Claudia Heinrich-Witzenthaler had heard her son Felix sing for years in a choir, but the studio session for “On my way” was the first time she heard his voice completely on its own. He had a great time, and she sat there crying. That session at Neptune Studio in Hamburg was Felix’s first professional recording, and the main vocal takes were done in about an hour. The result is the first release built around Felix’s voice from QUINTESSE feat. KARL JOSEF, a mother-and-son project from Munster/Örtze, Germany, set for release on October 9th.
Claudia wrote the song for Felix’s sister Victoria, who kept moving forward through years of setbacks to reach an important milestone. Its message has grown wider than that, with the song speaking to anyone who has been underestimated or doubted. It starts in a restrained, intimate place and builds in strength as it goes, which suits a song about gaining confidence.
This is an absolute masterclass in songwriting. There are so many interplaying melodies here that every instrument feels like its own instance of the human voice. The guitar is very vocal and so is the sax, and they occupy more of the upper midrange while Karl’s vocals sit in the lower mids, in that baritone range. There is zero fat on this arrangement, and everything is needed for it to work this well. This is a stunning ballad and one that I will be listening to all the time from now on.
The guitar and saxophone motifs that keep returning reflect each of their musical backgrounds, with the guitar tied to Felix and the saxophone to Claudia’s own instrumental roots. The influences named are emotionally direct singer-songwriters like James Arthur, Lewis Capaldi, Tom Walker and Passenger, though the song was not written to imitate any of them.
There are no live shows planned for now. Felix is studying engineering, which remains his main priority, and the project is a way of seeing how far his voice can go. After a powerful first release like this, it will be interesting to hear what comes next.
