Charlotte Wessels

Johanna Charlotte Wessels (born 13 May 1987) is a Dutch singer-songwriter who was born in Zwolle, Netherlands. Best known as the lead vocalist for the Dutch symphonic metal band Delain. She is also in the symphonic rock musical group called Phantasma.

Background

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!"

Career

To Elysium

She joined the gothic metal band 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.

2004-Present: Delain

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 which she thought it was going to be a one time thing. In 2005 they signed a deal with Roadrunner Records. She is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the band.