Interviews

After a poisonous break with the band 'Nightwish', Finlands goth queen Tarja Turunen continues combining opera and hard rock.

If you're over 25 and got no piercings, you've probably never heard about Tarja Turunen.

But between all the World's black dressed youth is Tarja well-known and loved as the earlier vocalist in the symphonic metal-band 'Nightwish', who made a unique sound by combinding heavy rock with Tarja's classical soprano.

After a hard divorce from 'Nightwish', the goth queen is ready with her first solo-album "My Winter Storm".

That continues the hybrid-style, where the electric guitar meats symphony orchestra in a gothic lyric- and music universe.

- Today I do not feel I can create an album that you could put in one category. I can't make pure rock music, pop music or opera, because that wouldn't tell the whole story about me, says Tarja Turunen to Ekstrabladet.dk.

Rock and classical

Tarja is inspired by film music and it's abillity to create certain emotions and fealings.

- Hard rock and classical music have in common, that they both can be bombastic and very majestic - in sort of way they fit great together. I don't see any lines in music. If it really touches you and make your fealings fly, then it doesn't matter what genre it is, says Tarja Turunen.

On the new album she has got the possibility to work with the film composer and arranger Hans Zimmer, who've helped to put all the tracks together to an album.

Threw out

She has got the fascination of film music and Hans Zimmer in common with her old band-mate and friend Tuomas Holopainen, who've written and arranged most of the band' songs.

But the old friends don't really call each other and exchange notes.

- There were a big mess then I left Nightwish in 2005, and because of the stuff that happened there, we don't have contact at all today. It was handled in a very public and dirty way, and I was very chocked about it, says Tarja Turunen.

In October 2005, over a big concert which was soon going to be released on DVD, Tarja got 'dismissed' by the band's other members. It happened through an open letter, which was made official on the band's website.

Tarja had, according to the other members, turned into a diva thinking about the money, and it got more than mentioned that this was because of her husband and manager Marcelo, who she'd married in 2003.

Unhappy love

The drama escalated in the media the next months:
Nightwish's backer Tuomas Holopainen and other members repeated the harsh remarks in the medias.
Tarja's husband answered back by saying, that Holopainen was driven by jalousi and unhappy love to Tarja and that the band never have supported her.

- It was a very hard time for me to get through, and I almost couldn't imagine how I could move on and continue making music. Fortunately, I had booked some solo-concerts in the end of 2005, and the support I got there showed me, that I still had a place in their hearts, says Tarja.

Fans as driving force

When Tarja Turunen could put herself together and move on, it -- according to herself -- mostly was because of her fans:

- My fans are my driving force, they are ' My Winter Storm'. I think it's a beautiful picture to look on them as a storm behind me, driving me forward and holds me up. And I mean it in a good was, even though it can be scary at times, says Tarja Turunen.

Not dead already

In contrast to many songwriters, whose songs are picked up from the day, Tarja's lyrics are filled with mythologic figures, vampires and symbolic.

But it isn't as far from reality as it can seem, she explains:

- For example, there's a song called 'Die Alive'. It's not a fantasy, it's about how I'm trying to live my life. I've seen many people who -- even though they were still alive -- who are dead inside, says Tarja Turunen.

- It's a very miserably sight, because they've lost all positive in life, and are very negative and aggressive. So I'm asking myself, what can I do so if I die tomorrow, I was still alive, until I died, says Tarja.