Hi Tarja, how’re you?

Hi! Very fine, thanks for asking. I returned home from a diving trip yesterday, so I feel very relaxed!

We’re over half way through the year… how has 2008 been for you so far?

In the beginning of this year I had some holidays, ´cause the album process of My Winter Storm took me quite a while and I felt it was time for some break after hard work. Anyway I have been doing a lot of promotion for the first album this year. I also had a very successful European tour in May, which I was so delighted about. I got to meet many of my fans on the road and have great memories from the places I visited and performed in. I will never forget that experience! Touring will continue soon in South America and again later on this year, I will return to Europe for another leg of the tour.

I believe you’re busy writing for your next album, how is this going?

It has been just great! The songs are coming alive so much easier than on the first album. It was good to have that first experience of My Winter Storm, to know which musical ideas are working for me and which are not.

I am also having more courage to write my own material now, which is nice because there is still the shy and perfectionist woman living inside of me who has never been really supported or encouraged in this field of writing music.

Writing music is something really new for me and I am learning new things about it every day. I am also very grateful to have people close to me that are there to help when I need them.

If I can say that I have been very involved in all the process of My Winter Storm already, I can tell you that my involvement in the next album is a lot bigger and deeper than before.

Your debut album, My Winter Storm, was certified gold and topped the Finnish charts on release, how did this make you feel?

Of course it was an amazing feeling! I remember that I was performing in one Finnish charity TV program on the day when I heard that my album reached the top position in the official album charts in Finland. It was so cool to get to the stage on that night. I was so grateful and honoured for the support of my Finnish listeners.

You’ve said previously that My Winter Storm is a very personal album… in which direction is your new album heading?

I guess the new album is getting even more personal than my first one is! Is just quite obvious that there are many things that I want to write about and I have never been able to before! There is one main subject or concept that I am keen on in the new album this time.

Will you do any covers for this album?

I hope I will. I already have some ideas for it, but as it has been said, it is very hard to choose the perfect song out of a million. Anyway, I guess you will be surprised again with my choice!

In essence, you’re now a solo artist with a touring band… how does this compare to being part of a band?

The whole concept of being a solo artist rather than being part of a band is different. Firstly I have a new record company working with me and with that comes new people working for me.

The attention, responsibility and work are only on my shoulders. In the band normally you share things between the band members, BUT, I have a lot of freedom to do things how I wish and like. This is a great freedom and a dream for me. I have never felt better because now I can finally explore the inner thoughts of myself deeper and put them into my own music through lyrics and melodies. I don’t need to share any musical opinions or differences with other people. (Rather than my record company! Ha-ha.)

Is it easier or harder than you imagined?

I am quite reasonable and realistic person so I never really imagined this situation to be different than it is at the moment. I am a very hard working person and I love challenges. Of course, at the beginning, I could not expect the immediate success and had no idea how the people might react when they heard my music. I just let the emotion drive me in the process of making music. I knew that I needed to work a lot harder than before because this time is not just about singing.

You have some gigs scheduled in August / September in South America and then you’ll play at Metal Female Voices Festival in Belgium in October… will you be playing any more gigs this year?

I am going to tour in Europe in October / November after my South American tour.

Are there any plans for more dates in the UK?

Unfortunately not. To get to some countries where I would love to perform like Spain, France, Ireland, USA, Canada and of course, UK, is not just as easy as my wishes are. It involves promoters, agents, record company and this stage is not possible to go, but I am looking forward to playing at some festivals in the UK in 2009.

I was reading on your website that your gigs now tend to be ‘camera friendly’… how important do you feel this is for fans?

I have been talking a lot about this subject with my fans and it seems they really enjoy it. It is not only great for them, but also so much fun for me to see the amazing shots that people are taking at my concerts. Nowadays people are having mobile phones with cameras and taking photos anyway during the concerts, so I don’t see the point of neglecting the real camera use. I am interacting with my fans by making photo contests or similar stuff and it has been very successful so far. Is a nice memory for them to take those pictures and for me as well to see them.

They’re very different beasts, but which do you prefer: writing and recording or touring?

When you can perform your own music live there is nothing better than that for an artist. The songs are getting to a different world and they reach a different emotion in a live performance in every concert. After working hard in the writing sessions and later in the studio, it feels just great to be able to tell that story for the people in the concerts.

You seem to spend some time over on your official forum; often answering questions your fans have… how important do you feel this interaction is?

It is vital for me as an artist. It is good to know what people think, how they react in things and how they see my work. I get a lot of support from my fans and their support is the key that keeps me going. There would not be me and my music without these great, loving people. I owe them a lot.

This is one of the very good things that came with the freedom of being a solo artist. I can decide the way I want to communicate with my fans. Being a part of a band, is not very well seen that you are the only one interacting with people as if the whole thing “is yours”, if you know what I mean. Razz

Going back in time… you’re from the small town of Kitee in Finland… had you ever traveled much before joining Nightwish or was it a bit of a culture shock for you to experience new places and lands?

When I was a kid, I was traveling quite a lot with my parents so I already had a chance to see the “outside world” a bit in my childhood. Then later I made one European tour as a choir lead singer when I was 16 within my music high school. Touring with Nightwish came up as a shock due the situation and conditions, not because of different landscapes and cultures! Those conditions were not the best in the beginning for the band… I was pretty much left alone everywhere, but I survived!

Did you find all the traveling daunting or was it exciting to visit new places so often?

I was very happy to travel and to see new places. It was just pity that in those nine years of my career in Nightwish, there was not much time to see around because of the tight traveling schedules of the band. There are many “black holes” in my past memory, because I don’t really remember where I have been and when.

I would love to change that, but there is no remedy for it! What I am trying to do now on my own is that I am always planning my touring in a way that I will have that time to rest and to see where I am. I like to travel, meet new people and see cultures. It would be very exhausting to be on the road all the time, if you would not enjoy it. Sometimes it feels though, that it would be nice to stay at home for at least couple of weeks to get to feel the normal routine of a home life. I love to do home stuff like cooking and cleaning whenever I can…

Having travelled all over the world, where would you say your favourite destination is?

Oh, there are so many beautiful places in the world that God has given to us to explore! I think one of the most stunning places where I’ve been so far has been Los Roques archipelago in Venezuela. Such great underwater life and wonderful quiet beaches for those who enjoy sun and sea.

You made the move to Argentina some time ago… do you still spend time living in both Finland and Argentina now?

Yes, I do. We share our time in both places depending on our working schedules.

You're now teaching singing… how long have you been doing this?

I have been teaching for some years. I only have time for this in Buenos Aires when I travel there so I am not teaching frequently. My working schedule in Europe normally doesn't make it possible there, even though I have been asked many times.

Do you find it as rewarding as singing yourself?

Teaching is a very different situation than performing. In teaching the student and teacher are having a relationship that is based on trust, good communication and understanding of each other. I really enjoy it if I can help and encourage my students with their singing. It is very energy consuming work to be a teacher in a way, because you tend to give your best to every student and expect that the message will get through immediately, even though it hardly ever does so instantly. But on the other hand it gives me a lot of comfort and confidence to hear and see my students making progress.

As most people know you’re classically trained… will you go back to singing in this way in the future or are you happy with the more rock / pop orientated work you’re doing at the moment?

I am still taking singing lessons from my vocal coach from time to time because I need to get advice from somebody much more experienced than me. Singers have their own problems and so do I. When I sing rock it doesn’t mean that I use my voice radically different than when I sing classical music. I am basing my singing on my classical techniques. Of course the use of a microphone is helping me to do different kind of things with my vocals rather than in a classical concert where I don’t have any amplifiers or microphones. Every listener can hear my true voice then. I am doing classical concerts from time to time and also trying to organise some tours for the future in that field. I have been offered to play a part in a real opera, but I don’t feel I am ready for that yet, since I have never worked professionally as a classical singer. For God sake I have been doing rock music for the last twelve years! I love that combination of these two musical worlds in me.

What would you say has been the highlight of your career so far?

There are many highlights, since my career as an artist has had great successful flows. For me personal success comes with the happiness of being able to do things that I love.

It is not an easy task today to be an artist. I am very privileged to be able to tell my listeners about my feelings, my interests and share my thoughts with them through my music. I am very happy at the moment with what I am doing. I am also happy for being healthy. I guess I am living the highlight of my career at this moment.

Who or what inspires you as an artist?

People, nature and mysteries of life are maybe my biggest inspirations when I write music. I am always keeping my eyes open while I am traveling and meeting people from different cultures. It is very big richness in life to be able to understand the world where you are living. Anyway, we are here only once so I am trying to get the best out of it every day.

You’ve already collaborated with other artists, whilst in Nightwish and as a solo artist… is there anyone you’d really like to work with that you haven’t yet?

There are many great artists that I could mention to you. Maybe now comes to my mind a man that I respect and adore very much: Peter Gabriel.

And some quick questions now:

Favourite gig you’ve played?

I took part of the biggest opera festivals in Europe that was held in Savonlinna Olavinlinna castle in Finland two years ago. I performed with a symphonic orchestra, choir and a band songs from Nightwish, hit musicals and classical opera arias.

Most bizarre gig you’ve played?

I did very nice church music concert in a main church of Lahti Finland a couple of years ago with an organist, electric guitar player and a drummer. We played various kinds of songs like classical Ave Marias and also rock songs from Deep Purple and Nirvana. The audience really loved it and I did too!

Favourite gig you’ve attended as a fan?

Peter Gabriel, Dublin in Summer 2007.

Favourite band?

Sorry, I don’t have a favourite band, but I like many bands.

What are you currently listening to?

Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold, classical works from Craig Armstrong and soundtracks from composers like Jeff Rona, Hans Zimmer and Ramin Djawadi.

I’m sure over the years you’ll have experienced some bizarre fan behaviour, is there anything that really stands out in your mind? If so, what?

One girl had it made tattoos to her arm of four characters appearing on my My Winter Storm album. That tattoo really does look stunning!

Is there anything you would like to be asked in an interview but haven’t been asked yet? And what would your answer be?

This is the hardest question that I have already been asked before and still I don’t have an answer for it. Sorry….

This has been instilled in me by one of our other writers here at musicxtra… I must ask you, who is your favourite Moomin and why?

Pikkumyy (Little My). She is a little red haired girl that is almost always angry and vexed without any reason. My husband says that I remind him of her at times when I don’t have a best day…

Do you have a message for your UK fans?

I deeply want to thank you for your great support for all these past years and especially now when I am on my own. It is so amazing to know that there are people that love me in UK. I just hope I can give you some of that love back with my music and stories. God bless you all.


All that’s left to say now is thank you very much for your time and good luck with the upcoming tour and album!