Tarja has the voice of an angel. Saying that her voice is other-wordly is truly an understatement. She is best known as the former vocalist and founder of the symphonic metal band Nightwish; however, she has evolved past that epoch and is coming into her own era as she launches her 4th album Colours in the Dark, and prepares for her upcoming tour as a solo artist. Tarja is moving forward with a momentum that few other artists can ever achieve in a lifetime, with a bright outlook, passion in her heart, and nothing to hold her back.
I’m going to ask some historical questions, and work backwards to forwards. You were known previously as the face of Nightwish up until 2005, and then you were let go. Tell us about what you learned within your time at Nightwish, and what you’ve been able to apply to your career as a solo artist.
Of course, the whole situation of me being in a musical university as a lyrical singer and then at the same time trying to sing with Nightwish, all of that was a big struggle in the sense of my vocals. It took me many years to learn Nightwish‘s music, and to be comfortable with my voice in concerts and in the studio. There was nobody really there to help me. I was taking lyrical singing lessons, and as I got better with that, I felt more comfortable singing with Nightwish. All that work with Nightwish, I did on my own, in the sense that the voice you know from that time, it was a voice that was growing – without those experiences with the band, traveling the world, meeting beautiful people, making beautiful music together. Without having had that struggle and really learning the other side of me, a side that didn’t know even existed; what I became after all those years in the band is why I am talking with you today. The band gave me the freedom to continue my career and find my own wings. The information and experience I had with the band during those years stays with me and continues to grow inside of me. It is a very big part of my musical history.
Thank you so being candid! Last year you released your first DVD, Act I. Do you intend on releasing any further DVDs?
Oh yeah! Hopefully after a couple of studio albums! If there is an opportunity for an Act II, and Act III, Act IV! As long as it takes! It was a lot of fun to do the first one! At the time I was filming it for the first time in Argentina, and I wanted to show the world a piece of my new home country. It was a lot of fun. For sure, there will be more DVDs coming up after a couple of studio albums. (laughs)
Wonderful! We are looking forward to it! You won the title of Europe’s best crossover performer last year as well. Congratulations! Tell us about what it felt like when you won this accolade.
Thank you! It was a fantastic thing to know that people know me and they know my work and what I’ve done so far. I was very flattered and honored by the fact that someone had put me on that list with all these beautiful people and artists. It was amazing! Of course! It was a beautiful thing. Really really amazing!
You will be touring your album in October. You must be very excited about get out there in support your latest album!
I’m very excited. Now I am working with my production team to get the in the space set up and designing my outfits for the stage. It is all coming together. I already have the band. The musicians that are going to be with me are the musicians that are on the album playing, and have been playing with me since 2007, like Mike Terrana on the drums, Max Lilja on cello. It’s great to have the people who have been with me for many many years already. I call them a power group! (laughs) I’m really excited to hit the road in October for the first time with the new album. I will have three week tour now in Europe for the first time, and then a Christmas (classical music) tour in Finland at the end of the year. Then we will continue in February of 2014 touring with the rock band until 2015. So, there will be a lot of touring happening, and I really hope that we can come out to the U.S. this time. It’s been a long time, way too long a time. I really hope to find a good promoter that could bring me over there. That would be my biggest wish.
“Never Enough” was released as a teaser from this album. What made you choose this song to be the flagship for the album?
It’s a song that some of my fans got to hear already, because it was recorded as a live version in ACT I, the live CD/DVD. I was playing that song with my live band already in some of my shows. I wrote that song a long time ago, and I wanted to take it to my public. I felt that it was a good, energetic live song, and I wanted to refresh it and give something new to my fans to listen to. At that time, I wasn’t that satisfied with the live version, so I said to myself, “I really want to produce the song for the new album, and I want to make it an even more energetic and heavier.” It is on the album now. It’s a big surprise for my fans to hear it like it is now. They are like, “Whoah! Where did she take this song?! It’s different!” (laughs) It was a lot of fun to do it that way, hard, but fun!
Watch “Never Enough”
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(laughs) In your previous album, My Winter Storm, you used a three octave vocal range. Should we expect something similar with Colours in the Dark?
I really don’t know where this three octave vocal range is coming from! It’s EVERYWHERE! Everyone thinks I have a three octave vocal range. You know, it only matters when I’m vocalizing, then comes the three octaves, but I never ever sing three octaves! That’s just ridiculous! (laughs) It’s a huge range. When I’m doing my exercises at home, I can hit those three octaves, but come on!! Give me a break! There are no three octaves on my album. (laughs) I had a wider range than the majority of the rock singers because I’ve been training for so many years as a lyrical singer, but Hah! Three octaves MY GOD! (laughs)
Well, I found that on Wikipedia, so obviously somebody out there thought it to be true.
Yeah, it’s unbelievable! I don’t know who is writing those things. (laughs)
There is no telling really. This latest album was mixed and mastered by Tim Palmer who did Pearl Jam and U2. What was it like to work with him?
Oh he is SUCH a beautiful person! He is a really nice man, and very easy to work with. He is very talented. When it comes to mixing albums, his sound is very unique. I feel like he is very open-minded. He’s worked with so many different kinds of artists and bands. He has this open sound. I got to work with him on the last record. I told him at that time, that if it were possible, I would love to work with him on the next album completely, and he agreed. It was so much fun! His home studio is in Austin Texas, and we worked very closely with him, two-three weeks at a time. It was really nice. He and his family are beautiful people. I miss them. It was a really nice experience. I am very proud about the sound of my album. He did very well.
Wonderful! I read that last year you became a mother. Congratulations!
Yes! Thank you!
That must be quite the feat. As a mother myself, I have to divide myself between a mother, and being working professional. How do you balance your time between motherhood, your music, and the touring?
You could imagine, being an artist and performer, and being a mother at the same time is a hard combination. I am blessed with my husband who is working with me. We’ve been working together for almost 14 years. He has been traveling with me even before the baby was on board. Now, he is there to really take the responsibility when I am not able to. Our baby, not only does she have both of her parents, whether it’s with me or her father, all the time. She is quite lucky in that sense. Of course we will need to have a nanny on board on the world tours, and we have to organize our schedules differently. She hasn’t changed my life radically like you would imagine. We’ve been traveling the world, and she’s been taking this life as the life she knows. It is the only thing she does know, and she is happy. Thank God she’s been healthy. That is the only thing that matters: her health. She is #1 now. It’s not only me, it’s her. We might have our difficulties, but thank God it has been lovely. It’s been so beautiful to be a mother and experience all that.
Absolutely! It is an experience that everyone should experience at least once.
Yes! You cannot really explain it to someone who hasn’t experienced it. You know that yourself! You really can’t explain it, but its’ beautiful.
It really is. How is music going to be part of your daughter’s life? Are you going to teach her how to play piano and sing as well?
Oh! (laughs) Since both of her parents are working with music daily, of course, she is already heavily influenced by music. When there is music around, like on television, she immediately pays attention to it. I’ve been playing piano with her. She’s been in my lap, and we’ve been playing together. She loves the noises and sounds that comes out of a piano, or any other instrument. She will probably ask me some day if she could play this, or that. The thing is, I was able to choose what to do with my life. My parents were not musicians. They had great voices, but they were not working with music. I was the first child in my family who wanted to become a professional musician. My parents were always there for me. They drove me five times a week to different kinds of music lessons . They really worked hard for me to be able to live my dream. If ever there is something that my daughter wants to do, outside of music, I will be there for her, for sure. I would love that she find something that is her “thing,” her passion. That would be amazing to see.
That is wonderful! I completely agree. I share the same sentiments about my own sons.
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