Charlotte Wessels: Tales Of A Bright Future
It’s a common misconception that musicians only write music in the style they are known for. From 2004 to earlier this year, Charlotte Wessels was the vocalist for Dutch symphonic metallers DELAIN, whose founder Martijn Westerholt announced their split in February. However, the wealth of material that Charlotte was producing meant she had begun to consider a solo release of songs outside of her band that were in a different style and format – along with the aforementioned, though, pretty soon life changed for everyone.
“I was always planning on releasing solo material at some point, but naturally I wasn’t planning on a global pandemic or DELAIN to split,” she says with a wry smile. “I’ve always written a lot of material on my own and done side projects in the past (she contributed to The Deviant Hearts by PHANTASMA in 2015). I even considered writing weird pop and electronic songs and selling the off to other artists. Basically, I wanted to do something myself; however, at the time I had the band so it wasn’t really an option. When the pandemic hit, having followed AMANDA PALMER on Patreon and been a fan of her journey there along with other artists, I realised that was the route I had to take. I almost didn’t launch it because it felt like a weird time to be asking people for money, but I had 500 sign-ups on the first day and it’s been a lifesaver in what has been a very sucky year!”
Initially releasing one song a month on her Patreon, Charlotte understood that she would have to bring them to a different platform for those who couldn’t commit to a monthly contribution or didn’t use the site; Napalm Records stepped up to help out, and Tales From Six Feet Under was born, referencing the name of the studio the tracks were created in. It’s a gorgeous collection of synth-pop, rock and alternative tracks that showcase everything Charlotte is capable of in one package. However, as the idea began to gather steam, the announcement about her band’s parting of the ways broke, and that proved to be a significant stumbling block.
“By the time I was thinking about releasing this, the DELAIN split happened and I was then very concerned that people would just compare what I do on my own with the band,” Charlotte admits. “The only outsourcing I’ve done has been for the mixing and mastering; all vocals and instruments were recorded and programmed here in my studio, which is in stark contrast to having a full writing team and musicians playing their respective parts. But then I thought ‘Charlotte, you like the songs and you’ve written and recorded them with a lot of love during a global pandemic’, so that was the deciding factor.”
With songs written and sung in her native Dutch tongue (Afkicken), a gorgeous cover of Cry Little Sister from The Lost Boys soundtrack (“I watched the film for the first time on a designated weekend off and was so inspired by the song I spent the rest of it recording!” she laughs) and a wonderful duet between herself and ARCH ENEMY singer Alissa White-Gluz (Lizzie) among the ten chosen, Charlotte has every reason to be proud of what she’s accomplished, and Tales from Six Feet Under is sure to make a significant mark on all of those who hear it. There is just one question left to ask, and it’s a fairly big one – if the right circumstances arose, would she consider joining another band? Charlotte takes a moment and answers in a way that she’s done all interview – with deliberation, thought and honest.
“Right now, I think of myself more as a songwriter than a singer, so if I was invited to contribute to something I’d possibly say no. I can imagine there will come a time when I will want to bring theses songs to a stage and get a band together, but right now I’m too fresh out of DELAIN and that split was so painful, when I think of a band now, all I think is how they can split up. It’s hard to think of it right now, but I don’t want to close the door on that yet. Never say never, as they say!”
It’s understandable that Charlotte Wessels is doing all she can to concentrate on what she has at the moment, but right now that’s more than enough. She mentions how newer tracks that she has recorded have returned to a more metal style and there was a brief moment in passing where she floated the idea of more material being released as a second album in the future. At the present time, though, she’s got this to fulfil her creative outlet – and she’s doing so brilliantly.
Tales From Six Feet Under is out now via Napalm Records.
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