film *Kartoffelsalat – Nicht fragen!* (Potato Salad – Don't Ask!). Beyond YouTube, she also achieved great success on Instagram and Twitter, where she amassed several million followers. In July 2015, she released a video titled "Coming Out," in which she publicly disclosed her homosexuality. In 2016, she moved to Iceland for several years, where she purchased a house and, among other pursuits, dedicated herself to learning the Icelandic language. She has been living back in Germany since 2020. In 2019, she launched a new YouTube channel under the name "melina." In 2021, she also contributed to the book project *Coming-out: Queere Stars über den wichtigsten Moment in ihrem Leben* (Coming Out: Queer Stars on the Most Important Moment in Their Lives). In late December 2021, Melina Sophie announced her withdrawal from the public eye and the end of her career. However, in 2024, she made a significant return to social media; she reactivated her Instagram presence and, for a time, released the podcast *Geplant Spontan – Podchaos mit Melina Sophie* (Planned Spontaneity – Pod-Chaos with Melina Sophie).