Charlotte Wessels

Johanna Charlotte Wessels (born 13 May 1987) is a Dutch singer and songwriter.

She is best known as the former lead vocalist for the symphonic metal band Delain.

Wessels has been trained in both jazz singing and classical singing.

She was first trained in jazz, but later, her instructor suggested classical singing to her.

However, Wessels has stated that she found classical training to be very restrictive, and so she likes to do something "in between the classical and the jazz stuff, and if you look at classical music with high vocal lines, then you kind of get to gothic very soon!"

She joined a gothic metal band named To Elysium around the age of fifteen or sixteen.

She mentions in an interview that her parents had to sign a contract because she was still underage.

Wessels became involved with Delain in 2004 when she met Martijn Westerholt formerly of Within Temptation.

Since the band was meant to be a studio project only, Westerholt asked if she could write some lyrics and vocalize.

She thought it was going to be a one-time thing.

In 2005 they signed a deal with Roadrunner Records.

She was the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the band.

She departed the band in February 2021, with Delain reforming as a solo musical project of Martijn Westerholt as well as announcing that she would be launching a solo career.

In Wessels' statement on her departure, she wished the other departing members and the fans well:

""I hope that Delain remains a positive force in everyone's lives.

We Are The Others, always will be, and none of this changes that.""

In May 2021 during an interview, she reflected on her departure from Delain in February, stating that she was grateful that she got to work with the other musicians in the band.

Wessels, along with Georg Neuhauser from Serenity and Oliver Philipps from Everon, formed a symphonic rock group named Phantasma.

They were signed to Napalm Records and released a concept album titled The Deviant Hearts.

Wessels not only sings on the album, but also wrote her debut novella called The Deviant Hearts especially for it.

The novella is included with the album's physical release.

When asked in 2014 who her influences are, Wessels said

My parents had quite good taste in music so I had some of the classic rock influences; Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, and Kate Bush.

My brother really got me into metal, those were really the high days of Metallica.

Actually, Toxicity by System of a Down is still one of my favorite records ever.

Right now, I am really into the alternative rock scene, Radiohead is my favorite band ever.

I adore Muse and Nick Cave.

Then there is the corner of the great female songwriters like Tori Amos, Björk.

That pretty much covers it.

In August 2020, Wessels released the single, "Lizzie" which features Alissa White-Gluz as part of a collaboration.

Following her departure from Delain, Wessels had released a solo single, "Soft Revolution" via her Patreon which was Song of the Month in January 2021.

On 14 May 2021, Wessels released a cover of Gerard McMahon's "Cry Little Sister", a song featured in the 1987 film The Lost Boys.

On 30 June 2021, she released a music video of the single, "Superhuman".

On 1 June 2021, Wessels announced the title of her first studio album, Tales from Six Feet Under, a collection of multiple genres ranging from indie pop to synth-infused rock.

It was released on 17 September 2021.

All of the songs were made in her home studio, where she wrote, produced, and performed all the instruments on the record.

Following the release of her solo album, she released her new song "Tonight" on 25 November 2021.

On 28 June 2022, Wessels announced her second studio album, titled Tales from Six Feet Under, Vol. II, which was released on 7 October 2022.

Wessels also appeared on the EP The Alchemy Project by the Dutch symphonic metal band Epica, on the song "Sirens – Of Blood and Water", alongside Amalie Bruun.

A music video for this song was released on 11 November 2022.