Hiya Claudia and Felix, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
Thank you for having us. We are very happy to be here.
Thanks for joining us today. Tell us a bit about where you are from and how you got into music?
We are from northern Germany, and musically we actually come from quite different backgrounds. Claudia started playing saxophone, clarinet and piano at a young age and later became more and more interested in songwriting and composition. Felix came to music through guitar and many years of choir experience, where he mainly sang in the baritone and bass range.
QUINTESSE was not really created according to a fixed plan. It developed more naturally from Claudia writing songs and eventually realising that Felix had exactly what those songs were still missing: the voice. With “On My Way,” we consciously worked on a song together as mother and son for the first time.
What’s the live music scene like where you live right now?
We do not exactly live in the middle of a huge music metropolis, so the local scene is fairly small and spread out. There are events, smaller concerts and regional musicians, but a lot of things do not happen directly on our doorstep.
At the moment that is not really a problem for us because QUINTESSE is still at the beginning. Our focus is on songwriting, studio work and finding out how our shared sound develops. Live performances are definitely something that could become interesting later, but we do not want to force anything.
Anyone we should be looking out for, apart from you, of course?
We are constantly discovering new music, but we would rather not just throw out names for the sake of filling an answer. We are especially interested in artists who develop a recognisable voice and a clear musical identity, whether they are already established or only just starting out.
There are so many musicians making interesting work outside the major-label system today. That makes things exciting, but it also makes it almost impossible to keep up with everything.
What are your thoughts on all this talk about “Indie Poo” going around social media at the moment?
To be honest, we have not spent a huge amount of time thinking about it. For us, it matters more whether a song communicates something and whether an artist feels believable than whether a certain way of singing is currently being labelled as a trend or criticised online.
Music is always changing, and certain sounds inevitably start appearing everywhere for a while. That is probably part of it. But in the end, you should not start changing your voice or your style just because people on social media are debating what is supposedly right or wrong.
What’s the biggest thing you hate having to do to showcase your music?
Probably realising how little of it actually has to do with music once the song is finished. Suddenly there is social media, press, radio, playlists, emails, graphics, release planning and endless forms to fill in.
At the beginning you think you write a song, record it and release it. Then you discover that you have somehow also become the marketing department, press office and project manager.
Still, it is part of the process. If nobody knows a song exists, nobody can listen to it.
What are your ambitions for QUINTESSE?
At the moment, we mainly want to find out what our shared musical identity really sounds like. “On My Way” is the first song we have created together in this way, and even during that process we noticed that certain elements work particularly well for us, especially the combination of Felix’s voice, guitar and saxophone.
On the next song, Felix will already have more input into the musical direction. We do not want to keep writing the same song again and again. We want to see where the project naturally develops.
Long term, of course it would be wonderful if QUINTESSE found its own audience. But we do not want to build an artificial career plan around it. Good songs first, and everything else can grow from there.
What’s your view on the music industry today?
It offers an incredible number of opportunities, especially for independent artists. Today you can release music, reach people internationally and make contacts without necessarily having a traditional record deal.
At the same time, the sheer amount of new music is enormous, which probably makes attention one of the scarcest resources of all. It is no longer enough simply to make a good song. You also have to learn how to make people aware that it exists.
For us, that is a huge learning process at the moment. It is exciting, sometimes chaotic and occasionally a little absurd.
What’s the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
That a song is nowhere near finished when the writing is done.
With “On My Way,” we saw how many stages still come afterwards: arrangement, recording, production, mixing, mastering and then the entire release and promotion process. Every one of those stages changes how the final song feels.
We have also learned that you cannot control everything in advance. Sometimes something becomes better precisely because you give another person room. Felix had a lot of freedom in the studio to find his own interpretation, and that gave the song something we could not have planned beforehand.
What’s currently in your ears and on rotation at the moment?
Our listening habits are quite different, which probably helps explain why QUINTESSE does not come from only one musical direction. Felix listens to different things than Claudia, and that is actually useful for the project.
We do not want to tie ourselves too closely to one particular influence. We are drawn to songs that build atmosphere, voices with character and arrangements where the instruments still have a recognisable role of their own.
What was your worst experience on stage? Any funny stories to share?
We have not performed live together as QUINTESSE yet, so fortunately we do not have any spectacular stage disasters to report.
Felix has stage experience through choir and school performances, but “On My Way” is his first professional studio release as KARL JOSEF. Live performance is therefore still a chapter that lies ahead of us.
Got any fun or funny stories from life on the road?
Not yet, because we are not on tour. At the moment that may actually be a good thing, because we can concentrate on having enough songs before worrying about life on the road.
If QUINTESSE ever does go on tour, we are fairly certain that putting a mother and son together in close quarters for long enough will provide plenty of material for future interviews.
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
“On My Way” is our first song together and, in many ways, the real starting point for QUINTESSE in this form.
Claudia originally wrote the song for Felix’s sister Victoria after watching her deal with a number of setbacks over several years while still continuing to work towards her goal. During the writing process, it quickly became clear that the story was bigger than one person.
The song is about continuing to move forward even when other people doubt you, or when you begin to doubt yourself. Felix’s voice is at the centre of the track, while guitar and saxophone also represent the two of us musically.
What was the recording process like?
For Felix, it was his first professional studio recording as a solo vocalist. That was obviously very different from choir, singing at home or simply making music for fun.
One of the most interesting parts was that nobody told him exactly how every line had to be sung. He had the freedom to find his own interpretation. At the same time, he received direct feedback and, for the first time, could hear how his voice sounded within a professionally produced recording.
For both of us, it was not only a recording session but also a learning process.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Probably not very much. Looking back, you can always find something you might change, but at some point a song also has to be allowed to be finished.
Because “On My Way” is our first song together, it also captures that particular moment for us. We will do some things differently on the next song, simply because Felix will be more involved in shaping the musical direction.
But that does not mean we want to go back and change “On My Way.” It is exactly the starting point we needed.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Perhaps simply that we still do not know exactly where QUINTESSE will lead, and we actually like that.
Felix is continuing his engineering studies, and music does not have to become an immediate all-or-nothing career plan. We can give ourselves the freedom to develop songs, try things out and see what grows from them.
If people can see something of themselves in “On My Way,” and if the song gives someone a little motivation to keep going despite doubts or setbacks, then it has already achieved a great deal for us.
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