Interviuri cu Tarja

Orion wrote:http://www.metrolive.fi/viihde/artikkeli/biologinen-kello-tikittaa/3490/?vartti=1

Tarja Turunen, who's working on her second album in London, gives off good mood and happiness. She's been on her own almost five years.

-I'm very happy with my life at the moment. While making the new album, everything has just clicked and I know how to see things in a new way.

Turunen's first solo album My Winter Storm sold platinum in Finland and it proved that she can make it on her own. The new album, What Lies Beneath, which comes out at fall, she produces herself.

-Producing is great, because I can hold all the strings in my own hands. I know what is the most suitable for me, and I'm trying to get the best possible result out of myself. When recording, I'm very disappointed to myself, if I have to do several takes. I'll prepair to the studio so well, that I need only few takes.

Turunen who confesses being perfectionist, gets different opinions from people.

-I've grown a lot during the past few years. I can look myself in the mirror, and see things that I need to develope. I'm really strong character and I always aim to the perfection. It doesn't always please everyone.

Turunen's past as a front woman of one of the most succesful Finnish bands made her ready for her own career.

-Looking back is always good. In my case, it means a huge highway to teh future.

Music is the number one thing for Turunen, who lives in Buenos Aires. But other things are in her mind too.

-It is obvious that the biological clock is ticking, when a woman is over 30 years old. We have talked about kids with Marcelo, and there's gonna be a time when we start a family.

-But now it's time to make an album and we're concertrating on that. However, we can practise baby-making, so we know how to do it perfectly when the time comes, Turunen laughs.

GothicDaniela wrote:Spark, 06/2010

"Star duet" - interview by Floor Jansen

Already in the moment when the decision that Tarja would leave Nightwish was made, it was interesting to observe how the both "camps" would manage to utilize their well groovy names. Tarja spread her wings and started to gather experience of professionals from the whole world. She adroitly left metal genre behind, nevertheless she was able to satisfy her loyal audience. One album was enough for her to achieve a reputation of an executant. She gained respect and appreciation in the lobby of top artists. Therefore, for her upcoming album What Lies Beneath she could afford more than two-year long production which definitely wouldn´t have been spurned neither by her former place of work. The reality is that the metal fans must share Tarja with the listeners of pop and classical music. Tarja complied to her gift even more and revealed another hidden nooks of her musical yearnings. She´s really preparing a genuine masterpiece.
Floor Jansen from Dutch After Forever found herself in the same situation like Tarja had been in four years before. The band ended their career a year ago, so Floor had to continue on her own. However, she didn´t choose to go on alone but rather formed a new band ReVamp. In contrast of Tarja, we can expect a vigorous metal piece from her. Both Tarja and Floor are hot names on all the fields of metal and rock and a unique idea was born in the editorial staff- to let Floor convey the arranged interview with Tarja. She keenly accepted, so the next lines are an exclusive chatter between two metal ladies.

A woman with many faces

Floor: How do you feel about your new album nowadays?
Tarja: It will definitely be more rock, heavy album and it will show me from other sides the fans are used to, wide orchestral tirades won´t be missing either. The variety of the songs is a result of my decision to produce the record on my own and let my fantasy work fully. Looking back today, it´s been really exciting for me because after two long years I´m finally getting to the finale and it´s unbelievable how much time I´ve devoted to the album. Probably the most difficult task was to decide which songs would be used on the actual album, because I´d written really diverse material back then. I slowly start to be full of anticipation and I´m looking forward to present the record to people. I´m curious to see their reactions.

Floor: So you worked on the album for two years. Did you manage to find a new creative passion which eventually became your basic inspiration?
Tarja: The composing process is still something new and fresh for me. I learn new things all the time, mainly from the people I work with. Gradually I start believing myself more and more and stop doubting. I retrained my piano playing and I feel sufficiently free because of it- I´m finally able to musically express my imaginations and immediately work with the mood and atmosphere of the song. I think the circumstances the album was created under will affect the final result too. I wrote the majority of the songs on the tour so they might be influenced by the place where they were born in. Only a few realise the ambience and conditions which he/she composes in contribute on the sound of the album too. The most important thing for me is probably light. I´m from Finland, the days are not very long there thus you can´t enjoy the sunshine very often. For me the light is something like energy which "charges" me all the time and keeps me in a good mood.

Floor: I understand your point in the need of bigger self-confidence. I used to be "only" the singer too and I never really took part in the composing. With my new band ReVamp I was in the same situation like you. I had to work in other ways than only with my voice. I wasn´t sure if my method was right and if I was able to fulfil myself.
Tarja: As soon as you make bold to it, you´ll quickly find out it´s awesome. You can change anything, create more versions, try anything that comes to your mind... And suddenly you get to the situation that the volcano of ideas is bottomless and you don´t now which idea to realise first. But we shouldn´t forget we write the music above all for ourselves. That´s the only way you can feel satisfied and proud. I have the advantage that I was recording with the same band which had gone on the last tour with me so the atmosphere was very relaxed. The recordings were fun for us because we already knew each other very well and it was quite like a friendly gathering. Their trust in me helped me a lot too. I felt they supported my decisions so I had someone to lean on.

Floor: Does it mean the new album is closer to you than My Winter Storm?
Tarja: Yes, definitely. I´m standing up for myself. All the songs were written by me this time, everything the fans will hear arose in my head. The album represents me as a composer, not only as a singer. The name of the record corresponds to facts, becase fans will get to know what lay beneath deep in me.

Floor: Did you really cope with the composing process on your own?
Tarja: I was in touch with some musicians who had helped me with my first CD. I collaborated mainly with an American composer Johnny Andrews, who helped me to put together material which turned out to be the strongest. Johnny is extremely talented and I reckon we´ll work together in the future again.

Floor: Yor productivity was claimed by the fact you managed to put together more than 20 songs this time. Where did you get the energy from?
Tarja: Everything started two years ago when the title of the album was born. It was such a big inspiration for me, that I immediately wanted to start working. It has nothing to do with the legendary American movie, but with the fantasy story of Naiad. I was so influenced by it that I started to think in many levels. I was pondering what was hiding under the surface of people and reflecting on it from different perspectives. I combined the worlds of mystery and reality, because nobody knows the real essence of things.

Floor: That´s interesting. Could you specify the author of the story?
Tarja: It´s a creation by Brasilian writer Paul Coelho. I´m his loyal fan and own perhaps all the books he´s ever released. His books are timeless and I love returning to them. The way how you perceive his pieces changes everytime you read them. Thanks to him I understood myself better and was able to prioritize my life values. When I looked on my past, I realised I had digged into the negative sides of life too much and forgotten about the positive ones. I was able to get rid of all the bad things and now I can say they´re not a part of me anymore. I signified it also in my lyrics, but they aren´t only about the good. Moreover, I gave the listeners the space to pick the lyrics´ meanings out themselves. I´m convinced it will deepen their relation to the whole album.

Floor: I must agree with you again, because I´m not able to compose without a distinctive impulse either. When I start working, I try to put a part of my own identity into it too. Gradually more and more motifs are wrapped around the basic one and the hole thing becomes a never-ending process. But let´s go back to your new album. You recorded the symphonical arrangements with The Slovak Orchestra. I think you had a lot of options to choose from so why just Slovaks?
Tarja: That´s related to James Dooley, who wrote the orchestral arrangements. During the recording of My Winter Storm we became good friends and I´m grateful I have such a good relationship with him. He´s a very appreciated composer in Hollywood. There he works for great movie productions and thanks to it he knows almost every big orchestra in the world. He collaborates with The Prague Philharmony as well as with The Slovak National Orchestra. It was his suggestion, to use the services of Slovak symphonists. I knew they had a good reputation so I couldn´t reject. I think it was a great choice because I could feel the enthusiasm on both sides and that always affects the recording in a way.

Floor: Beside The Slovak Orchestra you collaborated with the symphonists from Lahti. It makes me wonder whether the new album won´t be more classical than metal?
Tarja: I can´t explicitly classify it. It´s simply something in between classical music and rock (laughs). It´s related to my personality. I´m not a musician of one genre, music is a means of expression for me and I need more genres and options for it. I couldn´t simply focus only on rock. It´s also a challenge for my fans, how they can endorse with such amount of alternatives.


The second part will follow tomorrow

GothicDaniela wrote:Spark, 06/2010

"Star duet" - interview by Floor Jansen, part 2

Floor: I think it´s better when a person can be multiformer as a composer too. People find it easier when they can label your music, but they should also understand that there are musicians whose style can´t be explicitly defined. After all, it would be easier to write only meatl music for me too, but still I would have the need to express myself also in other ways.
Tarja: One should also count with the thing it´s a question of a moment. I feel I need to fulfil myself in many different music styles these days. But it´s not written anywhere it will remain like that forever. The time when I´ll write only rock or classical music might come too.

Floor: You´ve mentioned you find the band you went on the last tour with to be your regular band in some interviews. But the drums were recorded not only by Mike Terrana (Masterplan), but also by Will Calhoun (Living Colour).
Tarja: My decisions were based on feelings of each song and Will simply matched them better than Mike in some songs. Living Colour and I had known each other very well already from the tour and I took a liking on Will´s style of playing there. He sounds simply different than Mike. It was amusing to observe Mike when he saw Will recording. He was sitting directly in the studio and was delighted with Will´s playing. He was running around the studio and marveled probably at every single stroke of him. I wish everyone could see it. He acted like a small child. Mike is a fan of Will´s works so he couldn´t wait to see him in the studio. Both of them discussed drums and styles of playing for a very long time. The parts Mike recorded were naturally more rock/metal ones.

Floor: The final mixing of the song doesn´t take place in one place, I´ve heard you mixed some songs in Los Angeles and now you´re working in Austin. Why so many different places?
Tarja: I´ll sum it up more precisely. The first mixes were done by Colin Richardson in London. Only then I flew to L.A. and mixed some stuff with Slamm Andrews. The final mixing is a task of Tim Palmer from Texas. I´ll repeat myself but the deciding was based upon needs of every song. It was my own intention to let various producers mix various songs. That´s the only way how to achieve a perfect result. I think it would me difficult to find one person with experience with so many different music styles. Therefore it was better to speak to more people who would know what to do in their own sphere and do the job properly. However there was one important conditio- the whole album must sound like mixed by only one person. It would be disturbing if each song had a different level of drums, guitars or vocals. The choosing of sound engineers was very delicate and mainly uncompromising.

Floor: Who was the biggest influence for you in your family, who developed your relation to music in you?
Tarja: It was definitely my mother. She was repeating to me that I had to learn, that I had to practise all day long. I played the piano when I was thee or four for the first time. That time they found out I probably had the gift and arranged private music lessons for me. I could be six when I started attending the studies of music and I must appreciate my parents´patience. They drove me to a 30-kilometre far-off school 5 days a week. There I learnt both singing and playing the piano, I even used to play the flute. I´m bound to my parents for becoming a professional musician. They´ve always supported me.

Floor: Which schools did you go to?
Tarja: I started to attend the first real lessons when I was about nine and I played the flute there. My wish was to play the cello, though. Unfortunately there was nobody who taught cello playing there so I moved to flute. Later I joined the local choir and went in for the history of music. I had to leave home when I was 15, because there was no conservatory in the neighbourhood. I was fifteen, didn´t have much money and usually ate only apples. I was a typical example of a poor student. But I didn´t think about it this way. I enjoyed my freedom and every day was exciting for me.

Floor: It´s interesting how much we have in common, because when I was seven, I started to play flute, exactly like you. When did you start attending to singing?
Tarja: Later on the university. It was rather difficult there and I had to behave really responsibly. But another interesting things came. Above all I received the offer of Nightwish. I lived in Germany and studied in Karlsruhe for the next four years. Even though I met a wonderful teacher there, it was hard. I had to learn everything from the beginning, I was only a newie again.

Floor: What music did you listen to when you were a child and when did you take interest in rock and metal music?
Tarja: It was mainly pop and classic in my childhood. Apart from that I was influenced mainly by music I studied. I didn´t have much space to follow other genres. When I learnt to opera, I was overwhelmed with opera. When we had church chorals in the school curriculum, I addicted myself to church chorals. It was difficult to come off. I got in touch with rock music mainly in my teens, I could be about 14. As I´ve already said, it was related to the gained freedom. I met a lot of great and diverse people who didn´t have to worry about anything pointless and enjoyed their life. I prefered mostly bands like Alice Cooper, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi or Guns n´ Roses.

Floor: How did you behave as a child? Were you calm and shy or a wild girl?
Tarja: I think I was something between it. I was no quitter, but either extremely different. I was a good student. School was important for me and I devoted all my free time to it. I was anxious when I had troubles with something. I immediately tried to surmount them. After all, I do that today too. Of course I did some crazy things when I was a child but there weren´t any bigger pickles.

Floor: Did you have any idol?
Tarja: In my childhood it was definitely Whitney Houston. I was ten when I heard her singing and it made me almost crazy. I wanted to have all her albums and sung her songs till kingdom come. I was sad that I wasn´t able to hit all the high notes and I tried it again and again. She´s still the lady of pop music for me. No matter how the media have presented her later.

Floor: Why did you decide to join Nightwish at the age of 19? You had the career of an opera singer in front of you, but you got down to something completely unknown.
Tarja: It was a chance. All of a sudden there was something new, exciting, somethng I´d never done before. When I was sent the first demo, it was a quite different style of music than we started to play later. Originally it was an acoustic project based upon guitar and keyboards. The we went to studio for the first time and the boys were purely shocked. They´d known me as a girl who could sung nicely, but not as an opera singer. As soon as I started up the first phrases, they were dumbfounded. They didn´t understand anything for a while, but as soon as they got over it, they started to think how to use my potential. Then the idea to mix my voice with heavy metal came and it really worked. It invoked a similar reaction of more experienced musicians too. We brought up new ways and opportunities to metal music. It was great to hear all the praise and appreciation. I fell in love with Nightwish´s music from the first moment and I respected it. It holds true also today, I´ve never stopped loving their music. During the time I spent with the band, I never think much of where I could have been if I had gone my own way. I was convinced I did the right thing and even after all the things which happened I think those were one of the best moments of my life.

Floor: I´ve often been asked what would I do if I didn´t earn my living by music, didn´t have my band. I´ve never been able to answer because I couldn´t even imagine it. All the decisions I´ve ever made were influenced by music. I can hardly think in other way.
Tarja: Whole life is about choices. They´re our decisions, we choose our own way. We decide in a certain moment which is influenced by a lot of facts. Therefore we shouldn´t doubt of ourselves, if we decide with an inneral feeling that our choice is right. It shows itself in music even more. It´s only a hobby for someone, but for us it´s a life prority. I´m addicted to people who can appreciate my work. If a person is at least a bit successful, it can be found to be a gift and we should treat it with respect.

Floor: Do you have any message for readers?
Tarja: I´m very looking forward to coming to The Czech Republic and to the concert on the festival Masters of Rock. Czechs are wonderful and unbelievably supporting. I miss them a lot.

T-chan wrote:

Piano and strings let grow up some cinema-feelings. It seams to be a ballad. Tarja declassifies all her rivalry with her fantastic voice. The drums beat a march-melody.




This is what the text says about "Rivers of Lust"

Underneath:
The next track starts quite similar with soft violins and piano sounds. But the speed is slowly increasing and the violins are getting darker. A half-ballad with open vocals by Tarja and a nice guitar solo.

Until my last breath:
The first song which is rather poppy - but also including heavy, Korn-like E-guitars. There are several different vocal parts of Tarja and during the chorus even in the typical vocal range she used in Nightwish. Rocks easily and fluffy.

"live for the moment" has turned into my motto."

With "My Winter Storm" the ex-Nightwish star Tarja Turunen has proven for the first time in 2007 that she can do it also without the big "mother-band" Nightwish and has released a solo CD that impressed many fans. Now the finnish beauty continues with a promising single and the album What Lies Beneath. We talked with the sympathetic diva not only about her current song Falling Awake, her performance at Wetten Dass...? and the upcoming tour with the rock veteran Alice Cooper, but we also already received first info about her soon-to-be released, long-awaited second CD.

Orkus: Soon you will release the first single from What Lies Beneath, Falling Awake. The english expression "falling asleep" is pretty common, but "Falling Awake" is an interesting creation of you. What does it mean for you in this context if some suddenly wakes up?

Tarja Turunen: Falling Awake is a very personal song. I wrote it together with the American singer and songwriter Johnny Andrews, who also worked a lot with me on my new album. At this time of my life I wake up more and more, get more conscious and clearer of myself as woman and artist. I slowly start to feel really strong and get a more and more exact image of what I really want in my life. I consider my life to be a gift that belongs to me and I am very happy with what I have achieved so far. If I would die tomorrow, I would consider having lived my life in a useful way, because I try every day to find the small things that mean lots of luck to me. I don't need to build a huge palace around me; the small things and the love and support of my family and friends are the most important things for me.

0: So Fallling Awake resembles thematically the song Die Alive of My Winter Storm?

TT: Yes, that is correct, because there are some ideas that are always on my mind. I'm still influenced by the Brazilian Writer Paulo Coelho, because it really fascinates me how he writes about life. Die Alive is also about living your life here and now, just like Falling Awake. "Live for the moment has turned into my motto." So far in my life I've gone through some difficult times, especially of course when my mother died. After such strokes of fate you begin to realize that you gotta fight daily for your life and your luck.

O: When and how did Falling Awake get developed? Why did you choose exactly this title for the first single from What lies beneath?

TT: The song has developed very late during the recording process. I worked for two years on the album no matter where I was at. However the majority of the work took place between the touring since when you are on tour it is not very calm and and I want and have to concentrate on the shows. I wrote the song towards the end of 2009, around October. When I was done with the melody for the first verse, I already got the feeling that it will be a strong song, with a strong message. When Johnny and I composed the song, we already thought that it was gonna be the first release. It won't be a normal, but a street single that won't be released in all countries. For example in my home country Finland it won't be released at all. Falling Awake is just a short foretaste of the coming album, a little something for my fans.

O: The guitars in Falling Awake sound very powerful and strong. Is your sound on What Lies Beneath all in all stronger/tougher than on your solo debut?

TT: I think that I make my attitude as artist very clear on this album. Because it is my second album, I prepared it since a long time and I wanted to be sure that I am gonna deliver something really good. In total I have written about 30 songs, out of those songs I have actually recorded 16 then. Of course there won't be 16 songs on the album, but in this way I'll already have the bonus tracks for the different countries. I worked hard on writing a strong album and I put my whole heart into What Lies Beneath. I am very happy about being the only one responsible for album production this time, because this has been a big step for me, because in my ex-band Nightwish I didn't help with songwriting and the production of my first album was in the hands of a producer. Therefore I am now incredibly happy to have all artistic freedom now and be able to do everything the way I imagine it to be. I also had the chance now to only work with people in whom I trust and with who I feel comfortable with , which is a huge privilege. The songs will surely sound heavy, but my classical side will still be very strongly present through the orchester and the choir.

O: A while ago you performed at Wetten Dass...? together with the Scorpions the song The Good Die Young. How did the idea of a collaboration between you and them come up, and what was your experience with German TV?

TT: Performing at Wetten Dass...? was a nice experience for me. The show is very popular in Germany, but nearly unknown in Finland. I already knew Thomas Gottschalk before though and I was looking forward to being in his show. Klaus Meine from the Scorpions called me and asked if I wanted to participate in one of the songs on their new album, this of course was a great honor for me. He gave me two songs to choose from and I finally chose The Good Die Young. Soon there will be a second version of the song where Klaus and I are doing a real duet, which makes me very happy.

O: In November you will accompany the rock legend Alice Cooper on his Theatre of Death tour. Are you a big fan of Alice? And what does he think of your version of his song Poison?

TT: I am so happy and excited about this tour because I am a big fan of Alice since I was a teenager. Now to get the invitation to tour with him is really unbelievable. Right now things are happening in my life of which I never even dared to dream of. My older brother got me into Alice back then, and that's how I started to also listen to rock music besides classical music. So far I had no chance to get Alices opinion about my cover version, but I don't think I'll perform Poison at that tour, the people would surely throw tomatoes at me.

Tarja Turunen is just about before the finalisation of her second solo album called "What lies beneath". Zillo, as the worldwide only Gothic Magazine got the invitation to an exclusive listening session and a detailled interview with the finnish Diva. After the rather average critiques for her debut "My Winter Storm" (2007), the former Nightwish frontwoman has been captured by ambiguity.

Every conversation with Tarja Turunen is something very special. The finnish woman has an almost magical charisma. On the peak of her first career with Nightwish she was able to cause happy excitement at thousands of fans only by a smile or a wink with her little finger. But even over the phone, her mood is very infectuos. "At this time I feel terrific", Tarja replies in a good moodon the line. "Considering the fact that half of my stuff is stuck in the argentine toll station because I am moving from Finland to my husband in Buenos Aires with everything I own".

Feelings of home
With that news, the singer reveals a first surprise. She never left a doubt about her deep connection with her karelean home country. "An undisturbed private life wasn't possible at all in Finland lately", the dark haired beauty sighs. "I couldn't even go out with my friends. We almost met only at home." Tarja is enjoying the status of a Superstar in her home country. Even the controversity after her unkind sacking from Nightwish by her colleagues (before her already announced leaving) couldn't change that. Because of that the singer became a very popular target of the finnish tabloid press with their unpleasant side effects. This fuss played a part in her immigration. "In Finland, I hear a constant murmering behind me", tarja says. "I get noticed in Buenos Aires as well, but after a quick hello the people leave me in peace very fast." Seeing her friends and family less than before now she compansates with help of the internat. "There are uncountable possibilities nowadays to keep in touch and communicate with each other", the Finn cheers."Now I am enjoying to live in Buenos Aires and to look at a river from my window. If I should get back to my homecountry one day, I will just buy a little house there. But it was time for a change in my life".

Learning process
Not just on the private side, but also in the musical perspective, Tarja shows the courage to change. Firstly, the frontwoman insists on a change of the phone line until she is satisfied after a few attempts. It would have been enough for a first impression, but she wants to be absolutely precise. What's coming out of the speakers over the internet makes you listen up. Where My Winter Storm was a bit slow quite often, there is a fresh breeze in What Lies Beneath. As a second surprise of the day, Tarjas new compositions sound unexpectedly modern."There is a long learning process behind me", the Finn explains. "During the making of my debut I was always in front of new challenges and had to make decisions without being able to forsee their effects. Directly after her brisk and painful split from Nightwish, the singer threw herself into the adventure of a solo career. With that she had to work on own songs, look for companions, form a band and make business with a label for the first time. Although her husband and Manager Marcelo Cabuli took over a lot of tasks, a giant mountain of questions was awaiting Tarjas answers. "I did have clear goals and imaginations in my head but I was lacking of means and the required knowledge to fulfill them", the frontwoman remembers."I am still proud of the songs from My Winter Storm. Unfortunately, a lot of my original visions got lost during the production". With this self-critical point of view, Tarja is on one level with the several voices of the press, who saw some very interesting aspects in her debut, but also a lack of clarity and maturity. Probably the high level of Nightwish played a part in thaqt and Tarja was confronted with impatient expectations. Fort her current steps ahead she is holding responsible several factors.

Ladies' Choice
"I've had to discover how incredibly important the choice of the producer and the studios is for an album", Tarja claims. "Really satisfied on My Winter Storm, I was only with the orchestral elements which I recorded with the team of Hans Zimmer in Los Angeles. Due to this positive experiences she returned to Hollywood's famous sound factury for movie themes, where the crew around James Dooley in Santa Monica could care about the symphonic part. Instead of seperating the instrumental recordings all around the world, this time Tarja gathered all her constant guestmusicians in Finland. There she was working with Mike Terrana, Schiller-keyboardist Christian Kretschmar, former Farmer Boys-guitarist Alex Scholpp, Max Lilja and bass-legend Doug Wimbish. To me it makes a big difference that I can work with musicians I know very well which wasn't the case on the first album", the singer switches subjects. "Now I have all the strings in my hand and I know who of them fits best to which song". She doesn't consider the relationship to her bandmembers as a one-way-street. It's giving me incredibly much strength that my companions show me that much trust during the last 3 common years", Tarja emphasises. "Alex, Mike and the others always encourage me to listen to my own inner voice. Their judgement is very important to me, even if I make all the final decisions."

Producer's Games
The singer had been in the studio during the entire recording process, but she spared her voice. "I don't like to record in vocal cabins", the Finn reveals. "I prefer to sing inmy living room. Nobody is disturbing me there and I can do or not do whatever I want". Her absolute will to take things in her own hands accompanies Tarja since the preperations for My Winter Storm. At that timethe question of a producer was to be answered. "I really tried hard to get a good producer aboard", she tells. "But rather the suitable persons had been busy or there were endless discussions with my record company about every possible candidate. To me it was like a cursed Monopoly game.But at that time I was too shy to get my foot down. Now I am telling what will be done. I am my own producer". Despite the smile, you can't overhear a certain "Eat this" in her voice. For the mixing of the new songs Tarja got her dream candidate. During the so called mix, every single tracks of intruments and voices are put together and set in the desired relation to each other. In this important phase of a production, the sound of an album is decided. "In several parts, My Winter Storm sounded too powerless", thinks the singer. "For that reason, my choice for the dynamic songs was Colin Richardson". The Englishman is known from productions for very tough guys so far. Among his clients are Machine HEad, Slipknot and Cradle of Filth. "Colin was as much as a lucky choice than Tim Palmer", Tarja adds. "I love his works with HIM; I own all their albums. Tim was on top of my list of candidates for the epic songs and I am really happy about his assent." To work with the Englishman living in the USA, who also worked with Robert Plant, The Cure and Pearl Jam, Tarja moved on from London to Texas."Tim has a great studio, about 40 miles away from Austin", tells the singer. "I felt like I was in Finland in his lonely cabin. Even deer was strolling around". Working with him went easy and quick. Tim Palmer understands the needs of an artist very well and notices their imaginations. "First I introduced the material produced by Colin to Tim, so they don't drift apart too much", she says. "The songs produced in England still have another character. But that was exactly intended like this."

Freedom fighter
Whoever hears the singer talking about her music these days, is confronted with a different person like 3 years ago. Especially her increased self confidence can be noticed. “In the beginning of my solo career I was so damn shy”, Tarja admits. “It was an important discovery for me that I can pull through my own ideas alone. It’s a very big difference to write and produce the songs by yourself and look for people to collaborate with.”. In her opinion, the new self consciousness is heard by her record company, which wasn’t very supportive in the beginning, as well. She has a bad memory of the false writing on a Promo CD: “Tarja Tarunen” “They didn’t believe in a great album by me”, the singer grumbles with a smile. “Now they are full of eagerness and tell me their support daily. I have a good feeling that finally something is happening”. On the other hand, the lack of attention from her label got her freedom; often big labels try to push artists into a direction they don’t want. “I have used my musical freedom to choose ways nobody expected of me”, Tarja admits. “In the last years I am very excited about american Metal. This heavy and dirty sound of guitars make a fantastic contrast to my clean voice”. Thanks to this preference it lead to a collaboration with John Spiker of the industrial rockers Filter. “I have met John in Los Angeles and first we just exchanged ideas. Our collaboration was so great so it lead to a cooperation in several songs”. Thanks to good contacts of the Filter guitarist, Tarja got her duet partner for the song “Dark Star”. Nobody would have expected Phillip Labonte, the frontman of Metalcore band All That Remains, on an album of the Finn. “Phil can’t just growl, he has a great singing voice as well”, Tarja praises. “Our common result proves me right and that is way more important than serving some expectations.”
Womens’ Love
According to Tarja a major reason of her new self confidence, besides the confidence in her band, is the development in her solo concerts. She was the center of attention as well in her role as Nightwish’s frontlady, but the band also took a part of entertaining a thousand people every evening. “I had to start from the very beginning”, she says. “First there were old fans and a few curious people but it always got more and meanwhile the concerts are packed. Most of them are there because of me now. This makes me incredibly proud and gives me strength.” The question whether a return to Nightwish, even for just a guest appearance, can be expected, is no option for her. “ Are people really that crazy to believe I would sing for Nightwish again?”, Tarja laughs loudly. “I never look back. First of all there is a space of hurt behind me. Then all the good memories and experiences come up which I appreciate a lot. Because of the time with Nightwish I became that strong woman who is looking at me now in the mirror”. Obviously there still is a lot of anger inside. The Diva on the stage transferred from a distant magician with an aura of mystique into a skilled seducer who even flirts with the audience. “I don’t flirt with my audience”, the Finn laughs with pretended offense and admits: “Ok, I do flirt a bit meanwhile. I got a grip of my old shyness and I can go out of myself. But it’s about pure beauty. I don’t want to be a Sexsymbol which is the tag of many women in the men ruled Metal world. I don’t fit in this”. Obviously the readers of the english magazine Terrorizer disagree, for they vote Mrs Turunen by far as “Most Shaggable Female” for years.”I take that with humour and consider it as a compliment”, Tarja lets us know. “After all I am no little girl anymore and that is a good thing.” Another phenomenon accompanies the singer since her times with Nightwish. Among some of her truest fans who can be found in the first rows at her concerts, is an obvious group of women and girls who are obviously not interested in the men of the band at all. “I do notice that I attract a lot of lesbian women”, Tarja answers slightly ironic. “I can’t explain why since I am happily married and my own preferences should be clear then. But I do love the girls with all my heart. They give me positive energy. Just for the boys in my band it can be tough if they get too less attention by the ladies.”

Until What Lies Beneath will be releases in the late summer, this new, very confident and energetic Tarja can be admired in several Festivals. Some new songs will be played, the Diva promises. “I can’t wait to get out and introduce the new material to the fans, together with my band.”, Tarja ends the conversation. “I have never been looking forward to get back on stage as much as now”. A lot of things have changed in the life and attitude of the finnish singer. But a few things stayed the same. Tarja still is an exceptional singer and a fascinating woman with a big future ahead. Whether her dreams and wishes can be fulfilled with “What Lies Beneath”, time will show. Zillo stays on it, we promise!


Five new Songs of "What lies beneath" commented by Tarja Turunen:

"Little Lies"
After an electronic prequel, raw guitars are being served. At first, Tarja sings easily and rocky until she is going into classical vocals during the chorus. In between there are piano sounds with massive choirs. This composition surprises through a very modern sound. Tarja: "I definitely wanted to write a song together with Alex Scholpp, who is able to connect his special, heavy guitar work with my classical background. The result was this burner with massive choir parts".

"Underneath"
The soft violins and the piano in the beginning might hint to a ballad but the violins are getting darker very quickly. Tarja is singing very clear and bright with a lamenting tone. There is a sad guitar solo. Even though the speed is increasing, the song stays up-tempo. Tarja: "This song is dealing (musically as well as the content) with the very serious subject of child abuse, like prostitution, where horrible perpetrators are acting behind the mask of nice family guys."

"Dark Star"
A great duet with Philip Labonte, the singer of All That Remains". He and the very hypnotizing cello hookline by Max Lilja turn this hard rocking track into a hit you can't get out of your head. Fresh and modern Tarja is drifting far from all stereotypes of Gothic Metal. Tarja: "Filter guitarist John Spiker helped me composing this song. It was a very special honour to me, that Phi agreed to do a duet with me. I'm very proud of the result."

"In for a kill"
Keyboards and violins are starting atmospherical, then guitars are bursting with massive heaviness. To master the difficult vocal melody, Tarja is showing her full vocal range. Orchestral violins and electric guitars form an epic unity. Tarja: " I had the crazy idea to transfer the style of typical James Bond melodies into a metallic version. With that in mind I worked together with the writers of "I walk alone" - which explains the title."

"Falling awake"
The return of guitars. After their heavy stakkato, Tarja's crystal voice takes over, accompanied by piano. After that there is a change of heaviness and tenderness. In the background you can hear cineastic violins which cause a feeling of a movie theme. "Tarja: "In the current state of planing this song is supposed to be a single for free download in August. It's a preview for my album without revealing it's full concept."

TARJA TURUNEN's predictions for the FIFA WC games today

The Famous Finnish singer talked to us today at noon. Of course we asked her mainly about her forthcoming brand new studio album, her band, the longawaited gig at Kavarna Rock Fest 2010 - on 23 July but we didn't miss questions about the FIFA World cup.

YOUR HUSBAND, MARCELO IS FROM ARGENTINA...IS HE STUCK NON STOP TO THE GAMES?
I think it's not only my husband's reaction - I am doing the same, you know... I married and Argentinean and football comes with the marriage.
But seriously, it's wonderful, I mean it's very exciting how it goes. And Argentina has been doing fine. Unfortunately, my home country Finland has never made it to the finals but I am a real football fan and I just love it!
I would really love to fly to South Africa right now but I can't.

SO, WHAT'S YOUR HUSBAND MARCELO THINK ABOUT ARGENTINA'S MANAGER?
Oh, Maradona. He's a hero, of course -a true legend. I mean, seriously guys - who was the best player in the World?

PELE!
.....!

WHO DO YOU TINK IS THE BEST LOOKING PLAYER AT THIS WORLD CUP THEN?
Oh my god, don't ask me that, ha ha ha. Well there are so many good looking guys. But I think that South Africa and the African teams in general...they are so athletic and it's such a pleasure to watch them run. Wow, what a body!

DOUG WIMBISH BODY STYLE?
Yep!

PLEASE GIVE US YOUR PREDICTIONS FOR THE TWO WORLD CUP GAMES TODAY - SPAIN AGAINST PORTUGAL AND PARAGUAY AGAINST JAPAN...
I think Portugal and Japan will win.

The full text + audio file will be available in our INTERVIEW section soon.
http://www.radiotangra.com/?page=newss&lng=en&nid=8718

Kinga wrote:Si nu am inteles ce e cu primarul.

Suomi_Rocks wrote:

Kinga wrote:Si nu am inteles ce e cu primarul.

Nici eu nu am înţeles foarte bine, dar îmi place mult faza aceea, am râs de una singură vreo 2 minute.

Reporter: YEAH, AND YOU’LL MEET THE MAYOR…
Tarja: I will go to the beach!


A, probabil se referă la chestia cu imaginea ei pe o cladire, că parcă era implicat şi un anume primar în treaba aia.

GothicDaniela wrote:
Here are the both videos where Tarja appears:
http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/program/10267423121-13.07.2010-05:59-1-dobre-rano.html?online=1#video

videos
1.) Počasí, Hosté K.Mayer, P.Jáchym, T.Turunen, A.Parma, J.Daron (03:45)
2.) Aktuality, Host J.Sedlátk, Soutěž, Hosté R.Křesťan, R.Gocál, Tarja Turunen, A.Parma (14:33)

Tarja Turunen's life stories

"I don't miss Nightwish anymore"

Interview

"Bullying left perpetual scars"

Tarja Turunen has grown and changes her lifes bad times to a positive direction.
She is no longer miss Nightwish times.

Childhood

I was very conscientious child and learn to make a lot of things alone.
I, my parents and two brother lived in Kitee. My older brother always supported me, like a good big brother.
I take care my little brother Toni, even though he is no longer a baby.
My childhood was a lot of music and sound and my family was combination; a lot of ambition, love, nearness and tenderness.
When i started scool I was the only girl our class. Music was something amazing even then and I enjoyed artistic freedom.
I was little unusual child, because I lived in a small village and musically talented girl separate from the others. So I was bullied for many years. It was pain. Many of the older girls were really cruel.
I suffer even today stomach pain. I'm sensitive and sometimes shy with people.I have difficulty to talk about awkward things, but different culture where I now live and Marcelo have teach me talk about awkward things immediately. But bullying left perpetual scars for me and I believe that my bullies remember it also.
I know that they don't want to meet me face to face. I've seen how they change the street.
Thankfully bullying stopped when I change scool. In the end I was very popular my teen years.
When I was 17 years old i went to study art high scool in Savonlinna. I ate only tuna fish and apple in a day but it was wonderful time. Wild years teach me many things and it's good. It's nice remember those years afterwards.
I also get back my self-confidence which was destroyed by bullying.

Own way

After Savonlinna art high scool I continued study Sibelius Academy in Kuopio.
In 1996 became Nightwish and from that moment my career start. Between gigs and tours I studied more singing Music Institute Karlsruhe in Germany. There was a busy schedule. Seven school days in a week.
It was heavy. Every day I must learn new song. I learned there also stand criticism, one bad comment sometimes ruined the whole day, but it was able to withstand. All feedback is good although sometimes it hurts.
Sometimes after gig I read fans writings on the Internet or watching videos on youtube in horrified.
I have always been grateful and happy my parents encourage and support. They have never deny me my dreams.
My family has always encouraged a positive madness, to jump into the unknown. That's why I was able to believe my own solo career after Nightwish 2005. If I had not artist then I could imagine working fashion designer for example. I don't know about sew, but I like all beautiful things.

Light

Best light my life is definitely my manager-husband Marcelo Capuli. I could not hope better partner.
I can be with him completely myself. Our relationship is better than ever these ten years although many have wondered how it works so well. This kind of love is fine thing. Marcelo working so hard that sometimes I feel sorry for him. However, he enjoys his work as I and work is that thing which connect us.
I enjoy our home in hectic Buenos Aires. I love the clean-up and I'm always vacuum and wibe the dust off.
Marcelo and I have the same taste about decoration. Everything is black and white. Our homes is also a small sauna. Argentinean and Finnish people have the same melancholia, like tango songs often tells.
The difference is this, in Argentina the cat brought to the table and talk about problems immediately.
I have learned this myself now.

Shadows

People will always ask my Nightwish times and that is understandable. Nightwish was 9 years part of my musical career and start an international career too. But leave the band gave me a kick start my solo career. So minus changed plus.
After Nightwish were many rumors and arguments and it was hard time, but now everything is agreed.
I don't have emotions for band anymore and I don't miss those times.
Sad loss to me was when my dear mother die. Those times were extremely heavy and sad. But I knew that only choice was mourn and handle my own feelings.
Marcelo's support and understanding was necessary too, when I made my first solo album (2007).
After my mother die I have learned to appreciate the health and I try take good care of it.
I run and swim whenever I have the time and I try to keep my mind clear.
Life has always been crises but they must be able to handle.

Heart

I hope that my career continues for many years and I stay health. My both brothers had children little time ago, so I became double-aunt. Someday I want own children too, but now we just practicing.
I believe that motherhood depends own attitude. But now our lifestyle is different than normal life.
We're on the roud all the time. I counter that we are not been in the last five years one month longer in one place. So, babies is not the best idea for now.
I know that Marcelo should be a wonderful father and I hope that it happen one day.
I would like to meet my friends more and organize things better so that I could visit more often in Finland.
I see so rarely my brothers childrens too. Our second home in Kuusankoski is for sale because we don't have enough time to be there.

Here and now

The result in hard work is my second solo album What Lies Beneath, which will be published in September.
I am also a producer, and this album is really personal and important from me.
I've got to work with a great band, great staff and employees.
In the future I have a lot of concerts and tours around the world.
Sometimes I would like to find a person who would see my vision in the same way as I do.
I felt that it was easier product album myself now than try to explain someone outsider what I want the album sounds.
Next, I will go record the music video for Iceland. Hopefully volcano does not cause any problems.
In Iceland we fly a gig in Portugal and after that we go in USA, promotion in my new album.
In Finland I have a traditional Christmas concert, which is a pleasing thing.
My life is full of positive things now.