Interviews

Former Nightwish singer Tarja Turunen has embarked on a solo career with the release of My Winter Storm. Under the eye of producer Daniel Presley (Faith No More, Jewel), the album was recorded all over the globe in places including Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Finland and the U.S. It was certified gold on the day of its release in Finland and topped the charts. The album has just been released here in North America. I spoke with Tarja as she enjoyed some down time in Antigua.

Chad Bowar: How is Antigua?
Tarja: It’s a nice place to do interviews. The sun is shining, the water is warm, everything is beautiful.

Are you there for business or pleasure?
Both. I’ve already started working on a new album, even though my debut album just came out in the U.S.

I’m composing new songs. On the other hand, I am able to dive and snorkel and have fun.

My Winter Storm has been out in Europe for a few months now. What has the response been there?
Very nice. I’m very happy with my debut album, because the whole structure behind me is very different than when I was the singer in Nightwish. All the people, including the record company, are different. All the people around me are new people. The reception of the album in Europe has been excellent. I’m very happy. We are expecting to have a gold award in Germany, and today I got the news that I got a gold award in Russia. That’s the first time ever I got a gold record in Russia.

What are your expectations for North America?
I am very happy to have a real release there. Even with Nightwish, for many of the releases the distribution did not work well in North America. I’m happy that the album is getting a proper release through Fontana and Universal. It’s a good start, and we’ll wait and see what happens with the album.

Did the end result of the album match what your musical vision was going in?
The basic idea, the sound concept I had in my mind was my priority when I started to imagine what kind of album I wanted to have. That sound concept is truly there. It was hard to achieve that. The whole production of the album was done in a different way than I have done in the past. There was a lot of learning, and I can be proud of it. I’ve learned from my mistakes and know what I need to do differently the next time to save time, save energy, maybe save some money. But it’s always like that in music. I have been anxious to see what is there for me in music and if people have a place for me in their hearts. That became crystal clear to me that I can tour, I can be an artist. Being a solo artist is very different than being a singer in a band that is very successful.

You did some touring last year with your new backing band. How was that?
That tour was amazing. I have been touring for several years and had a lot of great experiences. But this tour was great, really fantastic. My band are session musicians. They all have different backgrounds. Everything worked out. I am going to continue playing with the same guys, because everything worked. The chemistry between people worked. We were a big family traveling around, and that was great. I am encouraged to keep playing live, and this year we will do more tours. In May I am touring Europe, then in South America in July and August. My agent is working at the moment to do a U.S. tour after that. That would be a dream for me. I am hoping to get some news soon.

What’s on your agenda between now and May, when your tour starts?
Preparation for the tour. I am working hard with my singing teacher to get my conditioning back. I have been learning classical singing for 15 years. I’m also working on the new album.

Why did you decide to cover Alice Cooper’s “Poison” for your album?
I was having a lot of trouble deciding which song to cover. There are millions of great artists to choose from. I wanted to find a track that would match the story of the album the way I had it in my head. I was driving in Finland, listening to rock radio. They played “Poison” four or five times. I imagined the direction I could take the song, and I had some ideas to do solos with cellos. So I just chose that, and it fit the album. It’s a great track. It brings back memories from my teenage years.

”I Walk Alone” was the album’s first single, and you filmed a video for it. Are videos something you enjoy doing?
I really enjoy it. I love acting. I liked making the video “I Walk Alone” and playing around with the four different characters. Together with the director we worked out the story. It was a lot of fun.

Are you planning on doing any more videos for this album?
Yes, “Die Alive” will be released as a single later in March. It’s a lot darker than “I Walk Alone.”