Q: You guys seem to have great chemistry as a duo! What’s your guys’ backstory?
Kurt Seßler: We’re both from the same small town in the south of Germany. We have known each other for a long time, but have only been working together since 2021. I’m a songwriter and singer. But I couldn’t produce my songs to the level that could be enjoyed by listeners. So I asked Werner Zeeb – a multiinstrumentalist and producer – and we decided to work together. We both habe similar tastes in music and complement each other well. So I guess that’s the reason it fits between us.
Q: What was your favorite moment creating “Wenn”?
Kurt Seßler: It was a great moment when the melody came to me. I played around on the piano and then this melody came up, I immediately thought that was something special. It was fun to create and arrange this song together. The best moment for me is always when the song is finished. The work is done, now let’s see what happens.
Q: What does your creative process look like? Do you have a routine you stick to or does it change up?
Kurt Seßler: I sit at the piano and usually play the harmonies first, and then I often come up with a melody. It’s often the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that then gradually come together to form a song. Only when I have that, I’m thinking about a lyric that could fit the character of the song. Then it’s time to arrange the song together with Werner Zeeb.
Q: Do you guys play any instruments? What’s an instrument that you would like to learn?
Kurt Seßler: Werner is a multi-instrumentalist who also knows all about music theory and sound engineering. I play some guitar and piano, for me the main thing is to be able to compose with it. But now I’m practicing piano more often again, because it’s simply a pleasure to be able to play songs by other interpreters and your own songs.
Q: What was the inspiration behind “Wenn”?
Kurt Seßler: There is no special idea behind it. I had the harmony and the melody and it was clear to me that this should be a lively pop song with a bit of a retro-style jazzy attitude. With active arrangements, the rhythmic structure oscillating between the smoothness of joy and the frenzy of excitement, the song charts a cycle of sensations. It needed a suitable song lyric that reflects that. What is better suited than a protagonist who cannot land with his beloved and is caught between hope, fear and insight in his emotional chaos. But it’s a quirky, funny wordplay (if, if not…..) and not all that serious with a pinch of self-mockery. (“Wenn” means “if” in English).
Q: What do you do when you AREN’T working on music?
Kurt Seßler: We never just made music, music was always an ambitious hobby. We are both self-employed and do some jobs of commercial or creative nature.
Interviewed by Alina Tran
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