We spoke with Nancy Grim Kells, founder of Richmond-based Grimalkin Records, about the foundation of their record label and how they see it as their mission to guide Queer and Trans musicians through their journey of music and artists, they see it as their mission to guide Queer and Trans musicians through their journey of music and artistry. 

When was Grimalkin Records founded, and what is the backstory behind it?
Grimalkin Records is a trans and queer-led mutual aid-oriented record label. Our mission at Grimalkin Records is to mentor and support queer and trans musicians, particularly BIPOC and disabled artists, using an artist-centered holistic approach to break down barriers, create new systems and structures of support, and expand the reach of marginalized voices. It was collectively created to support and foster connections between queer artists (with priority to QTBIPOC), listeners, and their local communities and grassroots organizations.

As a record label, we release music, produce merchandise, host benefit shows, educational workshops, and skill shares, support artists, and promote the work of queer and trans artists worldwide. Sales from our releases benefit the artists, grassroots organizations, and mutual aid collectives of the artists’ choosing. See a list of organizations we’ve supported to date.

Grimalkin Records held a music festival not too long ago. Did it go as expected? 

Yes! We had it at Fallout in Richmond on August 21. We hope to be able to do more next year, and we’d love to bring in more artists from out of town and perhaps have a much bigger or longer festival next year. The event was essentially friends hanging out and performing for each other, and many of us, especially the folks from out of town, loved the opportunity to meet in person for the first time. We have a virtual hangout and business meeting each month, so we know each other virtually, but this was an opportunity to get together in person, which was truly special. It would be great to meet more folks in our community in real life at a future Grimalkin festival.

Can you tell us more about the educational, musical, and production support and services you all provide to marginalized artists?
We have an international network of trans, queer and BIPOC artists, musicians, videographers, producers, and studios that can provide video and music production services to marginalized artists across the world. We fundraise and use other funding and grants to be able to support trans, queer and BIPOC musicians and producers to provide these services and support to other marginalized artists. We also use a sliding scale system for those who can contribute and help pay for production services.

We also provide individualized mentorship opportunities from our international network of artists, musicians, writers, and other creatives who specialize in various skills (music journalism, event planning, booking shows, running a label, managing artists, etc.). They can mentor established and emerging artists who might benefit from one-on-one mentoring and support to further their career, hobby, and/or creative endeavors.

We encourage musicians of all ages to join us and submit their music. You can see lists of support you can get and support you can give on our website here.