In August 2020, Wessels released the single, "Lizzie" which features Alissa White-Gluz as part of a collaboration. The novella is included with the album's physical release. Wessels not only sings on the album, but also wrote her debut novella called The Deviant Hearts especially for it.
They were signed to Napalm Records and released a concept album titled The Deviant Hearts. Wessels, along with Georg Neuhauser from Serenity and Oliver Philipps from Everon, formed a symphonic rock group named Phantasma. 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. We Are The Others, always will be, and none of this changes that."
"I hope that Delain remains a positive force in everyone's lives. In Wessels' statement on her departure, she wished the other departing members and the fans well: 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. She was the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the band. In 2005 they signed a deal with Roadrunner Records. 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. Wessels became involved with Delain in 2004 when she met Martijn Westerholt formerly of Within Temptation. Wessels (right) performing with Delain in 2019 She mentions in an interview that her parents had to sign a contract because she was still underage. She joined a gothic metal band named To Elysium around the age of fifteen or sixteen. 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 (2000–2005) She was first trained in jazz, but later, her instructor suggested classical singing to her. This combination is a bit different than other music in our genre.Wessels has been trained in both jazz singing and classical singing. I also love the ’80s vibe in synth music which is why electronic elements show up from time to time in our music. I love dramatic, epic, big bombastic music.
I somehow never get tired of the saturated fat guitar sound (that’s how I would say it in Dutch, but I’m not sure how to say that exactly in English!) and orchestral elements in music. Regarding the music I make, I guess things just evolved in my own way since the starting point of when I played with Within Temptation. Charlotte has a very keen eye for art and has an educational background in that area. I guess the automatic consequence of it is that things go a little bit differently in some aspects. First, thanks for the kind words! It has been 10 years already? Yikes! Haha, time really flies! It has never been our goal to stand out, but we are just stubborn in doing our own thing and not following certain procedures other artists do.