With vocal prowess and captivating lyricism, is 18-year-old Hamburg-hailed singer Zoe Wees. Having made her stellar debut with hit single “Control”, the young artist has been capturing the imagination of fans worldwide with her deep enthralling vocals and therapeutic rhythms.

Touching on her long term struggle with rolandic childhood epilepsy in her debut single, Wees explains: “The sickness was stronger than me, and left scars that have become part of my life. Accepting them has taken so much time, but they make me what I am today: a fighter.”

Having gained one million streams in a day and featured on Apple Beats 1, we caught up with the rising star talking inspirations, new music and what’s next.

Check out the interview below..

Hi Zoe, how has lockdown been for you? How have you been staying creative?
It was nothing new to me because before the lockdown I was already all on my own writing music or spending the time in the studio. It helped me a lot taking even more time to write music and to find myself. It was also really inspiring because during that time I was alone just like everyone else and somehow I had more topics two write about. I also spent a lot of time writing with my fans on social media.

How did growing up in Hamburg influence your music? Who did you grow up listening to?
I grew up In Hamburg. I love Hamburg but to be completely honest I’ve never felt like listening to German songs or writing German music. Even when I was little I’ve always been writing songs in English. Sometimes it feels like a was born in the wrong city. When I was young I was listening to Jessie J and Miley Cyrus a lot. Jessie J is such a strong woman and showed me that there is much more to do in the show business than having a good voice. You have to work hard for your career and this path has always inspired me.

How would you describe your genre?
Definitely pop! For me, my music is so personal and I really want every song I write to be 100% me. Music starts where I can’t talk about, that’s why I write it down and put it into a song. That’s why my music is so personal and honest. With my songs, I’m trying to process my own past, but at the same time making it accessible to as many other people as possible.

Congratulations on “Control” – will you talk us through what the song is about?
Thank you so much! “Control” is about my struggle through rolandic childhood epilepsy – about what I had to deal with and still do even though the disease has healed. Back then I had many problems like loss of control, helplessness and exclusion that came along with this situation. This made my life as a child very difficult and complicated for not only me but also for the people around me. Today I see “Control” as the best way to leave my past behind and writing this song was the best therapy I could have done to deal with this past. The song is dedicated to my school teacher who played an important role in that time, helping me through the most difficult situations of my epilepsy – in the classroom, and in the hospital. I’m so happy that I can tell this story now and try to help other people who are going to tough times, too.

How did it feel putting something so vulnerable out into the world?
Sure it’s really painful going back to your past and feel what you’ve felt in that time, but I’m not the only one and maybe people are going through the same thing right now. That’s why it was really important to me to release it. It was also very healing because I can help other people with my song and they can relate to it in their own way.

You’ve got your debut EP coming up – what can you tell us about it?
At the moment I can tell that I wrote a lot of new songs already and I’m very happy with them. But I haven’t picked the EP songs yet. What I can promise is that my new songs will have very deep and personal lyrics and will bring some musical surprises.

You’ve done some amazing covers and been reposted by some big names – what’s your biggest pinch-me moment so far?
It’s so crazy that I got such great feedback by so many special artists, I’m so thankful for that. The most surprising moment was when Jessie J reposted my cover of one of her songs in her Instagram story and said to me “Get it sis live your best life“. That was unbelievable. Moments like this give me confidence and motivate me to keep going.

What’s next for you?
There’s gonna be a new single coming late summer and I’m really excited about what comes with that. I can’t wait to perform live next year and see all the people I’m texting with on social media. I wanna hear them singing my songs and just meet everyone. I keep on writing songs and be creative and see what the future brings. I’m quite sure that there’s an album coming out sometime next year. I have so much to tell in my songs and I want to share all those feelings and stories as soon as possible. For now, I’m just really thankful for everything that’s happening.