Her voice could break the ice with a single vocalise and her soprano range would have been at home on the grand opera stage. But if Tarja Turunen is a lyrical singer, she does not play on the side of the divas. She puts her exceptional organ at the service of metal. And with her sharp tone, she responds with unprecedented audacity to explosive guitar riffs and rumbling drums.
In the small world of rock, everyone knows her and many revere her, if not admire her. In the early 2000s, she became the voice of Nightwish as well as its emblem. But above all, she has brought about a feminine revolution with greatness. To those who thought she was too high-pitched, too powerful to sing symphonic metal, she doesn't need to answer. The thousands of albums sold by the band and their legendary titles, Nemo and The Phantom of the Opera in particular, speak for themselves.
When she leaves the band, she does so with an almost biblical recognition from the hordes of metalheads to go solo. Because Tarja Turner, who was born in a cold country, is not afraid of the cold and decides to give herself away completely. Her voice carries razor-sharp emotions and, above all, she spares no one with music that reflects her own life experiences, between love, loss, inner strength and unwavering hope.
Since going solo, this three-octave metal madonna has continued to ruffle hair and make heads spin. But if her love for big electric riffs hasn't changed, she's experimenting, opening her concerts with violin solos, looking to progressive rock. Clearly, she would be wrong to deny herself this. Because with a voice like hers, she can do anything, try anything, the result will always be sublime.
Did Nightwish create Tarja Turunen or Tarja Turunen create Nightwish? According to Tuomas Holopainen, the second option would be the right one. Because in front of the singer's hyper powerful voice, he would have had no other choice than to switch from acoustic to electric, and then to opt for a dramatic metal sound. And this band that nobody believed in was going to explode on the world's stages. The albums Century Child and Once, which sold thousands of copies and made Tarja Turunen the muse of symphonic metal, were the high point.
In 2005, Nightwish decided to part ways with their emblem, the one who makes the fans' hearts tremble and their ears twitch. The audience despaired, and Holopainen himself considered his singer irreplaceable. But Tarja Turunen did not give up and decided to go solo. She even sees opportunities in this separation. The opportunity to do exactly what she wanted to do. In 2007, she released her second solo album, My Winter Storm, whose single I Walk Alone was a hit, and went on a 96-date tour around the world.
In more than a decade of steering her own course, Tarja Turunen has gone from ex-Nightwish vocalist to a recognized artist in her own right, gracefully navigating the crystal clear waters of ever-changing musical genres. In the Raw is already her sixth album and fits this definition perfectly. Sharp riffs, catchy groove, subtle melodies, lyrical refrains and bewitching voice on a melodic metal background, the artist makes no concessions to deliver once again tracks that take us into her skin-deep universe.
Tarja Turunen was the metal empress the world was waiting for. With Nightwish, she proved that lyrical singing had its place in this dark and dramatic universe. But over the years, the singer has proven much more. With her sensitivity, she reveals deep feelings, always carried by a voice that the word sublime is not strong enough to describe. For us, she is a grandmother of symphonic metal and a virtuoso artist who is a must listen.
Fact or fiction? In Finland, a legend says that Tarja Turunen's voice is capable of splitting the ice pack! One thing is certain, this strange beauty with intense eyes is one of the most famous Finnish voices in the world. And for good reason. She started out singing in a soprano range and performed works by Wagner and Verdi in the opera, but it was her meeting with the members of the symphonic metal band Nightwish that propelled her to the forefront. Or the other way around.
I'm a big fan of Tarja Turunen and after this concert I love her even more. With her operatic voice and her badass look, she set the Hellfest on fire. What crazy energy on stage! And what a communion with her audience. The highlight was Die Alive, which is always a great emotional moment for me!
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