TARJA TURUNEN: New interview available

TARJA TURUNEN has been interviewed by Finnish magazine Ilkka. The article follows below (credit for English translation goes to Orion).

I'm not afraid what other people think anymore, says Tarja Turunen who's working on her second solo album.
The beginning of the week in Kuusankoski has been bit rainy, but the sun is shining for Tarja Turunen. The singer is at home, and doesn't try to hide her good mood.

- Yesterday I emptied the sewer and cleaned the roof. Now my muscels are sore, she says and stretches her arms.
The illusion of informality would be normal, unless she wasn't wearing a make up. Turunen wanted her make up artist from Helsinki to fix her for the photo shoot.

Turunen has no problem for work in the yard. According to her, it brings some variety for everyday life. Though it lasts only about a week, because soon she's going to do some gigs again.
Three years ago the feeling was totally different. Only a year had passed singe she left Nightwish, and the start of her solo career was followed through a magnifying glass. Some were willing to bet that the career of the former front woman of a band was turned downwards.
Now Turunen can say that the doubting ones were wrong. The solo deput My Winter Storm has sold gold in many European countries, and the concert calender doesn't look too bad either.

Turunen admits that pressusres before the first solo album were huge.Partly because she had never wrote music or lyrics before.
-Working with the professional songwriters made me really nervous at first. I was embarrased to tell my own ideas, because I didn't know how they would take them. I was worried about being squelched. But my thoughts were taken openly anyway. The biggest challenge was to make sure for the work group, what kind of music I wanna do, she says.

What she wanted didn't appear on My Winter Storm yet. The album came out two years after Turunen leaving Nightwish, winter 2007. The album was said to be promising, but was critisized mainly because the lack of its own message.
Turunen has read the criticism. On the next album the artist take herself a bigger role. There's not gonna be any cover songs or complitely requested songs.
-It doesn't have a single song that I didn't wrote some lyrics for. or co-composed them, Turunen says.

The name What Lies Beneath crystallizes its themes.
-I wanna talk about things I've seen when toured around the world and lived in between two cultures. People go through same problems and things no matter what part of the world they live in. This is what I wanna tell the others. It's gonna be also very personal album, it has a strong presence of my passion and love.
That's a big promise. What Lies Beneath must show how much Tarja's person has depth for making interesting music.
The singer refuses to take pressures. Even though there is more of her own person, Turunen feels lightweighted than when making My Winter Storm.
-It's been nice to write songs and see that I really got what it takes. I'm not afraid what other people think. I feel I'm on the right track, when the music gives myself a good feeling. I can't make music that pleases everybody.

Style of the album will be mystical, heavy metal meets classical movie music like the previous one. It's gonna be little bit rougher though.
-My Winter Storm guitarsound lacks some edge. Now we have paid more attention to it.
Tarja Turunen wishes she can enter the studio in February.
-I have 20 songs made by myself or with other musicians. The challenge is to bring life to the songs. I work melodies mostly with the piano, but I also use my voice a lot for composing.

She hasn't have much time for working with the songs. Tarja says the longest time she has standed still this year is three weeks. That time she spended in her home in Argentina at spring. She lives with her husband Marcelo Cabuli in an apartment house in downtown Buenos Aires.
-At this time it's impossible to make plans further than a year ahead. We've planned to have kids in some point. Being a mother is such a big thing, that I might regret later not experiencing it

Marcelo Cabuli who works as his wife's manager, is responsible of all of her contacts with media, among other things. According to Turunen, her husband can let go of his work even less than she does.
-Marcelo is married to his work. He's got his laptop with him everywhere. Our friends say that we must be little bit crazy to be able to live a life like this. Luckily we have so many positive things around us, that we can make it, Turunen says.

Standing still is very difficult, even when she's got time for that.
-I need something to do all the time, otherwise I might start painting walls or something, she laughs.
Tarja Turunen did the only gig in Finland this summer in Vaasa this Saturday (July 18). After that she continues her summer tour in Central Europe. In September-October she's got another one, nearly 20 gig tour in Europe. At the end of the year Turunen is planning Christmas concerts in Finland.
-Thank god I have more work tham I'm able to do. It could be the opposite too. Last week I got to know that my album has sold gold in Germany too, she says.

-I'm gonna be asked about the Nightwish days probably for the rest of my life. It doesn't bother me, because Nightwish is part of my history. Of course I also have fans who first found my solo album, and after that they learned about my past in a band.

WHO?

Tarja Turunen, 31, was a vocalist in Nightwish for 9 years (1996-2005).
An Argentinean husband Marcelo Cabuli leads a record company, concentrating on metal music.
The couple moved to their Finland home in Kuusankoski, Kymeenlaakso five years ago. Their second home is in Argentina, where the couple spend teh biggest part of year.
Besides rock festivals, Tarja Turunen also makes classical concerts. For example this year she's going to 'Soi suvessa'-festival.
My Winter Storm has sold platinium in Finland.