Being told to keep going means more when it comes from someone who has seen how difficult the journey has been. That knowledge sits at the heart of On my way, the October 1, 2026 single from QUINTESSE featuring KARL JOSEF. Written by Claudia Heinrich-Witzenthaler and sung by her twenty-one-year-old son Felix Karl Josef, the song began as a message for his sister Victoria. Years of setbacks had failed to stop her from working toward an important milestone. The collaboration turns that perseverance into an encouraging pop-rock song with a family connection that gives its message real substance.
There is an appealing modesty in the title. Being on the way allows for unfinished business, uncertain timing and the possibility that reaching a goal will take longer than anybody expected. It is a useful perspective for a song inspired by slow progress, because encouragement can become exhausting when it insists that a breakthrough must be just around the corner. Claudia’s writing starts from the experience of someone who has continued despite disappointment. That makes the premise accessible to listeners whose own ambitions remain unresolved, offering recognition for the effort already being made along the road.
Victoria’s story gives the release its emotional centre without limiting who can connect with it. The song addresses the experience of being underestimated, carrying other people’s doubts and struggling toward a life that still feels distant. Those pressures can be familiar long before a person has the language to explain them clearly. A sibling, parent or friend may see the determination that outside observers overlook, and this project grows from precisely that kind of attention. Its strongest idea is that confidence can be supported by somebody who knows your history, including the difficult years that achievement eventually leaves out.
Felix is a particularly fitting voice for that message because his involvement brings the family relationship into the performance itself. Recording as KARL JOSEF, he makes his debut as a solo vocal artist after years of choir experience. The track was written around his natural baritone, with warmth and intimacy central to the way the vocal is presented. That choice gives the song a clear point of focus from the outset. A familiar family story is being carried by someone connected to it, allowing the collaboration to have a personal identity beyond the broader appeal of its encouraging theme.
The distinction between choir singing and carrying a song alone is an important part of this release. In a group, a voice contributes to a shared sound; here, Felix becomes the person responsible for guiding the listener through the emotional development. Claudia had heard him sing for years, but the studio session gave her a new perspective on what his voice could communicate independently. That discovery is a touching detail because it belongs to both the parent and the songwriter. Hearing her son carry a song for his sister made the recording a family moment as well as an artistic beginning.
The arrangement follows a gradual movement from intimacy toward greater strength, matching the shift from uncertainty to confidence at the centre of the writing. That is a sensible approach to this material, giving the feeling somewhere to develop instead of presenting every emotion at full intensity immediately. Vulnerable verses establish the personal scale before the fuller later section extends the song’s reach. The structure respects the experience that inspired it, where progress came through continued effort over time. There is value in allowing an uplifting song to acknowledge hesitation on the way to its more confident moments.
Recurring guitar and saxophone motifs provide the collaboration with another personal connection. Guitar reflects Felix’s musical background, while saxophone relates to Claudia’s instrumental roots, bringing both artists into the track’s recurring melodic language. These details matter because they give the production identifiable choices beyond a general pop-rock build. The family partnership is represented in the musical setting as well as in the credits and the story. Returning to those motifs throughout the song offers continuity as the arrangement develops, keeping the shared identity of mother and son present around the lead performance.
James Arthur, Lewis Capaldi, Tom Walker and Passenger are named among the influences, particularly for their use of intimate passages that develop into stronger emotional sections. Those references clarify the kind of accessible songwriting QUINTESSE and KARL JOSEF are pursuing. The emphasis is on a voice delivering a recognisable feeling, supported by an arrangement that allows its intensity to grow. Within that framework, the baritone and recurring instrumental ideas give this project its own starting point. The most interesting aspect is how those familiar pop instincts are attached to a specific person and a story the collaborators know closely.
The vocals were recorded at Neptune Studio in Hamburg, where Felix completed the main takes in around an hour. Before the session, Claudia explained the progression she imagined, asking for an intimate beginning that would gain confidence and emotional strength toward the end. Felix understood that direction quickly, leaving the session focused on phrasing, dynamics and delivery. The account suggests a productive first encounter with professional recording, with room to refine how the words were communicated. For a debut built around a natural vocal character, preserving that responsiveness was a useful priority throughout the process.
For Apricot Magazine, the project’s measured approach to Felix’s future is another appealing part of the story. He is studying engineering, which remains his main priority, while the collaboration gives him room to explore his voice with professional guidance. There are currently no live performances planned, and the intention is to let the musical work develop alongside his studies. That patience feels consistent with the song’s outlook, which recognises movement without demanding an immediate arrival. It also allows this first solo release to stand as a meaningful creative step, with its own value before any larger career decision follows.
On my way introduces QUINTESSE and KARL JOSEF through a partnership with something personal to communicate and a thoughtful way of presenting it. The baritone vocal, gradual rise in intensity and recurring guitar and saxophone ideas all serve a story about continuing when confidence has been tested. Its natural audience includes listeners drawn to emotionally direct pop-rock and songs that make encouragement feel close enough to trust. The family connection gives this release a reason to exist beyond a general promise of better days. Someone kept going, the people around her noticed, and together they found a way to honour that effort.
