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2013: Floor becomes the official NW singer


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Floor officially became Nightwish's singer in October 2013, but the decision had been made some time before. Here are a few chosen texts (press articles, reactions, etc) from that pivotal period.

 

And for starters, an interview at the Sauna Open Air in Tampere on June 8, 2013, mere hours before Floor and Troy would be invited to join the band!

 

 

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#108: Floor Jansen, Nightwish – Towards The Unknown

18 Jun 2013

From <https://www.inferno.fi/108-floor-jansen-nightwish-kohti-tuntematonta-17391/>

Last year Nightwish changed their singer for the second time.  At the moment the band is in some sort of transitory state. But decisions about the future will not be made in a hurry.

 

Nightwish, formed in 1996 is once again in their career in a strange situation. Last year Anette Olzon who replaced Tarja Turunen in 2005, was let go (actually it says she got fired). Floor Jansen who is known for being the singer of After Forever has been filling in Anette in on-going Imaginaerum tour. Her status as a full time member has not been confirmed yet.

Wind of changes (haha) started to blow in september last year during the US leg of Imaginaerum tour when the band stated that Olzon is in a medical care. On friday september 28 at the show in Denver all the vocals were performed by the backup vocalists of Kamelot, Elize Ryd (Amaranthe) and Alissa White-Gluz (The Agonist). On the next day however Olzon had come back and sang at the gig in Salt Lake City.
The band told that everything was fine but very quickly Olzon's comments started to appear in the press where she stated how disappointed she was when the band decided to replace her on that one gig. On October first an official press release was released which told about the departure of Olzon and Nightwish. As stated it had become clear that the goals (/direction and the needs of the band) between the band  and the singer were in conflict. Even afterwards that's just about everything that has been heard of the matter.
Already on the same day on October first in Seattle in a Showbox So-Do concert hall, the tallish Dutch amazon Floor Jansen was seen as the singer of Nightwish. What happened between September and October in 2012?

--- Firstly all happened very quickly. The band contacted me in just a few days notice. They had problems with Anette and they asked if I was available, Floor says in the middle of May 2013 in Helsinki.

--- At first I was in shock of course. Could I do it in such a short notice? Could I do all that anyway? Slowly the feeling of joining them got stronger.

Nightwish send the set list to Floor, which the singer should master very quickly.

--- I knew some lyrics and song structures of the older songs. However all the songs of the latest Imaginaerum album were completely unknown to me. Of course the set list had quite a few of them because the tour was promoting the album. As a whole I had to learn about 100 minutes long set that had some really challenging stuff in it.

--- Few days later, on the day of the Denver's gig the band contacted me again and told that Anette will leave for sure and I was asked to fly to the USA immediately, Floor remembers.

-- There I was, sitting in the airplane practicing the songs singing along with them. I sat between two people and I practiced for hours until I just couldn't anymore. I started to talk with a Dutch man sitting next to me and I apologized for the inconvenience. The situation was pretty odd, like two worlds colliding. Later this man looked me up in the social media and congratulate me about the job well done (/that everything went fine).

 

Trial by Fire

Floor arrived to Salt Lake City between saturday and sunday night, a few hours after when Anette had performed her last show with Nightwish.

--- I arrived at 1.00 AM and I was picked up to the hotel. The situation was awkward. We were in the same hotel with Anette but given the circumstances us meeting would have not been smart.

--- I didn't sleep at all that night, I was totally nerve-wrecked. Of course members of the band were extremely stressed-out too so the tension on our bus trip from Salt Lake City to Seattle were huge. However it gave me some time to adapt to the situation.

On monday October 1. the band had a sound check in Seattle. At the same time it was the first and only rehearsal for the new lineup.

--- We played the whole set. I had a flu already when I left home and on top of that I had jetlag and sleep debt. My voice was half gone, I could sing but not with full force. It turned out that I can do the show and the rest of the tour. After the show the atmosphere were incredible, we did it!

--- My feelings during those first days were a mixture of horror and enthusiasm. Something like this happens once in a lifetime so it was a chance that had to be taken. If you truly believe in something you can do incredible things.

--- What gave me extra strength was the knowledge that out of all people in the world the band had chosen me to the job. It's an incredible honor to fly from other side of the world to do something like that. I didn't want to let down such a trust.

In the statement that Nightwish released stated that Jansen would do the rest of shows on Imaginaerum tour. At the time things weren't so sure.

--- At the beginning nothing was certain. Only thing that was known was that things didin't work out with Anette and someone else was needed. It could have been the case that collaboration with me wouldn't have worked either.

There has been rumours that Jansen had been considered for the job when Nightwish changed their singer last time. Was she asked to join  in 2006-2007?

--- No, and I don't know if I was even considered. I've known the band and the inner circle for a deade. After Tarja left I was in After Forever and at the time everything was working fine. We weren't as big as Nightwish but our popularity was getting bigger.

--- I've heard rumours myself that I was asked to join or that I applied for the job but you hear those kind of rumours all the time. I was creating my own career and I didn't even consider anything else. I joined After Forever when I was 17 years old and at the time it was my thing.

--- Surely I have my own band now, ReVamp, but the situation is different. The band is fairly new and it isn't as popular as After Forever was at the time

 

Risks are a part of life (Taking chances are a part of life)

Looking from the outside the situation between Nightwish and Jansen at the moment is strange. By the time this magazine hit the stores Nightwish has played 4 gigs in Japan, one in Switzerland and has been the main act in the Sauna Open Air festival. After the rest of the festival shows this summer everything is open again. Is it really so that a band that is internationally successful doesn't plan ahead more than two months?

--- The official truth is that I replaced Anette and I'm in the band till august. We haven't agreed anything else.

And even you don't know what happens after that?

--- No. The future is open.

Isn't it a big risk to commit yourself to a project that has no guarantees of the future?

--- It is but who really knows what the future brings. I get that there is a lot of people who doesn't understand the current arrangements of Nightwish. I think it's good that the situation has calmed down and everyone involved has been able to think and learn about the past so that the same thing doesn't happen again.

--- Of course everyone would like to know what's going to happen in their lifes but it's simply not possible. Especially on the emotional level it's important and wise that we concentrate only to the shows ahead of us. The time to make decisions about the future will be on a later date.

--- I enjoy every second and live in the moment. We are a great team and everything works. I do have my own band and when Nightwish took 3 month break earlier this year we were in the studio making the second ReVamp album. I can also concentrate to other things and I don't have to just wait what Nightwish is going to do next.

--- You can look at this as a trial period for both sides. It's a real possibility that in august we end up to a conclusion that we had fun but let's not do this ever again. Of course it's highly unlikely because things are going well but it's a real possibility.

Is Jansen happy in the current state?

--- Like I said it's an honor. The spirits are up and  this is a great starting point if we decide to continue together, Jansen says in a rather diplomatic way.

 

Dramatic music pleases (I can't really translate this)

Jansen says that she is ready to sing any Nightwish song on stage. She has her own favorites though.

---Quite a few fans knows at this point that one of the biggest favorites of mine is Ghost Love Score. Some call it Ghost Love Floor which is really cute. I love the magic atmosphere of that song.

--- I love especially the heavier songs and more dramatic songs. Planet Hell for example is a great song to perform live. Also it's great to sing with Marco on that particular song.

The clips on Youtube shows that the chemistry between Jansen and Hietala works great.

-- Indeed! We have a similar touch especially on parts that are more rock-ish.  In Nightwish I can use that part of my voice more.

Jansen's singing style has been said to be like a combination of her predecessors. She has Turunen's operatic voice but she also has the ability to sing more pop oriented material like Olzon.

--- Maybe so but generally I think it doesn't make much sense to make those comparisons. Each singer has her own unique sound. Sure I have some common characteristics with both Tarja and Anette but still it doesn't cover everything I can do with my voice.

--- I've been doing my own thing since the first After Forever album. People analyze the differences between me and the previous singers especially in web forums but I think it's a waste of time and energy.

--- I don't want to sing Nightwish material exactly like it's on the album. I want to bring something of my own to the table and I'm using my natural voice. I don't imitate or copy what has been done before.

--- I know that Anette had problems (dealing with it?) when the fans were comparing her to Tarja and demanded Tarja to come back. Now it's happening to me. At first I was too busy to even think about it but even since then I haven't really thought about it much. On the other hand the majority of the fans have accepted me really well and people seem to like my rock and metal influenced voice.

[...]

 

Emptying the hard drive with Scrooge McDuck

Nightwish’s keyboards player and main composer Tuomas Holopainen confirms Floor’s words. They still haven’t decided if Jansen will continue as Nightwish’s singer after the summer festivals.

At the time of the interview Nightwish is preparing to leave for Japan. Behind them is an intensive training period in the Helsinki metropolis area and Holopainen, interviewed in the lobby of a hotel in Helsinki, seems relaxed and content.

- We are dating and having fun while we are still high. We are not in hurry to get married. It’s doing a world on good to every one of us, to get to play gigs without having to worry about the future. Last couple of years have been a quite rollercoaster [he uses the word zigzag here] ride and now it’s a really good situation when everything works splendidly.

- At least I will need a clean break after the last show in August. I’m sure that in the early 2014 we will start thinking what we are going to do next.

As an always doubtful reporter I’ve learned that they always know more behind the scenes than are letting the public know.

- Of course I would be lying if I’d say that we have not though at all about Nightwish’s future. Nothing has been decided, though. We are in no hurry. It’s just that we could not think of a reason to make a public announcement about the issue. Or even decide between ourselves.

- I must, however, that I have nothing negative to say about Floor not on any field. I’m talking on the behalf of the entire band. Her enthusiasm is a pleasure to view and it gives energy to you as well. I’m sure it’s reflecting to the audience as well. I have not been smiling this much on stage for a long time.

- It was bewildering how smoothly the transition went. Naturally the media was all over the case at first, but after just a couple of day everyone seemed content in the singer change. This is how it’s supposed to go, we thought.

Has the setlist changed after Jansen came on board?

- At first we were just fighting to survive, we didn’t want to complicate thing by trying out new stuff. Further down the road, on her wishes, we included couple new songs, like 7 Days to The Wolves. First couple of sets were already decided well ahead.

- We will include couple new songs for the summer shows. We asked Floor her favourite songs, what she would like to sing. Based on those wishes we’ve already included She Is My Sin, which was covered already by After Forever. It felt natural to include that now, with couple more wishes from Floor.

 

Lifting the veil of secrets

As the interview progresses it becomes clear that some plans have already been made for Nightwish 

- We have booked a training place for July-September 2014. During those three months the next album will be made. Now I have a whole year to compose new material.

- Last few albums have been bigger and bigger and the projects have bloated. I have a feeling that things will be a bit different this time around. We took a year to make Imaginaerum (2011) and it was re-mixed for about ten times and mastered four times. If we can get rid of that, it’s good.

- I can assure you that there will not be a movie included with the album. I think the new material will more simpler overall, although I don’t think we will ever let go of the orchestra. I also have pretty clear vision about the lyrical themes, but I think it’s too early to reveal those.

In the end Nightwish had to invest their own funds to the movie that illustrated the Imaginaerum-album last year.

- We have not broken even yet, simply because the numbers are not in yet. In project of this size it will take years to find out what’s the bottom line.

- I spoke with our finance chief yesterday and (s)he told me the he didn’t have any numbers yet. The distributors or Solar Films have no information for us just yet if it’s a commercial success of a flop. What we know that in Germany 10 000 tickets were sold for the first day. I’m told that that is really good.

Episodi-magazine, by the same publisher Pop Media that publishes Inferno as well, revealed earlier this year that during the first month of its release Imaginaerum was only seen by 7400 people in Finland, which makes it nationally a commercial flop.

- We always knew that the movie will be in the marginal. But it would be nice to get some of the money back, if only to be used in the making of the next album.

[...]

From <http://www.nightwishonline.com/index.php?/forums/topic/1149-nightwish-floor-on-the-inferno-magazine-out-june-21st/>

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A Question Of Balance – An Interview With ReVamp

Posted on July 17, 2013 by News Team

 

Floor Jansen already has a distinguished career as a singer for After Forever and ReVamp, but things went to another level after a text message from a certain Mr. Holopainen called for her services as replacement for Annette Olzon, who left Nightwish mid-tour. This may all seem like a fairytale, but not too long ago Floor suffered from a burn out. This had profound consequences for Wild Card, the latest ReVamp album. Her adventures with Nightwish proved to be another major, albeit more satisfying, distraction from finishing the record. It’s all about finding the right balance as Floor candidly points out to Ghost Cult.

[...]

How do you look back on your experiences as a stand in singer for Nightwish?

It’s still too early for me to really reflect on the whole Nightwish adventure, because there are still a couple of tour dates pending, including some summer festivals. What can I say? It’s an incredible ride and it feels really good. Things went really well from day one. The timing was really awkward, because Annette Olzon just left the band and there wasn’t really time to rehearse with the other Nightwish members. Anxiety levels were running high, because replacing a female singer mid tour is a hazardous experience to say the least. They were running the gauntlet to make sure that none of the remaining tour dates had to be cancelled. They were scared and so was I. Things went surprisingly well. It doesn’t matter where you perform, Youtube will be plastered with movies of the gig the next day, so I really gave it my all. Everyone in the band and crew were really supportive and all the positive reactions and the warm acceptance by the Nightwish fanbase was beyond my wildest dreams. Some people would rather see someone else fronting the band, but you can’t please everyone.

Would you be willing to sing for Nightwish permanently if they asked you?

I’ve been asked to fill in for the current world tour and for a couple of festival dates, but what will happen after that is still unclear. Nightwish will take a break after the current touring cycle and they’ll make a decision next year. Until then everything is still up in the air. If they would ask me I would be very flattered and I would love to do it. It will be a major overhaul in my life and my career as a singer, but then again we’re not rushing things. Both the guys in Nightwish and I have experiences with previous band break ups and all emotions that come with it. It’s almost like dating. Things feel good and it’s going well, but we’re not in a rush to tie the knot so to speak.

Raymond Westland

From <http://www.ghostcultmag.com/a-question-of-balance-an-interview-with-revamp/>

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09 Oct

I am the new singer of Nightwish!

 

Dear reader,

with great pride and emotions beyond words I can tell you I will stay in Nightwish!!!! My dear 'brother' Troy will as well!!!! This is the official press statement to be found on the website of Nightwish:

 

Press release // October 9th 2013

09.10.2013

Ms. Floor Jansen is a keeper.

Also, we will be a six-piece band from now on, as Mr. Troy Donockley (uilleann pipes, low whistles, vocals) will become a full-time member of NIGHTWISH.

Originally we were going to wait until 2014 to make a decision about the future line-up of the band, but the past year has clearly shown us that Floor and Troy are perfect matching pieces to our puzzle, and we are really grateful of the bond that has grown between all of us. We love you guys.

Tuomas

Marco

Jukka

Emppu

Commented vocalist Floor Jansen: "Words cannot describe what I feel! This union is beyond everything and I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to continue this amazing journey with my new brothers! Once I had a dream…and this is it!!!"

Piper/whistleman, added vocalist Troy Donockley: "`Imaginaerum World Tour´was a revelation to me and in that time, I became aware of a growing unity and then, finally, a transcendence of all the usual nonsense that affects bands. A beautiful process. And since the idea, the musical dream that is NIGHTWISH has been a part of me since before I was born, I am delighted to officially sail into uncharted waters with my brothers and sister. Wondrous scenes Ahoy! "

From <https://web.archive.org/web/20140714170617/http://floorjansen.com/blog/i-am-the-new-singer-of-nightwish>

 

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Nightwish lineup changes–read Marco Hietala’s fresh comments!

9 Oct 2013

 

Nightwish has officially hired their new vocalist and her name is Floor Jansen. A surprise? Hardly, at least not for many.

Let’s think about it for a moment: When Tarja Turunen was fired from the band from Kitee back in the day, Nightwish decided to find a new figurehead on the ‘free market’. The band received more than two thousand demos of extremely varying quality from ladies aspiring to become the new main vocalist–and from a few men as well(!).

But listening through two thousand demos is quite a job. An insane job in fact. And yet: a good voice is but one element in the selection process–what the vocalist is like ‘as a personality’ and how will she cope long tours? Just to mention a couple of examples.

It turned out right from the start that Floor Jansen doesn’t budge under pressure and is highly skilled and adaptable singer, and the band has had nothing but positive surprises with her. Would Nightwish again, after the last few years’ experiences, plunge into a sea of demos and then ‘at some point’ start getting to better know the singer they have selected? Exactly.

“Of course people have sent us some demos after Anette’s departure as well, even though we haven’t asked for them. We checked out some of them, simply out of curiosity, but those listening experiences certainly didn’t give us any particularly positive thoughts,” says the bass-player-*****-vocalist Marco Hietala.

When did you decide Floor’s fate in the world of Nightwish?

“We made a definitive decision last spring, in a band meeting at Tuomas’s place (Holopainen, keyboards). It was entirely obvious for all of us that it makes no sense whatsoever to force ourselves to fix something that isn’t broken at all,” Hietala says.

“But we didn’t see any reason to hurry either. Maybe the history of the last few years has left us slightly traumatized, so the last thing we wanted was to rush a new serious relationship without first turning all the cards. [Translator’s note: No, it doesn’t say and I don’t know what he really means by ‘other cards’. You’re free to make anything you want out of this.] This was clear both to us and Floor–and oh yeah, fortunately also Floor was willing to join Nightwish!”

What about Troy Donockley–the British magician who has toured with you the last few years is an official member of the lineup now instead of being an 'outside' member.

“When we discussed the situation with Floor the status of Troy came up as well. The fact that we get along splendidly with Troy and also his multi-instrumentalist skills which would open up huge possibilities in future, both in terms of arranging old songs as well as working on new ones. The matter was decided then and there, we wanted to make the relationship official also with Troy. Luckily for us, also his response was positive,” Hietala says with a smile.

Where and when did you inform Floor and Troy about your decisions?

“In Tampere, in the bar of Hotel Ilves, during the after party of Sauna Open Air. We were sitting there in a corner, the whole bunch of us, and told Floor and Troy about our ideas. There’s no denying, the feeling was superb,” Hietala reminisces.

I suppose the atmosphere is still great? The new lineup has been made public. The Showtime, Storytime package, consisting of the huge concert at Wacken and a long documentary, will come out shortly (fresh trailer here). And even the next Nightwish album is gathering momentum...

“There’s no denying–the vibe is extremely good. The band will meet up next July to write and arrange the songs for the next album, and I can hardly wait actually,” Hietala says with a laugh.

“We have already talked about a more down-to-earth Nightwish album. Sure, orchestrations and other big things will continue to be a part of this band’s soundscape, but it might well be that we’ll make the band sound a bit more prominent this time around. But let’s see–these things will be sorted out next summer!”

From <http://www.nightwishonline.com/index.php?/forums/topic/3247-nightwish-lineup-changes-soundi-article/>

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Sweden Rock Magazine

Oct 2013

 

As an introduction to the documentary "Please learn the setlist in 48 hours", we read a text that explains that Anette Olzon has requested that no visual or audio material with her may be used in the film.

"Yes, of course it is very unfortunate," says Nightwish's founder, main composer and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen. "It was in March of this year we were told that Anette neither wanted to be seen or heard in the documentary. Then Ville Lipiäinen, who also made our previous tour documentary "Back in the day ... is now" (2009), had already edited and cut together more than 80 percent of it. The rest of us did not, of course, believe it would be possible to remove her when she had such a large and important role in the whole thing. Ville believed, however, that it was possible to redo without compromising quality. I saw the finished result at the end of September and I don't know how he did it. I don't even want to think about how much extra work it became for him in the end, but he succeeded anyway. The result is really good. But I still think it's too bad she's not in it. We wouldn't have shown her in a bad light, if that's what she was afraid of. She'd have had just as much to say about the material as the rest of us. But now it is as it is and we respected her wishes of course."

If you compare the concert  from Wacken Open Air from August 3rd this year with concerts from your previous DVD releases "From Wishes To Eternity" (2001), recorded in Tampere, and "End of an Era" (2006), recorded in Helsinki, the Wacken Open Air gig doesn't feels as exclusive as the others. Was it really supposed to be released originally? 

"Not originally. It was entirely our record label Nuclear Blast's idea. I was initially against it but they said they absolutely wanted to have a concert too. Tojust release the documentary would not do at all. When we got those news we were in the midst of the festival summer, so the recording options were then very few. That it turned out to be Wacken Open Air is of course because it is a very large and well known festival, but also because everything we needed to record was already at the place. But yes, for me it would have been more satisfying to maybe do a special concert at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki again with both guests and a symphony orchestra, but there was no time for something like that. Now, of course I don't think the Wacken Open Air concert is bad in any way and we played really well that night, but I also understand what you mean."

You seem to be much happier and more at ease with yourself now than you did in the documentary "End of Innocence" (2003).

"That is true, and I am also very much happier now than I was then. Why I am now is personal and nothing I want to talk to the press about. However, that I had a pretty rough time then and earlier around "Century Child" (2002) most people already know about. I don't regret that we did the documentary, but I honestly haven't been able to watch it since it was released. I also don't intend to ever watch it again. It wouldn't give me any joy or positive memories at all but just be strenuous. That feeling I had then is not something I want in my life now."

Is your family's cottage, which is the main scene of the interview portions of the documentary, still your private hideaway?

"No, I have my own house now and it satisfies all my needs."

Is it your Disney-inspired wooden castle that you're talking about now?

"What! I'm supposed to live in a Disney inspired wooden castle? That was a peculiar rumour. I don't think I've even ever heard that one before. Certainly, my house is made of wood, but some castle is it not. It's an ordinary house. This is where I create my music, but since I don't really get technology, I'll never get a home studio. I'd rather take my ideas and record them with people who understand and know what they are doing."

The idea was that you wouldn't present your new singer until 2014, but October 9th you announced that both Floor Jansen (ReVamp) and Troy Donockley (Irish bagpipe and flutes) have permanent membership in Nightwish. What made you change your mind?

"Well yes, that was the idea at first. But we get along extremely well together and we talked with both Floor and Troy about permanent membership already in June. Fortunately, we got the positive responses we wanted. Then it would have been pure idiocy and downright embarrassing if I had been sitting here and either kept silent or lied to you and the rest of the press right up in your face. I know how it all works. Even if the plan was that all the focus now would be on and about "Showtime, Storytime" the question "have we found a new singer" would have came up sooner or later anyway, right? Thus, we'd just as well make it official already now, at the same time, and see it as a fresh start and a good first release together."

Have you already had time to start talking about a new album together as well?

"Yes and no. I've started working with the very first song ideas for a new album. However, it is a long time to go until we have arrived at a new recording session. Anyway, the plan is we'll get together and start to record the material together in July 2014, and if everything goes as planned, the album will be released in spring 2015."

Just a few days before the news came that Floor has become a permanent member, Elize Ryd (Amaranthe) put her audition tape (for Tarja's position) from 2006 on Youtube. Was she ever actual as replacement for Tarja or Anette?

"Her and Kamelot's other backing vocalist Alissa White-Gluz (The Agonist) clearly did a great job when they together rescued us from having to cancel the show in Denver last autumn when Anette was forced to go to the hospital. For that she deserves all credit, but she has never been more that that. What then happened between Anette and Nightwish the days after the gig is our matter. As it also happened over a year ago, I don't want to talk about it. Floor was our first and fortunately only choice for replacement. At first only as a replacement for the remaining dates of the tour, but now, as we said, she is a permanent member."

When Tarja was fired in 2005, you went off the grid and watched M Night Shyamalan's movie "The Village" (2004) about a dozen times a week as some sort of escapism. Did you do something similar this time as well?

"The difference this time was that we were on tour and there was no time for self-pity or isolation, so the answer's no. The comfort that "The Village" gave then, I now found from the band members. Together we grew, and with joint strength we managed the entire tour, and subsequent tours, in a good way."

How far along have you come with your solo album "Music inspired by the life and times of Scrooge McDuck"? Wasn't the vocals to be recorded now one of these days?

"Actually, I'm already done with basically everything on the album. In the end, there will be four different singers, and it's done, all vocals are recorded.  I could give you the names of them all, but prefer to wait a bit because the album isn't supposed to be released by Nuclear Blast until April."

Considering that it's about Uncle Scrooge, how involved is Disney?

"Not at all. There is nothing in either the music or the lyrics that they have any ownership to, and I have payed for everything myself with money from my own music publishing company. It is also apparent from the album title that it's just inspired by the comic book "The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck" (1993). It is my tribute to an immensely important book in my life. Each chapter will not have its own song, but the songs will follow the chronological order.  The cover of the album is made by Don Rosa, who also has drawn and written the book. For me it doesn't get bigger than that. Or, well, yes, a while ago, he was in Finland to participate in a music video for one of the songs. I was terrified when he would get to hear the music for the first time. Afraid of what he would think and afraid that I hadn't been able to do his drawings and story justice. But the first time he heard the music, he wept. He wept over what I had done! Then a huge burden dropped off my shoulders. Can my music affect him as much as his comics affects me ... it doesn't get better than that."

Your music publishing company, is that the same one that also financed the film "Imaginaerum" (2012)?

"Yes, it's the same company. I will never go even on "Imaginaerum", financially speaking, it is a pure loss. I knew this in advance. But it is not about money, it's never been. For me, "Imaginaerum" is something quite different and much more important than that."

Finally, tell us your best Floor joke. 

"There are so many floor jokes. One time, Floor got a "caution wet floor" sign from out tour leader Ewo Pohjola. The joke was funny at first but became trite in the long run."

From <http://www.nightwishonline.com/index.php?/forums/topic/3362-nightwish-anette-media/&page=7>

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NIGHTWISH - Going Dutch: "Floor Jansen Owns The Stage And The Audience"

October 23, 2013

By Carl Begai

 

The day after it was announced that NIGHTWISH touring vocalist Floor Jansen (REVAMP, ex-AFTER FOREVER) had been made an official band member, BW&BK; was given the opportunity to speak with keyboardist/mastermind Tuomas Holopainen about the band's forthcoming live/tour documentary DVD Showtime, Storytime. Good thing they took care of business before press began, because if they hadn't most of this conversation would have consisted of yours truly telling Holopainen he would have to be a special kind of insane to let Jansen slip away. But really, it's no surprise that Jansen was asked to stay considering her monumental efforts since coming on board at the last minute to replace the booted Anette Olzon back in October 2012.

 

"I know it didn't come as a surprise to anybody," Holopainen says of the news. "We wanted to make it official at this point because we knew we were going to do a lot of promotion for the upcoming DVD. It's just easier to do things this way; we don't need to keep our mouths shut."

 

The documentary portion of the DVD begins appropriately with footage from Denver, Colorado as Nightwish makes a mad scramble to put together some semblance of a setlist in the wake of Olzon falling ill. With their singer unable to perform and an audience willing to stick around for whatever the band can come up with, Nightwish enlist support band KAMELOT's backing singers Elize Ryd (AMARANTHE) and Alissa White-Gluz (THE AGONIST). The rest is a pretty amazing piece of history. Holopainen is caught on camera after the show stating that he'd never been as scared as he was two hours earlier.

 

"That was the truth," he admits. "The whole day is just a hazy dream to me now. It was such an awkward moment. A big hand to Elize and Alissa... they were amazing. But that's what doing live shows is all about. Sometimes these things happen and it's really memorable stuff; a mass karaoke with those two lovely girls joining us, doing some instrumental stuff as well. It was something different and I don't think anybody left the venue upset or annoyed."

 

Olzon, on the other hand, was genuinely upset and took to her official website to air her feelings. She made it clear she thought the band was wrong to go ahead without her. On October 1st the band released a statement announcing Olzon's departure and that Jansen would be filling in for the rest of the tour.

 

"We got quite a bit of criticism for doing the show without Anette," Holopainen reveals. "Some people asking us how we could be so selfish and do the show without her. It was quite the opposite. We had to think about the 1,600 fans, the promoter, the crew, everybody. Seriously, if something happened to me or any of the other band members, I'd do anything to still make the show happen. We offered the money back from the tickets. We told the fans how the show was going to be, so of course if they wanted to leave they should get their money back. It was seven refunds out of 1,600 so that was pretty good."

 

Nightwish haven't elaborated on the reasons for firing Olzon and it's doubtful they ever will, even as they move on with Jansen.

 

"The split is like a divorce and nobody likes to talk about a divorce publicly. We released a statement, with Anette, and that should be enough for everyone."

 

Suffice to say, there's a certain amount of bad blood still floating around. The documentary begins with a disclaimer stating that "due to the circumstances surrounding her departure, the former vocalist insisted that she would not be seen or heard in the documentary."

 

"That's something I can clarify," says Holopainen. "It did come as a surprise to all of us. The documentary was about 80% finished and Anette was in it giving interviews, there was nice live footage of her, but in March this year we got an email from her manager saying that we needed to cut her out of the documentary, audio and visual. That's something we didn't expect, so we had to decide if the documentary was even worth doing anymore because it was an essential part of the tour. The director, Ville, told us to give him a chance. He wanted to take a few weeks to see what he could do with the editing. And now when I see the footage I've got to give it to the guy, he's a wizard. It's beautifully crafted. The drama is there, the beauty is there. Occasionally you might think 'Okay, where's the vocalist?' but when Floor comes in you can really enjoy it."

 

Jansen has fronted Nightwish since October 2012 and has had a much easier job winning over the band's legion of fans than Olzon did. Take a cruise through the library of live footage on YouTube and you can watch her grow into the role of being front and center on the Nightwish stage.

 

"I have to agree. The first couple of weeks that we did with her were good and she was really impressive, especially with the time that she had to prepare. Looking at her now - and I only saw the Wacken Open Air footage for the first time only two weeks ago - I'm thinking 'Wow!' Watch the DVD and you can see that Floor owns the stage and the audience."

 

Asked if he remembers when the band came to the conclusion Jansen should be fronting Nightwish permanently....

 

"Yes I do. It was spring, about six months after Floor came in. We agreed that she was a lovely person and that she really could sing, but I was wondering if we really needed to be talking about all that stuff just yet because I was having such a good time on tour. It eventually got to the point where we said 'Why not?' It was after the Sauna Open Air Festival in Finland at the beginning of June, after the show in the hotel lobby, where we encouraged ourselves to go to Floor and ask her how she would feel about continuing with us in the future. She gave us an immediate 'Yes.' We didn't think it was going to be an 'of course' answer, though. We didn't take anything for granted, but she was really happy and really motivated. And right after that we asked Troy Donockley (uilleann pipes, low whistles, vocals) about joining the band as well. He said yes too, so it was a happy evening (laughs)."

 

Donockley's confirmation as a full band member may seem odd considering he's "only" been a backing musician on tour. Holopainen will tell you different.

 

"He's been part of the band for the past 18 years, not only because of his musical abilities but also because of his personality. What does it mean to be in a band? I think Troy is a prime example of that because he brings a lot of light and joy and musical abilities to the band, so why not make it official as well."

 

Taking nothing away from Donockley, Jansen is the focus for the moment and has been since she stepped foot on the Nightwish stage. Her vocal range gives them the chance to perform old material from the Tarja-era, something that was hit-and-miss with Olzon up front.

 

"There's definitely some potential to do that," Holopainen agrees. "When I listen to Floor sing songs like 'She Is My Sin', it's quite grand. I really like how she does the old songs, so yeah, I've been toying with the idea that we might dig up some of the older stuff on the next tour and see how it works. If it doesn't feel then we won't do it, but we could give some of the songs a chance. Maybe something from Oceanborn..."

 

Bottom line is Jansen can sing anything from the Nightwish catalogue.

 

"Pretty much so, I have to agree. At the same time I want to give Anette some credit because when you listen to Dark Passion Play and Imaginaerum, I don't think there's another person on this planet that could have done a better job on those songs. They still sound really, really good. But, like you said, Floor can do every song we've ever written so that they sound good at the very least (laughs). Usually they sound phenomenal when she does them. When Floor sings 'Ghost Love Score' and 'She Is My Sin', they're pretty out there."

 

For the future, we'll have to wait until late 2014 or early 2015 for the next Nightwish album. The ball is already rolling, however, at least in Holopainen's mind.

 

"From the beginning of November on I'm going to go into very deep hibernation and work on new Nightwish material until next summer. It'll be about seven months of just staying at home and writing songs with a vacation in between. On July 1st we'll gather together in the Nightwish camp and start working on the next album."

 

As to what direction the next record will take, it's anybody's guess. Go bigger than Imaginaerum (which would be a bloody epic task) or go back to vocals/guitars/bass/keyboards/drums basics?

 

"The gut feeling I have at the moment would be somewhere in between those two places," says Holopainen. "It's never the purpose to be bigger and bigger and bigger. It doesn't need to be bigger as long as it's interesting and brings something new to the show. The 'being bigger' issue is just nonsense. We just do the things we feel and the way we want to do them. When we did Imaginaerum, we wanted to do a big orchestral theatrical album and take down the guitars and bass a little bit. At the moment, I and I think the rest of the band would like to take a step back and do things in an old school band-orientated way. That's how I would like to do things. We're never going to get rid of the orchestra or the choirs because they compliment the music so beautifully and we love that, but maybe the next one will be a bit more of a band album."

From <http://bravewords.com/features/nightwish-going-dutch-floor-jansen-owns-the-stage-and-the-audience>

 

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