Bredero once said: “Things can change,” This old wisdom definitely counts for the rock industry. The one moment you are worshipped by hundred thousands of people, you are part of a fast growing band and it looks like the future can only get better. The next you are fired and licking your wounds together with your husband/manager. Thinking about what your musical future will look like tomorrow. Tarja Turunen had to go trough an unsure period. When the last show of the Once tour was over, she received a letter in which she was fired. From that moment Tarja was on her own and had to find a new way to make music.

Taxi
There were some successful classical concerts planned. Good for the loyal fans, but not for those who like hard rock. The first sign of life (a Christmas record) was useless for metal fans. People said the period of beautiful loud music was over for Tarja Turunen. But those who know Miss Turunen, know she never throws her darts on one single kind of music. Diversity is very important for her. And she proves it with her new record “My Winter Storm”, which will be in stores in the middle of November. That’s why we contacted Turunen and asked her (unfortunately only figurative) the clothes of the body. ((Note: this is a Dutch expression; a way to express you asked a lot of questions))
It soon became clear Tarja knows what she wants, and that she is still very careful with her answers about the past.

The last time we got to talk with Tarja was after the release of “Once”. She had a plane to catch and we needed to end our conversation too early. But Tarja was very creative. She asked me to wait a few seconds. When she called me back, she was in a taxi so we could continue the interview.

The ice is immediately broken when I remember her to this situation. “It was a very hectic time. Everybody wanted to talk with us. I did a lot of funny things. But having an interview in a taxi while almost missing the flight, is unforgettable. It’s not a usual location to promote your new album.”

But let’s go back to business. My Winter Storm is about to be released and we want to know everything about it. Unfortunately there are only five songs available for the nosy press. Plus there is this guy repeating that you are listening to the new Tarja album all the time. We nearly jumped to the conclusion that this was an attempt to avoid leaks on internet.
“Leaks on internet are bad, but this had a different reason. We were still working on the other songs. These five tracks were the most finished ones. So we gave them to the press as an impression of what the album is going to sound like. Even those five songs were still a rough mix and not ready yet”.

Diversity
Listening to those songs we can conclude the album is going to be very divers. There a louder and softer songs. Songs supposed to be on a classical record or perfect as a soundtrack for a movie. Records that build up like this, can be interpreted on two ways. You can either listen to it and think it’s a very divers album with lots of variation and dynamic. Or you might think it’s a very fragmentary album and you can’t cope with it. Is Tarja not afraid this will either please or disillusion her fans? One fan might think the music is too classical, where the other fan might dislike the louder metal sound.
“It’s a fact that music is a very personal thing. Everyone can have his opinion about something, and that’s good. In this way we can discuss it, and learn how others look at certain things. However, I don’t want to be limited by one kind of music. I like metal, classical and film music. When I started making this album, I wanted to make myself happy. I started from my own desire to please myself with the music. And all these different styles are part of that, and I won’t put them aside. The diversity is a part of me, they are my roots. I know there are elements in My Winter Storm that might even surprise the most die hard Tarja fans. I hope they will see it as an enrichment. I feel it’s the only way to satisfy myself.”

Listening to My Winter Storm, you might wonder if Tarja didn’t want to use this diversity in Nightwish. “Yes I felt the desire. But there were certain borders in Nightwish, which made it difficult to put it in. I had been busy for some time with solo projects beside Nightwish. But look, the reality is here and now I no longer need to do side projects.” The intense laugh of Tarja shows she is very sure of herself.

When we don’t include the Christmas record, this is the first step in Tarja’s solo carrier. Is the pressure and stress increasing as the release date comes closer? As a former member of Nightwish the expectations will be high. “There is more pressure, but not on the commercial business. I am standing before a new part in my carrier. It gives me a lot of power and energy, but at the same time it brings a lot of new responsibility. I am the one who has to make decisions now. I have to make sure everything is arranged for the people I work with. When it comes to the music I am also the only one responsible when things go wrong. In the past I didn’t need to worry about these things. Everything was done for me. Now I am the only one to blame when something is not working or goes wrong. It gives me more pressure and stress.”

Pride
People going solo, are in the spotlights and ask all attention. Is Tarja addicted to attention? “I won’t deny that I love the spotlights on stage and the attention you receive as front woman. If people applause for you, something happens with you. In private I am a totally different person. When I am talking with friends or fans, I think I very able to listen to people. I try to push myself to the background, and give the other person the space to talk. But that’s what I think of course. It could be that my friends tell a different thing!”
Another intense laugh follows. But let’s talk about the record. When was the idea born?
“A year and a halve ago we decided to cooperate with some songwriters. Everything I did was completely new for me. In the beginning I was unsure of everything. New songwriters, new musicians, new producer and so on. When I look back now I am very proud I made it.”
There are some familiar faces among the musicians. Like Doug Wimbish ( Living Colour), Earl Harvin (drummer from Seal and Pet Shop Boys) and guitarist Alex Scholpp (Farmer Boys, the only one with a metal background)
“The good thing about this team is that they all come from different backgrounds. They all have their own view at music. Plus they are all very professional and need just a halve word to make something beautiful. It’s amazing to work with them.”

The first single is I Walk Alone, inspired by Mozarts Requiem. It could be interpreted as Tarja’s statement towards Nightwish. “If that’s the way people listen to it, I can’t change it. But it’s not the meaning of the song. I Walk Alone is one of the hundreds of songs that have been send to me. It was one of my favourites immediately. I am very happy to have it as my first single. I owe the title of the album to it. With this song I want to thank the fans that supported me the last two years and made it easier to get over the problems. My Winter Storm means the power that the fans gave me in this period.”

Another new experience for Tarja was composing songs. Did Tarja need to throw songs away because they reminded her to much of Nightwish? “No not really. I think the past nine years with Nightwish made me able to experience the beauty of metal music. I was welcomed and respected in that world, and with the years I accepted that metal has become a part of my musical identity. I can no longer see myself as a pure classical singer. Metal will always be a part of me, just like film music.”

When it comes to the film-like aspect of the album, there is still a lot to discover. Not only the songs are interesting, but also the way they are made and the people who helped in this process. “I always loved soundtracks. They have a special character and their impact is huge. Try watching your favourite movie without sound. It’s amazing what music can do with images. When I went through my favourite soundtracks, I kept finding the same name: Hans Zimmer. Hans is the man behind soundtracks like the Gladiator, The Lion King and The Da Vince Code. He has a name in that world. The record company contacted him after I dropped his name. He didn’t run away from this challenge. I even went to Los Angeles and worked with him and his team. Those guys are so professional and almost look at music as if it’s like science. It sometimes looks like working in a laboratory.”
Doesn’t that rip the soul out of music; playing together is and remains one of the fundaments of playing in a band? “That’s right. But for film music it’s a little different. They use the images as an inspiration and try to add some atmosphere, emotions and feelings. They allowed me to spend some time in their studio and I learned a lot from the process. But especially that there is a lot of strength in music. It’s a revelation.”
What image did you give them for the record?
“We had some long conversations. I explained them I could give them those images with my lyrics. In the beginning it was a bit difficult, but later on they understood. I got the ambient sound designer and together we gave My Winter Storm a very special atmosphere.”

De album was recorded in a studio in the middle of nowhere in Ireland. Was Tarja fed up with her life in the big city? “Absolutely not. But the studio was perfect and the landscape around it is overwhelming. You can work there in peace and if you need a break, the environment can be used as an inspiration. ‘Ciarans Well’ for example is made right there in the studio. The only problem there are the cows. One day we were there and I was wearing high heels. We walked on the farmers land. Suddenly we were followed by cows and had to run! I was so damned scared. At that moment it was not funny, but afterwards you can laugh about it.”

A surprising song is the cover of Alice Coopers Poison. Not a cover one would connect with Tarja. “I know. But one day I had to drive a lot of kilometres with the car and I heard the song five times on Finnish radio. I found myself singing along enthusiastically every single time. I had made a long list of songs I possibly wanted to cover, but this was the only one that suited completely. I did need to give my best to convince everyone, but after it was recorded they understood that this was the best choice. And it is a very interesting song to be sung by a woman. You should read the lyrics.”

On 12 November the album will be released and there is a small tour planned for the beginning of next year. As a warm up there will be some try outs for the band and the singer to get used to each other. Doug and Alex confirmed they will be there. But the surprise is that in the beginning of April there might be a completely different band on stage.
“The people who worked on this album have a very busy schedule. They can’t make it next year. We have some substitutes we want to ask, but I can’t give more information yet. I can tell you that it’s going to be a big surprise.”


To interview Tarja Turunen without asking about Nightwish is a noble goal, but Tarja herself likes to refer to her past. We would like to know how she, after all these months, looks back and if she can understand the bands decision. It remains silent for a while and you can hear Tarja sigh. As if she is trying to decide whether or not she wants to answer. After some exciting seconds we find out she does want to tell something. Nobody will be surprised that she chooses her words very carefully. “It has been some time ago now, and I had time to get over it. A lot of new things happened; both musical and private things are going very well. That makes it easier to talk about it. If I look back at the last day, I still have a hard time to understand the reason why they threw me out of the band. I can only hope that they are happier after this decision. They have a new album, I will have a new album and life goes on. From my side I can say I am very happy with how things are right now.”
As a final question we do want to know if she heard the lyrics of ‘Bye bye beautiful’.
“A fan told me about it and I was surprised that they wrote a song about it.”
When I tell Tarja some of the lyrics, it remains silent again for some seconds.
“What can I say? It is interesting to hear. But certain things are still too fresh.”
Will Tarja ever work with Tuomas again, or is there to much ruined?
“Never say never. But it is clear that there are still things I have not got over yet. For the moment I only think about myself and my own carrier. We will see what the future brings.”