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 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.
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.
Phantasma
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.
Influences
When asked in 2014 who her influences are, Wessels said When asked in a Loudwire interview who she gets inspired by vocally she mentions Australian singer Sia Furler, she admires Sia's voice and also her song-writing. On 15 January 2018, Charlotte Wessels said on her Instagram that Dolores O'Riordan's voice was one of her main inspirations to start singing.
Personal life
She is a cousin of Dutch hardcore DJ DaY-már. Wessels has an art history degree and also has a master's degree in gender studies. She is a vegetarian. She considers herself a feminist and she doesn't like the female-fronted metal term: "It’s just really weird that the gender of one person in the band defines what kind of music you make! I think that it’s one of the things that really indicates that the bias is still there." In September 2017, Charlotte revealed that she married her partner of twelve years.
