Fugazi Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 For a time after splitting from Nightwish in 2012, Anette kept a low profile and didn't comment on the split. Eventually though she did return with some virulent criticism of how things went south between her and the band... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugazi Posted September 11, 2020 Author Share Posted September 11, 2020 Anette Olzon separated from Nightwish: "The tour was so oppressing that I got panic attacks" Me Naiset, 19Dec2013 http://web.archive.org/web/20160620103102/https://www.menaiset.fi/artikkeli/joka_paiva/ihmiset/nightwishista_erotettu_anette_olzon_kiertueilla_oli_niin_ahdistavaa Translation and comment from <http://www.nightwishonline.com/index.php?/forums/topic/3305-anette-olzon/&page=6> ”The boys in the band decided everything for me” says Anette Olzon, former singer of Nightwish who was kicked out of the band. “It would be interesting to exchange experiences with Tarja Turunen” Anette confesses. Anette Olzon thought she had gotten the dream job as a singer for Nightwish. When she was kicked out of the band, same kinds of emotions were risen as in a divorce. “I thought what had I done to deserve this.” Five years ago metal band Nightwish hired Swedish vocalist Anette Olzon to replace soprano Tarja Turunen. In last year’s October the band announced on their website that Anette’s employment in the band was over because of differing views. After the hassle Anette returned silently to Sweden. Now she’s ready to tell her version of what happened. “The same thing happened to me that happened to Tarja. I was fired”, Anette says. The dismissal didn’t happen at a convenient time. Nightwish was on tour in the US, Denver when Anette got sick with a stomach flu and had to go to hospital for intravenous treatment. A bit before Anette had told the leader of the band, keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen about her pregnancy. “Nobody from the band came to see me at the hospital. I had suggested that we’d cancel some shows until I get better but the boys wouldn’t negotiate about it. I was still recovering when Floor Jansen was flown to replace me.” Anette says she’s been going through same feelings as in a divorce during the time after her dismissal. First weeks she was stunned and after that came anger and sorrow. “I was thinking what had I done wrong to deserve this. Of course I was also worried I wouldn’t be able to support my family.” Anette married her musician husband Johan Husgafvel last summer. The couple has a 3-year-old son Nemo and 8-month-old son Mio. From her previous marriage Anette also has a 12-year-old firstborn son Seth. Death threats and sickness The start in Nightwish wasn’t easy for Anette. The boys in the band took her in well but critics were mocking her voice and fans were yelling Tarja Turunen’s name at the gigs. In South America Anette even got a death threat where she was threatened to be murdered in front of her son. “Moving around in Brazil and Argentina was scary. People were pulling my cheeks, grabbing and pulling my hair and in all the ways came to my skin. It was causing so much anxiety that I had panic attacks”, she tells. Anette tried to push the negative feedback behind but the pressure became unreasonable. She started having issues in her then intimate relationship. “When I was on tour I was stressing the issues in my personal life but I didn’t want to take it on the band. I’m sure the boys saw that I was broken but I didn’t get much support from them.” The situation wasn’t easy for Tuomas Holopainen either. During the tour in 2008 Nightwish had to cancel shows because Anette got sick. The continuous stress came out as reoccurring flus and caused the singer vocal issues. Anette thinks the touring program was made too difficult. “Emotionally the toughest part was that boys made all the decisions for me. I didn’t have a say. If Tuomas invented that we’ll go to Africa now, then we went”, Anette tells. Millions to the men Economical imbalance also caused challenges in Nightwish. The four men in the band governed millions of worth of sales through a common company, Scene Nation. Anette would’ve wanted to be paid by the company as a worker but she had to start up her own company, Momma Anka AB. “Payments for gigs and royalties were divided equally to all of us but other income went straight to the men’s cashbox. Running a company became expensive. I had to loan money from the boys to start up the company.” Anette Olzon’s company made 72800 euros worth of loss during year 2010. At the same time Nightwish’s men’s Scene Nation made 351000 euros income. Even though Anette wished for another kind of end in the band she is not bitter. “Many times I’ve felt like calling Tuomas just because I would like to get a closure for everything. I think this hasn’t been dealt with yet.” In her own life she has moved forward already. She enjoys normal family life in Southern Sweden’s Helsingborg and is preparing her first solo album. “It’s no until now I can say I am happy. Bad experiences have their meaning too. I am not that over-conscientious girl who tries to please everyone and pretends that all is well anymore.” (In the actual article she tells why she broke down in Brazil in 2008.) Just read the whole interview. It has a few additional things. I though it was pretty nice interview. I'm sure some of the stuff has just been written more radically to get sales. Just the "normal" journalism. (Again, fast writing. Don't mind mistakes.) -in the beginning she jokes about her hair colo and how she can now dye it how she wants it because in the beginning of Nightwish she had to try to accommodate to a darker style that wasn't hers. Black hair and gothic clothes weren't her thing. -it seems from the interview that her posts in her blog were the last straw for the guys which caused them to kick her out. -she talks about the beginning times and how everything was nice and dandy and Tuomas was asking her constantly does she realize where she's gotten herself into because he worried for her because of her son. She was sure about what she wanted 'cause she had been searching for the right band or musical roles from all over Europe. -she says she still listens to Nightwish songs when she runs and is proud of every song she's gotten the chance to sing -she hadn't prepared for the huge publicity and when the reporters started coming to her home she thought for the first time what have i gotten myself into. -she was much liked in the beginning and was perfect for the mood of the band since she was a nice and outgoing, social personality. she also said she was a dream fit for the guys cause she did everything as they told her to do and didn't dare to say anything against since she was scared of being labeled as difficult. -she was very adamant since the beginning that she wasn't like Tarja and when she now thinks about it, she says she shouldn't have maybe been so adamant about it and the fans might've hated her less if she was more like her. (i assume she refers to singing? or everything? i don't know though.) -she felt whatever she did people were not happy. touring was so fast that she couldn't remember where she was when she woke up in the mornings. -the problems in her first marriage were due to her becoming a celebrity. -she fell apart in Brazil, Belo Horizonte because she noticed already in the beginning of the set that her voice was not "flowing" properly and when you added to that the continuous criticism, missing home and a song that talked about motherhood she just fell apart. -Afterwards she was very embarrassed by her escape and she was crying in the tour bus and apologizing the guys for her behavior but she could still see that it wasn't making the mood in the bus any better. The band was furious. She says the guys had a good reason to get mad at her but she was secretly hoping they would've been more graceful towards her and understood that everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Instead the guys suggested that she would leave home the next day. She was dumbfounded. The feeling didn't ever go back to what it was after that but she did tour until the end of that tour. She says this is when the first big crack came between them. When trust has been broken once it can't be gotten back to what it was. She wished they would've cleared the air by fighting but that's not Nightwish's way of dealing with issues. -she tells that before Nightwish she hadn't been sick in years but the rough schedule, stress and anxiety, criticism etc. caused her to have health issues which caused her to have voice issues. Her body was trying to tell her to slow down but she didn't listen. She felt guilty causing harm to the band. -she's noticed that friendship is kept in a band as long as there is no talk about money. the rules for that have to be very clear from the beginning, otherwise it causes issues between the band members. -she says Nightwish has brought a lot of good things too. she says Tuomas Holopainen is a real matchmaker for making Tarja & Marcelo meet and then having his hand in Anette's and Johan's start of a relationship. -the band wasn't as happy about the second pregnancy as the first one because the world tour was still going on. -she sent Floor a message because she knows her and wished her good luck and told her to be aware of the boys. She says she really hopes they don't make the same mistake a third time. -she says it would be interesting to meet Tarja now that she's also become a mother and is in the same record label. -she's been trying to take back some of the time she's lost while touring with her kids. She says it's rough when she practices singing and Nemo will yell shut up mom and Mio wants to be in her lap. her oldest son Seth thinks that her blue-violet hair is embarrassing. -when her solo album will be out she will be taking her whole family with her on tour. she really enjoys that she can now decide her own schedules. -she knows she wouldn't be here without Nightwish. when she was younger she complained about her life being boring but now she can say it's been all but that. She's stronger because of Nightwish. -Even though she wished for another kind of ending in the band she still hopes that some day she and all the band members can sit down together and forgive each other. She misses their friendship and the good times they had in the band in the beginning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugazi Posted September 11, 2020 Author Share Posted September 11, 2020 Ex-NIGHTWISH Singer ANETTE OLZON Slams Former Bandmates: 'I Was Fired' December 26, 2013 From <https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/ex-nightwish-singer-anette-olzon-slams-former-bandmates-i-was-fired/> Ex-NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon has slammed her former bandmates, claiming that she had "no say" during her time with the band and insisting she was fired from the group shortly after announcing that she was pregnant with her third child. Olzon, who will release her debut solo album, "Shine", in February, gave an extensive interview to Finland's largest women's weekly magazine, Me Naiset, in which she spoke about the circumstances that led to her split with NIGHTWISH. A few excerpts from the chat follow below (translated from Finnish). On how her experience may be similar to what former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen went through years earlier: "It would be interesting to [speak] with Tarja and talk about our experiences [while we were members of the band]." "What happened to Tarja happened to me — I was fired." On splitting with NIGHTWISH after coming down with a stomach flu and becoming hospitalized in September 2012 during the band's North American tour: "No one from the band visited me while I was in the hospital." "I suggested we cancel shows until I was well enough to return to the road but the boys didn't want to even consider that. [Former AFTER FOREVER and current REVAMP singer] Floor Jansen had replaced me before I had recovered." On the emotions she went through — first shock, then anger and sorrow — after her departure from NIGHTWISH, which she compared to a divorce: "I wondered what I had done wrong to deserve this. I was also, of course, worried that I wouldn't be able to support my family." On how her marriage to her now-ex-husband suffered as a result of the pressure she felt during NIGHTWISH's heavy touring schedule after she joined the band: "[Travelling between shows] in Brazil and Argentina was scary. People were pulling my cheeks, grabbing and pulling my hair. It was causing so much anxiety that I had panic attacks." "I was stressed out over my personal life while we were on tour, but I didn't want to take it out on the band. I believe the boys saw I was falling apart, but I didn't get much support from them." "Emotionally, the toughest part was that the boys decided everything for me. I had no say. If Tuomas [Holopainen, NIGHTWISH keyboardist/mainman] decided that we would go to Africa, off we went." On how the finances in NIGHTWISH were split (Anette claims the four men in NIGHTWISH controlled millions of euros in revenue through their company Scene Nation, which she wanted to be an employee of, but she had to start her own company, Momma Anka AB, instead. She also claims her company had a loss of 72,800 euros in 2010. During the same period, Scene Nation had a profit of 351,000 euros): "The concert salaries and royalties were divided evenly, but other income went directly to the men. "Running a company alone was expensive. I had to borrow money from the boys to start it up." On not being bitter about how things ended with NIGHTWISH and unresolved feelings she has from the split with the band: "I've often thought about calling Tuomas to get some closure. "I don't think this is over yet." On leading a normal family life in Helsingborg, Sweden and readying her first solo album: "Only now I can say I am happy. "Bad experiences have a meaning too. "I am no longer that overly self-conscious girl who tries to please others and pretend that everything is always right." In response to Olzon's Me Naiset interview, the members of NIGHTWISH released a statement (translated from Finnish) via their official web site in which they disputed many of the claims made by their former singer, insisting that the article was "full of twisted truths and defamation." NIGHTWISH's statement reads as follows: [19.12.2012] "Welcome to the laundry room... "The interview of our former vocalist Anette in Me Naiset magazine is full of twisted truths and defamation. This 'one woman vs. the Neanderthals' scenario is an easy to way to take advantage of our media history. "The split with Anette wasn't because of pregnancy or illness. We discovered her personality didn't fit this work community, and was even detrimental to it. "These claims we can invalidate right away: "Claim: Moments [before being fired], Anette had told Tuomas Holopainen of her pregnancy "Truth: Anette told of her pregnancy to the whole band already a week earlier in Montreal [19 sept 2012]. Everyone was congratulative, and Anette herself offered an option of hiring a replacement vocalist if she can't manage everything, which was already agreed on. Later she took back her decision, and the difficulties really started. Fear of losing money and position seemed obvious. "Claim: The boys of the band decided everything for me "Truth: Neither Tuomas nor any other of the boys of the band can singlehandedly decide where we take off to and when. There have been discussions inside the band and support of people on a personal level. Also Anette. Managers and promoters discuss about possible concerts, record releases, etc., and wishes of all the band members have been taken into account. All these details have been negotiated with Anette and her manager. We have the e-mails. "To keep the touring life bearable, it's reasonable and right to make things comfortable on a personal level. Based on these discussions, Anette was given liberties from interviews and fan meetings. She and her family got an own tour bus and driver in both Europe and America. The expenses were paid by the organization, not Anette or her company. Others of the band didn't use similar benefits. "Claim: Other income went directly to the men "Truth: Anette and her company has been paid a fifth of everything that was done during her time and with her. We have no reason to lie, because this cake has provided enough slices for us all. The finances of the band have always been handled openly, honestly and even-handedly. The books exist. How individual members spend their share is up to their own responsibility. "We neither want to nor intend to comment this more now. "Doing the laundry is tiring. Remember to help your ladies with that occasionally." https://web.archive.org/web/20131229011807/http://nightwish.com:80/fi/news http://www.nightwishonline.com/index.php?/forums/topic/3305-anette-olzon/&do=findComment&comment=206672 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugazi Posted September 11, 2020 Author Share Posted September 11, 2020 Nightwish Fired Me, Anette Olzon Admits Martin Kielty at 11:51am December 20 2013 Former Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon has admitted to Prog that she was fired from the band in 2012. It’s the first time she’s spoken about the form of her departure from the Finnish band – and she thinks it happened because she’d become pregnant with her third child. The sudden split followed the dismissal of previous frontwoman Tarja Turunen in 2006, and came midway through a US tour. An official announcement stated the move had been made “in mutual understanding”. But Olzon insists that’s not the case. She tells Prog: “I have been getting frustrated with people saying I left the band – because I didn’t. I was fired exactly as Tarja was fired, but maybe in a more quiet way.” She points to her pregnancy as the reason behind her dismissal. “That’s how I see it,” she says. “Why [else] should they kick me out when they got to know I was pregnant? “We, of course, had some problems in 2009, but we had a good tour and there was nothing else coming until then.” She was replaced at short notice by Floor Jansen, who was recently confirmed as Nightwish’s full-time vocalist. The band recently released live album Showtime, Storytime with Jansen fronting the band. Olzon adds: “The reason I didn’t say this a year ago is because I didn’t want to state something so negative. I felt really bad about the situation – it was quite a big divorce.” Prog‘s full interview with the singer will appear in the February edition of the magazine. Her solo album Shine is set for release on February 28. She’s just released the first lyric video – view Falling below. From <https://web.archive.org/web/20131223095553/http://www.progrockmag.com/news/nightwish-fired-me-anette-olzon-admits/> http://www.nightwishonline.com/index.php?/forums/topic/3362-nightwish-anette-media/&do=findComment&comment=211056 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugazi Posted September 11, 2020 Author Share Posted September 11, 2020 Angels Fall First Metal Hammer UK, Feb 2014 From <http://www.nightwishonline.com/index.php?/forums/topic/3362-nightwish-anette-media/&page=2> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugazi Posted September 11, 2020 Author Share Posted September 11, 2020 ANETTE OLZON – Careful What You ‘Wish For By Carl Begai 2014.02.02 http://carlbegai.com/2014/02/02/anette-olzon-careful-what-you-wish-for/ There’s no doubt that the controversial firing of former Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon in October 2012 made her out to be the bad guy, turning any press she does for her forthcoming solo album into a potential exercise in character assassination. It doesn’t help her situation in that the Nightwish camp has been quick to refute many of her recent accusations of backstabbing and mismanagement that have appeared online. Quite frankly, I was prepared to be stonewalled when asking questions about Nightwish due to the fact Olzon came across as a self-centered diva when she slammed the band for playing to a Denver, CO audience in 2012 with stand-in vocalists Elize Ryd (Amaranthe) and Alissa White-Gluz (The Agonist) after she fell ill. Turns out I was way off the mark and had to give Olzon the benefit of the doubt. Thus, in the interest of giving her solo album Shine a fair shake we’re getting the Nightwish debacle out of the way first, to be followed soon by a full story on the new record. Rather than dig for the scurvy details and assorted dirt kicked up before and after her firing, the focus is on Olzon getting booted in the middle of the North American tour for Imaginaerum. It’s not a move most bands can afford to make in today’s music industry economy, sure as hell not without a back-up plan. And yet, 48 hours after Olzon was cut loose former After Forever vocalist Floor Jansen had taken over her post on stage, becoming the band’s permanent singer less than a year later. “It’s hard for me to say why the firing happened when it did because I don’t really know what happened behind my back,” says Olzon. “I think there were some thing happening that I didn’t know about. It has become clearer to me now that they had some sort of a plan when I told them I was pregnant. I actually think they had some suspicions I was pregnant during the summer festivals, so I think they may have had a back-up plan.” Olzon pegs the band’s reaction to her pregnancy as the primary reason for the falling out. She also claims Jansen wasn’t as much of a last minute consideration for the Nightwish line-up as people think, albeit in a temporary capacity. “We had some discussions during the tour in America about how to cover the remaining gigs for the tours that were coming up, and we did have something of an argument before that. I didn’t want to have a substitute singer in the band, I wanted to do the South American shows. I would have been too pregnant to go to Australia so I wanted to push the dates back, but Tuomas (Holopainen / keyboards, founder) didn’t want that. Discussions about a substitute came up and at first I was like ‘Yeah, well…. okay…’ but when they mentioned Floor it was an automatic ‘No’ from me. I didn’t think it was a good idea because I knew what would happen; I knew the fans would love Floor because she’s a metal singer and I’m a pop singer, and I wanted to keep my job. Because I couldn’t do the Australian tour, I think that’s when they started thinking about a new singer. We had a bit of an argument, then I got ill, and after that…. I don’t know if they planned this.” “They say it wasn’t like that – that the pregnancy wasn’t an issue – but if I wasn’t pregnant I don’t think this situation would have happened. Of course we had some problems before with different opinions about how touring should be, how many gigs in a row, the places where we played. We didn’t fight because of that, though. If I didn’t want to go somewhere and they did, we went because the majority decided. I had my 3-year-old son with me, so we did try to solve the touring problem. I can’t say it was definitely like that because they say it isn’t, but for me that was the problem.” “If I would have been (former vocalist) Tarja, I wouldn’t have been nervous about having Floor step in as a substitute because I know the fans would wait for me. They would have been saying ‘We want Tarja back.’ But, I’m Anette and I’ve received a lot of hatred against my voice and my persona since I joined Nightwish. I remember thinking that if I agreed to Floor coming in to substitute I would end up thinking ‘This whole thing again?’ when I came back. I could see what would happen.” “Of course I knew we had our gigs to do, and I was pregnant so it was my own fault, but it was only one small tour that I wanted to push back. I could have done all the other gigs and I didn’t understand why they needed a substitute singer when I wanted to go. Maybe they felt that they wanted to have another singer. I think that’s what they wanted, but they weren’t quite honest about it. I guess when I said no they got frustrated. Maybe when I got ill they saw a way out. Of course, then I got angry when they did what they did and wrote something in my blog. They got pissed off at me, I was pissed at them, and it led to where we are now, I guess.” During a recent interview with Holopainen (found here), he revealed that in spite of the bad blood between Nightwish and Olzon there was every intention of including her in the band’s new Showtime, Storytime documentary. The production was 80% complete when Nightwish were ultimately forced to take all interview and live footage featuring Olzon off the DVD at the insistence of Olzon and her management. Asked to explain her reasons for the move, it’s the only time during the discussion where Olzon truly sounds bitter. “First of all, I didn’t think they would do the documentary because… what kind of documentary could it be?” she asks. “I could just see they could do something like what they did with Tarja to make it look like I was the evil person, because that’s what they’ve done before. I was really suspicious about the whole thing, and of course I was really angry because they fired me in a really bad way. I wasn’t happy about the situation. I didn’t want to be looked at in a weird way on a DVD, and I didn’t want to be compared with Floor. There were many reasons. I was angry, I didn’t want to have anything to do with them, and I didn’t want those comparisons again.” Regardless of the bad taste left in her mouth, Olzon admits the Nightwish experience was a valuable one with long-reaching positive effects on her approach to music and life in general. “I’ve changed since I joined the band. My mother says I’m quite a different person. When I joined Nightwish I was still that young girl with a dream of becoming a professional singer, where everything would be just fun and glory. My mom is a singer, she’s been in the business, and she knows that’s not how it is when you’re in a band. So, at the time she was like ‘Okay…’ (laughs). She says that I got a lot from the Nightwish experience because I’m wiser and experienced, and I won’t take bullshit anymore. She can see that I have tougher skin now.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugazi Posted September 11, 2020 Author Share Posted September 11, 2020 ANETTE OLZON - A Light In The Dark April 5, 2014, 5 years ago By Carl Begai Swedish vocalist ANETTE OLZON is no stranger to controversy. Since her highly publicized and decidedly ugly firing from NIGHTWISH in 2012 - the reasons for which still remain murky - she's been the target of keyboard warrior badmouthing, having exchanged the Anette vs Tarja slugfest (her daily reality from the moment she joined the band) for an Olzon vs Nightwish cage match. At the same time, she's moved on supported by heaps of praise for those that fell in love with her chapters of Nightwish history. A work in progress since 2009, Olzon has finally released her first official solo album entitled Shine. She's fully aware some Nightwish fans and the existing haters are going to crucify her new musical direction, but she's determined not to let them bring her down. Olzon considers Shine a huge victory that has taken her well beyond her beginnings with ALYSON AVENUE and roads travelled with Nightwish. "The whole production for Shine was great because the guys really know what they're doing," Olzon says of the team she wrote the album with. "They're very talented and they've done songs for artists like Celine Dion. Stefan Örn and Johan Glössner wrote the songs with me, and they've done so many things. Stefan has his own band, and he also writes songs for major artists here in Sweden. He's also worked abroad, and was responsible for the winning song at Eurovision a few years ago (from Azerbaijan). And Johan is a studio musician and plays everything from jazz to blues to rock, so he's more from the contemporary blues style rather than rock n' roll. They thought this was a lot of fun, but when I came to them as the metal singer in Nightwish they thought we were going to do a metal album and got really excited. Then I told them it wasn't going to be a metal album and I think they were a bit disappointed at first (laughs)." Shine is reminiscent of ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN's (ex-THE GATHERING) recent works Drive and Everything Changes, walking both sides of a pop rock line rather than trying to cash in on her Nightwish symphonic metal past. "We will see now how my fans from before will like it. I think the fans that really like me, and not only because of Nightwish, will be open-minded and appreciative of Shine. The metal fans, you never know, but I'm hoping to attract the pop and rock fans as well. It doesn't sound like Nightwish and I've been very clear about that. People have asked me if I'm going to play Nightwish songs live and the answer has always been no. Some people are still hoping for that (laughs). Hopefully people will like this album, and as long as it sells and I get an audience I'll be able to go out play for them, which would be nice." First single 'Lies' is a solid start for Olzon in that it has a little bit of everything to offer; guitars, pop elments, and folk-oriented dynamics. On the other hand, 'Falling' is more of a rock song and really isn't a representation of the whole album. "Nine of the songs were composed in 2009, and I did one song ('One Million Faces') with Fredrik Bergh from BLOODBOUND and Martijn Spierenburg . I haven't written very many songs compared to other artists, but when I write now compared to before I have subjects and concepts. I did a song just a couple of days ago, and it wasn't about Nightwish specifically, but the subject was being in a band and getting a lot of hate from other people." [...] There was also a noticeable development on Olzon's voice between the Dark Passion Play and Imaginaerum albums, and although the songs on Shine don't necessarily call for the same set of pipes there's a definite edge to her singing. "I learned to use my voice in different ways. I've always sung with emotion, but before joining Nightwish I was scared of using a softer voice because I was always using a powerful voice instead. It's easier for me to sing at the top of my voice, so I was afraid when I had to use my softer voice in Nightwish. In the studio I could do the ending part of 'The Poet And The Pendulum' (from Dark Passion Play), and I tried to do it live several times. There was something lacking in my self-confidence, so physically I could do it but mentally I couldn't. Tuomas (Holopainen) insisted that I could but I was always say 'No, I can't.' Now I can do it." Recalling one of Olzon's finest moment in Imaginaerum; the song 'Scaretale', particularly the over-the-top theatre-worthy delivery of the line "Burning farms and squealing pigs." "I remember Tuomas' face when we recorded that," Olzon laughs. "He didn't know what I was going to do, and the whole Imaginaerum thing was a lot of fun because it was like a musical. When it comes to theatrical stuff, I love it, and my big dream is to be a singer in a musical. Imaginaerum was great for that because I could act; I could be a jazz singer, I could be doing nasty things... I was playing a role. The 'squealing pigs' was a perfect moment for that." For the record, Olzon is dead serious about not performing Nightwish songs live in the future. Ever. "No, I will never do any Nightwish songs live. You can be sure of that. I was asked to do a tour this past Christmas where I would have been singing some Nightwish songs and I refused. There are a number of reasons for this. First of all, Tuomas is quite disturbed that Tarja is singing some of his songs, so out of respect I'm not going to do that. They're his songs and Floor is singing them now. I also don't be a Nightwish singer for the rest of my life because they have a new one. It would be different if I had written those songs because I would own them and have every right to perform them." How about the possibility of a tour with Tarja? It's an idea that's no doubt floating around in many a concert promoter's head. "I don't think so, no. Not because I don't like her, but because our music is so different from each other I think it would be ridiculous to pair us together for a tour. She's doing metal and I'm not. I can't see it happening, but you never know. I think I'd do much better going out with someone more like me." From <http://bravewords.com/news/anette-olzon-a-light-in-the-dark> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugazi Posted September 11, 2020 Author Share Posted September 11, 2020 Anette Olzon interview – February 2014 Ant May February 20, 2014 Anette Olzon is due to release her debut solo album, Shine next month. Ahead of the release I spoke to her to talk about the album, whether or not she has any touring plans, and of course I asked her some questions relating to her time with Nightwish. Read on to see what she had to say. [...] How difficult was it trying to balance touring with Nightwish with raising your son? When I joined Nightwish I had one child and he was 5 at that time, so it was hard to leave him but at the same time he was not like a little orphan. It was hard in many ways, but it got harder since I had my second child, Nemo, then you have a baby and it is much harder even if I brought him along. Now I have three kids so it gets harder and harder. Of course it depends on the kind of help you get from people around you and your family. I have a very good network, I have a mum who helps me. I think the hardest thing for me is missing my children when I’m away, but that’s something you have to deal with in this business. With three kids, being on tour must be like having a rest for you. Yes exactly, and that was the thing when I had my second child with me on tour, even if his daddy was there it felt like I couldn’t get any relaxation because I was on stage or I did an interview, and normally you can go and sleep in the bus and get a bit of a rest, but if you have your child with you then you have to be the mum so it was quite demanding for me on the European tour. I didn’t feel I could relax like in a normal job where you can relax a bit in the day from the family, so it was nice to have the family there but also hard. I think that’s why many musicians go on tour, because some of the guys in Nightwish go on tour to get away from the family, I know. I didn’t do that but I know some of them did because they felt it was like a holiday. In a way it can be that. On the “Showtime Storytime” Nightwish DVD, you don’t appear in the documentary about the Imaginaerum tour. Why did you request that you not be seen or heard in it? I said I didn’t want to be in that, it was my decision. There were many reasons. First of all we had only talked about the documentary in a loose way before the tour started, that maybe we would do a documentary, and then when everything ended and they kind of fired me in a very bad way, I was quite angry and sad about the situation. Then a few months later they asked my manager if I wanted to pay for this documentary and be in it, and my reaction was Why? There’s a new singer and they’d done this in a bad way so I didn’t want to participate. In many ways it was not only because I was angry but also because I didn’t understand why, and also because I didn’t want to have half of the documentary about me and then half about the new singer – there would be comparisons, and I didn’t know how they would showcase me, would they show me in a bad way or a good way. So the decision has many different layers, but I felt I didn’t want to be part of it, I wanted to leave that part of my life behind me at that point. One thing I find depressing is how many people seem obsessed with championing their favourite singer as the “best” a band has had and criticising the other singers. Rather than simply admitting that each singer is different and has their own strengths and weaknesses they constantly compare and criticise. When I joined Nightwish I had very big shoes to fill and they didn’t make it easy for me, the fans. It was a hard job for me to take because the fans didn’t approve of me. We sold more albums than Nightwish ever had in the past, so in that way I succeeded, but they made me feel very insecure and that I had to work so hard to be liked because of those comparisons with Tarja which I find quite amusing because we are so different. I think music is something where you can’t compete, I don’t think you can say who is best because we are all different and what you like may be something I don’t like and I think we should stop comparing. They are quite fanatical some of these fans, and I don’t know why Nightwish have this type of fan because I don’t think all bands have them, but there’s something about Nightwish that made these people quite fanatical. There is also the fact that different voices work well on different things. I’m not sure how well Tarja’s beautiful soprano voice would work on some of the songs from Imaginarum for instance whereas your voice worked for them. Yes and my voice wouldn’t suit those first songs from “Angels fall first”, and I had some difficulty singing those songs. I think what the boys did when they changed Tarja for a new singer, they wanted something new, a new sound, but at the same time maybe if they had chosen someone similar maybe it would have been easier for everyone in a way, but since the guys wanted a new style, that was the choice and the fans should maybe tried to have accept it a bit more, and many of them did of course, but it was hard for us all in many ways. With any band breakup there are bad memories but also hopefully good ones too. What is one of your best memories from your time with Nightwish? I think it was when we won a big award in Germany called the Echo award which is like a Grammy. The evening was just fantastic, I was there on the same stage with celebrities like Kylie Minogue and Foo Fighters, and we actually won the prize over Within Temptation and Foo Fighters which was just amazing, I couldn’t believe it, so that was a really nice evening, just to be a part of that big occasion, and Germany’s such a huge country you know so it was just wonderful, so I think that is one of the best memories I have. Do you have any plans to join another band? Not at the moment no. I don’t say I will never be in a band again. My old band that I was in before Nightwish, Alyson Avenue, we will probably do a reunion at some point because we have such a good friendship still and we share a studio where I do music with my own keyboard player, but at the moment I’m trying to focus on my solo stuff to get it started. Of course if there were to be a nice band where I feel that my heart is in the music and where I can do songs, be a songwriter then maybe, but I don’t think I’d be just a singer in a band again and not songwriting because now I feel that I like this songwriting thing. Maybe I will start my own band at some point, who knows. First though as you say there’s the solo album to concentrate on. Thank you very much for your time. Thank you so much. From <https://planetmosh.com/anette-olzon-interview-february-2014/> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugazi Posted September 11, 2020 Author Share Posted September 11, 2020 Monday, February 24, 2014 An interview and review from Fireworks=) Here you go and BIG thanks to Carl Buxton for this wonderful review;=) From <http://anetteolzon2.blogspot.com/2014/02/an-interview-and-review-from-fireworks.html> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugazi Posted September 11, 2020 Author Share Posted September 11, 2020 ANETTE OLZON Sweden Rock Magazine Text Janne Mattsson, Photo Patric Ullaeus/Revolver One day she was in the middle of a successful USA tour. The next, Anette Olzon was sitting in a plane going home to Sweden, thrown out and replaced by another singer. One and a half years after the break with Nightwish, it's time for a solo career. "It was important to have is i magen. At the same time, I was afraid people would forget about me." You have stayed out of the spotlight since you and Nightwish went separate ways in the autumn of 2012. Why? "I needed a timeout" says Anette Olzon. Mine and Nightwish's divorce was pretty hard, something that I was very sad about. I also had a child during that same time, so it wasn't really that strange that I took a little paus." It isn't so that Nightwish in any way have prevented you from speaking to the press by for example a contract? "No, absolutely not. I wouldn't sign such a contract. They probably would have wanted me to, but I didn't. But I didn't want to do a bunch of interviews with me just telling about how hard it has been. In an early stage, I felt that it is better to wait with meeting the press until I had finished the album. In that way I can now talk about both parts, both the good and the bad." What was it that happened with the latest Nightwish DVD "Showtime, Storytime" (2013)? Why did you forbid them from including you in it? "I didn't think there was any reason for them to have me in it, when they had anyway replaced me with another singer. It just felt pretty silly actually. Also during last year I have gotten so damn much crap from some fans of the band, that I am so much worse than Tarja (Turunen). The same fans have had this "Anette vs Tarja" thing during all these years. Then it would just be an even bigger thing with this DVD: "Here's Anette and now there's Floor Jansen instead". I know that Floor is very loved by the metal fans and I am not stupid. The way we parted ways was also a reason I wasn't so very positive towards the guys in the band. Sure, the said I would get to watch the documentary before, and approve the whole thing, but I didn't really trust them. I was thinking of how they got rid of Tarja. In retrospect it resulted in the pretty ugly documentary "A day before tomorrow" (2006). I did not want that to happen to me. I understand that fans who appreciate my time in the band maybe are disappointed, but on youtube there are many good videos from my time in the band." When I interviewed keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen in SRM issue 10/2013 he said something different, that you are not enemies and still on good terms. "Yeah, of course you could say that, and surely it sounds much better than to say that maybe you have behaved a bit badly towards a band member. But that's not true, that is just something that he has made up. The truth is none other than that I was replaced before I had even had time to leave the tour and I haven't spoken to any of them since the day I flew home from USA (Anette's last gig with Nightwish was in Salt Lake City 29th of September 2012). We haven't even made a proper end or said goodbye to each other. All contact has been between our lawyers. I understand why he says that. I had probably done the same in his position, because it doesn't look good when you can't keep your female singers. During my years in the band I did my best to try to get them to communicate and solve conflicts. But their solution is to remove the problems instead of trying to solve them. In the end it was four against one. I wish we could sit down and make an end, sort out what happened and ask forgiveness from each other. I have probably things to ask forgiveness for as well. That it turned out like this... We were after all really good friends once." What may the problems have been caused by? "Partly I think it's because we are from two different countries. The cultural differences and language barriers are greater than you could think, which makes the whole thing very difficult. They know very much Swedish, but they absolutely don't want to speak Swedish which means that it's mainly English that's the language. Irony is one thing that can easily be misinterpretated in English, which can mean that things don't flow as easy as they should. Also I think they were a bit traumatized by the thing with Tarja. They were probably a bit insecure of what I would be like and if I would become like Tarja. I on the other hand was very insecure of if I also would get fired. That I was afraid of during all the years. Then when I got my own manager I guess they probably absolutely thought it would be the same thing like with Tarja - which it didn't. But a lot has absolutely been about the communication. Swedish as I am at first I tried to have meetings with them every week but I was the only one talking. With time, it also became clear that I was a little bit older and had children to think about. Some shows I think we shouldn't have done, when we lost instead of earned money from them. Such a big band shouldn't have to lose money. But they thought those gigs could be fun to do, in that they already had really much money in a buffer since before that they could live from. Something I didn't have, I, who basically am just a common worker while Nightwish is a big company. So sure, we had many discussions about money also. If I had entered their company in Finland, maybe it would have been different, but I didn't. Musically however, we didn't have any problems. There the cooperation worked incredibly well." What will you take with you from the time in Nightwish? "I got myself very much scene routine by doing such big shows. We did after all play in front of both 60 000 and 70 000 people. Such things undoubtedly give you stage routine. Then, of course also how the music business looks like today - both the positive and the negative. It has made me both tougher and given me more skinn på näsan [resilience]." Your debut album "Shine" is neither melodic AOR like Alyson Avenue, which you left 2007, nor bombastic metal like Nightwish, but a lot more muted and cozy. Is this more you? "I actually think so. I tried to sit down and write speedy songs for "Shine" but I couldn't do it. How I tried, I didn't get it right. Now during the summer I tried to make more metal-ish songs together with Martijn Spierenburg (keyboard, Within Temptation) and Fredrik Berg (keyboard, Bloodbound, Street Talk). I hummed some melodies into Garageband which I then sent to Fredrik, who worked further with them. I also asked them to send ideas to me, so we were passing ideas between each other over the internet. But in the end that material didn't feel as right as the material I already had. Therefore I kept the songs that Stefan, Johan and I wrote already in 2009. But the song "One Million Faces" actually turned out so great that it is on the album anyway." Who are Stefan and Johan? "In 2009 I and my manager contacted Anders Bagge. I thought he seemed like a symphatic person, and I have heard he wrote a lot of good music. Stefan Örn and Johan Glössner are in his songwriter team. It turned out that we three played and wrote the songs together during a couple of intense weeks. Together we ended up with this softer side that I show on this album. We found a comfortable range that sounded very good and decided to stay there. In Nightwish Tuomas wanted all the time for me to sing in a very high vocal range. In the studio that was never a problem, but live it was incredibly demanding. To sing for 90 minutes was as demanding as a class of physical training. If I was even just a little bit sick, it affected the vocals immediately. That's not how I want it on my album. These songs I'll do justice and perform without problem, even if I have a bit of a cold." "When I started to plan for a solo album in 2009 it was also very sensitive from the label and the band's point of view whether it would sound too much like Nightwish. The risk existed then that the album would in any way compete witv Nightwish. It could absolutely not be that way. Therefore the music early on took this direction. The idea was that I shoukd be able to sit and sing these songs for example underneath a crystal chandelier in a lounge, more simple and intimate so to say. But now that I'm no longer part of the band, and on my own, it doesn't matter if I compete with them. Therefore there are a little bit more guitars on the album than was intended at first." During your break, you must have been approached with many offers from other bands and projects? "Yes, actually I have, and I am very proud. But because I have been in the middle of making a record deal, something that took its time, I couldn't just say yes to anything. It can have been for example requests from competing record companies. There was one thing that I really wanted to do, but when the request came, it wasn't possible. But I hope it will happen in the future. Then there have been a lot of suggestions for things I absolutely didn't want to do. Because I have all the time known that "Shine" would be released, it was important to have is i magen [keep a cool head]. At the same time I was afraid people would maybe forget me. But judging by the positive reactions to the song "Falling" that the record company early on released on iTunes, things seem to be going well." If Brother Firetribe were to contact you and ask you to do guest vocals again, how would you react? Considering the guitar player of Nightwish is also in that band. "I can say like this, even if there were four against one maybe that doesn't have to mean that all four thought the same thing. But sometimes it can be so that you have to look out for yourself and your own being and surviving in the band. Emppu was my very best friend in the band and I have all the time said that I want to talk about things, not pretend like it's raining. I don't hold grudges, everyone should know that. I have moved on and if they contact me, we'll see what happens." From <http://www.nightwishonline.com/index.php?/forums/topic/3362-nightwish-anette-media/&page=7> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mabla Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 I spend some time to find the video for a David Hasselhoff were Anette as a guest provided some nice insights on the split. Unfortunately I can only find the trailer from this show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3Hy6cxDACo So maybe anyone knows how/were the whole show can be found on de www. It must be there cause I've seen it. 🤘 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugazi Posted September 18, 2020 Author Share Posted September 18, 2020 Sounds interesting! I found a mention of this on Anette's blog. http://anetteolzon2.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-little-sneak-peek-of-me-in-david.html And there's this too, from the same show, we can see Anette dancing for a few seconds but no interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdHMSxgcfmE Edit: And this Reddit thread... but the original video is missing. https://www.reddit.com/r/symphonicmetal/comments/4gzrsw/anette_olzon_reveals_details_of_the_nightwish/ The video is missing from this page too: https://www-mtvuutiset-fi.translate.goog/artikkeli/video-anette-olzon-avautuu-hoffille-nightwish-potkuistaan/4935682?_x_tr_sl=fi&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=nui Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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