It felt like they had been waiting for me for a really long time. When I went on stage, I couldn't hear anything but them, I couldn't hear any music, just the 'Wow' from the audience. It was incredible.”

Wikimetal: Hi Tarja, this is Nando from Wikimetal.

 Tarja Turunen: Hi, hi, how are you, Nando?

W: Well, how are you?

TT: I'm doing very well.

W: First of all, let me thank you for the interview. It's a great honor to speak with you.

TT: No problem.

W: Could you tell us who inspired you to become a singer? And how did you get involved with music?

TT: Well, since I was a child, since I was born, I've been singing everywhere in one way or another. My first performance was when I was three years old, so it was very natural for me to be singing around. My family is very musically talented. Even though I was the first to pursue music professionally, everyone has very good voices, my parents and my older brother. So there was music in my family, so when I started playing some children's melodies on the piano, they put me in piano lessons when I was five or six years old. And singing came soon after, but classical singing a little later, because if you're a girl and you're growing, classical singing can be very dangerous if you start too early. So I started when I was fifteen, but I think it was The Phantom of the Opera that made me realize, really, that I wanted to become a classical singer. I wanted to learn to use my voice in a healthy way.

W: And this is the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical… Did you see the musical or just hear the songs?

TT: I only got to see the musical many years later, and I cried and cried and cried… It was overwhelming, you know, because it really was a dream come true. And I've already seen "Love Never Dies," the second part of the same musical, and it's fantastic. So back then, when I was a girl, I dreamed about it, of course.

W: It's fantastic, yes. They're very good songs. Changing the subject, Tarja, we know that the rock scene in Scandinavia is very strong, especially in Finland, where you're from. Has it always been like that? What are the reasons for this and what's the scene like there right now?

TT: It's been like that for as long as I can remember. Since I was a girl, there have been many bands there. Not that all of these bands became internationally famous, but in Finland there has always been this underground metal rock scene. And then when it started happening with bands like Stradovarius and Sentenced and Amorphis – those were, I think, the first three that became known abroad – it helped others to do the same. And I know that… I haven't lived in Finland for many years, I'm not very involved in the scene anymore, but I can say that there are really many bands, many clubs and festivals every summer, I mean, summer is very short in Finland, only three months or even less, so there are festivals in every city, every town, and most of them are rock festivals.

W: I feel very envious when you say that.

TT: Yeah…

W: Can we say that hard rock and heavy metal are predominant in Finland?

TT: Yes, many bands, many big bands of this genre are reaching number one on the Finnish charts.

W: Well, that's great. Speaking of musical style, how would you compare your solo career to Nightwish?

TT: There are many differences, if you consider… First of all, I would immediately say the lyrics, because I didn't write the songs in Nightwish, and I write my own songs, or with someone I like to compose with, it's very different, of course, what comes out. And it's my passion, how I see music currently and what influences me to write songs. Of course, there are films that I love, and classical music, even rock, pure rock and metal too. So there are all these things as impulse, dynamic changes in my music, and you can't… If you listen to my albums, you can't say they are heavy metal albums, they aren't – if you compare bands – they aren't metal albums. My albums are… They are albums of an artist, where I felt very free to make the songs, and give all my blood, all the passion I have for music and for love. So musically there are differences, of course, the elements are more or less the same, but the production is quite different, because I give much more space to my voice as a soloist and to the orchestra and choir. I always work very carefully with the producers; they have to know that there must be space for the orchestra to shine in my music.

W: I was going to ask this later, but since you mentioned it, how difficult was it for you to start writing your songs when you began your solo career? And how did you feel when your first solo album was released and became so successful and well-received?

TT: All beginnings in life, if you think about it, if you have to start from scratch, will be difficult in one way or another. It was very difficult for me because I didn't know if I could do it in the first place. It took a lot of courage, but I had no idea I would be able to. Of course, I had people who helped me, professional songwriters, and they tried to unearth what was in my heart and mind and what I wanted to say, and it was a great experience for me to start that way because, as I was respected and listened to, for the first time I could say, "Okay, I want to make a song about this, and I want to do it this way." And it was the first time that happened, and it was incredible, a blessing. Now it's become easier, it's become, in a way, practically normal. It's never easy to compose a song, but when the song is finished, you know inside if it's a good song or a bad song, and everything else doesn't matter. There are bad days, and sometimes you succeed and sometimes you don't, but there's always a good reason for a good song on the album.

W: And how did you feel after that challenge, which I imagine it was for you, having such a well-received album? I believe it was the most commercially successful of your career, wasn't it? Or am I wrong?

TT: Yes, yes. Well, if you consider it, I only have two albums, and the first one was, yes, of course, and times change, the industry has changed, and I'm very lucky to be able to have an international solo career nowadays, because that's very difficult. Bands are on the road, everyone is trying to survive on that nowadays, since albums aren't selling anymore, so of course, it definitely makes me very happy to have a lot of people supporting and loving me in many countries around the world. And that, of course, is what keeps me going, the support.

W: I don't need to tell you that we love you very much here in Brazil, you probably already know that, so…

TT: I get really happy every time I hear that, believe me.

 W: I believe so. Anyway, we met briefly when you were at Rock in Rio last year. We chatted briefly backstage. How was that experience for you?

TT: It was very strange, honestly. Strange in the sense that, firstly, it was my first time at Rock in Rio, and it was Angra's first time at Rock in Rio as well, if I'm not mistaken. So it was very exciting for all of us, and we had a rehearsal the day before and everything went well, and then we were there, and we didn't do a soundcheck, and everything was running late, and the crew was messing up the schedule, and we didn't meet the time requirements… So there were a lot of problems, technical issues, but we tried to do our best, so even though it was very difficult, I had a lot of fun with these guys, it was a really good moment with the Brazilian audience. It felt like they had really been waiting for me for a long time, when I went on stage, I couldn't hear anything but them, I couldn't hear any music, just the "Wow" from the audience, it was incredible.

W: And it's going to be even better than that at your solo shows here.

TT: Yes, I think there will be some tears tonight.

I think playing with Nightwish again is very difficult. I fear it's almost impossible. Given how I feel right now, the moment I'm in, I'm really not looking for anything like that. I couldn't say never, but honestly, very difficult

 

W: Changing the subject, Tarja, we have a classic question on our show that we ask everyone we interview: imagine you're listening to music on your iPod in shuffle mode, and a song starts playing that makes you completely lose control and start headbanging wherever you are. What song would that be, so we can listen to it on our show right now?

TT: Wow, headbanging… Well, there’s a song, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” when the song builds up, almost at the end, it has such radical changes. From the first time I heard that song, I fell in love with it immediately. It’s incredible, the lyrics, Queen’s interpretation, Freddie Mercury, you know, “the voice of the universe”… It really brings a very good energy to my day.

W: Okay, so let's listen to "Bohemian Rhapsody" now.

TT: Perfect.

W: You mentioned that song, it's one of my all-time favorites, I think it's one of the best songs ever written. You talked about Freddie Mercury, who are your favorite singers?

TT: I was very sad when I heard the news of Whitney Houston's death. I was very young when I discovered her music and her incredible voice. And she was a great inspiration to me when I was little, I used to sing all her songs: "Didn't We Almost Have It All" and "Greatest Love of All," and all those hits she had at the time… And so much power in her voice, I was very sad when she passed away a few weeks ago. She was definitely one of them. Also, I really love Peter Gabriel, his voice, his charisma, and his personality too, all these years of his career, even in Genesis he was spectacular and still is. And he's a fantastic person, I had the honor of meeting him once in my life, and I'll never forget that. These two singers, at least, were certainly very significant to me.

W: Speaking of the highlights of your career, you've sung with so many rock legends. If you had to choose one special moment in your career, what would it be?

TT: Wow, that's a tough one. I was very lucky, believe me, I was very fortunate and blessed to be able to work with all these great artists. And honestly, nowadays I'm living my dream, I live my dream every day being a solo artist and making my music. Every day is different, but every day is like a dream come true for me. Even if that sounds very naive, it's true, because every day when I go on stage and see my fans there, with tears in their eyes and happy expressions, it makes me dream again, it makes me live, it makes me believe in what I do. So it's very difficult to choose just one day from my past…

W: Well, would you rather talk about something you still want to happen, or a dream you haven't yet achieved?

TT: Well, there are many. I'm a dreamer, as I said before, I'm a dreamer – a girl who dreams, and I have many challenges ahead of me that I already know about. First of all, the biggest challenge is being a mother – I would love that. It's a huge responsibility and a big dream.

W: Well, that's a really big dream. I'm not a mother, of course, but I am a father, and that was a real dream for me; I live that dream every day. Being a woman who sings, let's say, hard rock, heavy metal, what kind of prejudice have you experienced in your career?

TT: Sometimes, if I want to showcase my music to a promoter who hasn't heard of me yet, or if there's a possibility of doing some shows in countries I haven't been to, or where I'm not known, even if I have some fans, some promoters, if they don't know me, they like to discover what kind of music I make. And if you say the word "heavy metal," for some promoters it's too much to handle, because some people are used to certain types of artists and others to others. So I've had some problems getting my music heard by the right people, being on the road and doing my own shows. But apart from that, I've never had any major problems. Being a woman, I'm very respected, mainly because I've always been very clear about who I am and where I come from, that I don't come from heavy metal, but from classical singing, that I do what I love, and people respect that. They know my past, and they know from what they see and hear. Apart from that, I've never had any issues.

I only got to see the musical 'The Phantom of the Opera' many years later, and I cried and cried and cried… It was overwhelming, you know, because it really was a dream come true.”

 

W: Changing the subject again, Tarja, I'm not going to ask about a reunion with your other band, of course, but I'd like to know if there's any chance of you two sharing the same stage again, maybe in a jam session or on some tour. Is there any chance of that happening?

TT: I think it's a very difficult task, honestly. I think… I fear it's almost impossible, honestly. The way I feel right now, the moment I'm in, I'm really not looking for any of that. But life is strange, strange and sudden things happen, so I couldn't say never, but honestly, very difficult.

 W: Yes, yes, I just asked thinking about what happened to Metallica on their 30th anniversary. But I don't think any of them ever imagined this could happen. Now we'd like to hear a song again. I'd like you to choose a song that you're very proud to have written.

TT: Wow… On your radio station, okay… Play “Until my last breath,” because that song gives me good energy and I sing it for my fans until my last breath.

W: We're back from the music segment, one of our presenters, Daniel, is here.

W (Daniel Dystyler): Hi Tarja, how are you?

TT: Hi, how are you?

W(DD): I imagine you probably don't remember, but we spoke briefly at Rock in Rio, right after your show with Angra.

TT: Ah, yes!

W (DD): It was great, you were very nice. Let me ask, what will the setlists be like for your shows here in Brazil? Will there be any new songs?

TT: Yes. Actually, I was very careful with the selection…. I chose the songs very carefully because, as I remember, it's been three years since the last time I was in Brazil with my band, so I chose songs so that my fans can definitely hear as many new songs as possible. So the setlist is very rich because we're going to film a DVD a few days before, in Argentina, and we're going to do that shortly before we're ready to rock you in Brazil with a very rich setlist combining my two albums, with some incredible songs and some surprises for the Brazilian audience, definitely.

W(DD): I have a daughter, she's thirteen years old. Her name is Amanda and she adores you, and she also loves The Phantom of the Opera, she loves the music. And she knew I was probably going to talk to you today, so she asked me to ask you: what would you say to a girl who has just decided to become an opera singer, what would your advice be? And also, how do you feel being a role model for so many young singers these days?

TT: Well, as you said, your daughter loves The Phantom of the Opera, that was the most… I think it was one of the most important songs of my youth, it's what made me study classical singing, it made me look for a classical singing teacher. And that's something I'd like you to tell your daughter: find a good teacher, have fun with your teacher, listen to a professional opinion about yourself, see what your possibilities are within music, because it's a journey, it's an adventure, it's a rocky road, so there isn't just one path, there are many stones that will hit you, but it's an adventure that brings you a lot of love and good humor. But trusting your own instincts and being courageous is certainly very difficult in today's industry, but never lose faith. If you lose your faith, you lose your dreams and then you become unhappy. And that's something I would never suggest, I mean, there are always solutions, there are always open doors.

W(DD): Cool, really cool. We're almost finished with our interview. Are you already working on a new album?

TT: Yes, I am, and I've already done quite a lot, actually. Even though I've been on the road for a long time – this has been the longest tour of my career so far, I'm talking to you now from Mexico City, and I've been on the road for over four months with the same luggage, the same five pieces of luggage, so it's been difficult. But the new album is turning out really well, and I've been writing a lot of songs and that… Production, I hope, will begin in June, with the recording of the drums and guitar in Argentina. Then when I get back home to Argentina, to Buenos Aires, I'll start working on the album very quickly.

W: Okay, so Tarja, just to wrap things up… Before we finish, I’d like to thank you for your time once again. Could you leave one last message inviting all your fans and all our listeners to your shows in Brazil?

TT: Yes, of course. You are all very welcome at my shows. I hope to have a lot of fun with you all, I missed you so much, I love you all, and thank you so much for all these years you've been with me on my musical journey. You are all working with me, all Brazilians. I love you. See you soon!

W(DD): Excellent, Tarja, thank you so much for your time, it was a pleasure speaking with you again.

TT: Thank you very much, see you soon.

 W: Of course, we'll be there in April. Thank you very much, Tarja.

TT: Thank you, bye!

W: Bye bye.