New NIGHTWISH touring singer Floor Jansen has revealed that she was originally asked to join the band for their upcoming dates in November, December and January but that plans changed over the weekend following the sudden departure of Anette Olzon in the middle of the group’s North American tour.

During an October 2 interview with the “Giel Beelen” show on the Dutch radio station 3FM, Floor said, “Saturday morning [September 29] I got a text message saying, ‘How fast can you come to the USA?’ So I packed everything as quickly as I could and booked a ticket for the first plane and practiced the songs. They had already previously asked me to join them on the road for the dates in November, December and January, [so] I had been preparing for it a little bit for only one week. And since those plans changed [over the weekend], I ended up only having a few days to get ready and a rehearsal of two hours with [the songs’] lyrics in front of me.”

Jansen, who called the opportunity to sing for NIGHTWISH a “dream come true,” also confirmed that she will be on the road with the band through the end of January. 

Asked if fans can also expect to hear her on NIGHTWISH’s next studio album, Floor said, “There has been no discussion about that at this point. Right now, the plans is just for me to be a temporary replacement for Anette. All is I know is that it is really an awesome opportunity for me and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it and we’ll see what the future brings.”

from Floor’s blog

Dear reader,

I am writing to you sitting here in the tour bus with Nightwish! We are heading to San Fransisco. The sun is shining bright here and the scenery is beautiful. I am trying to find words to describe how I feel but it’s impossible to really cover it. I am on a high!

What do you do when Nightwish asks you to join them on tour? Stay calm and say, well OK….? Or does your heart start beating twice as fast instantly, hands start to sweat and your mouth is unwilling to pronounce words like “that sounds amazing”. I guess I don’t need to tell what happened to me

The time to prepare was scarily short…I packed my bags and left and printed the lyrics into my head all the way over from Amsterdam to America. 15 hours of airplane later I arrived with a jetlag, a full head and the most happy feeling ever. The next day I jumped on board on this bus and the adventure truly began. I was welcomed into the group as an old friend and I felt great instantly. It is now 10 years ago I joined Nighwish on tour with After Forever as their support act. We stayed in touch ever since and that made the whole situation so much easier and smooth.

The day of the first show we also did a long soundcheck to rehearse the songs. That was the only possibility… You cannot imagine how nervous I was before that first show started!!! Next to nerves my voice was battered by a cold due to all the travels, lack of sleep and airco’s.

The intro started…..I ran on stage….and all nerves were gone! The music and the guys took me in and so did the audience. What an experience! The excitement lasted the entire show, and way after. When I went to my tour bus bed that night I still had a smile on my face. I felt so happy and satisfied I fell asleep instantly.

The next morning I woke up, ahum afternoon….in Portland. Show number 2 was there already. So were the first online reactions and the massive amount of press that responded to the news. You must be living under a stone if the news didn’t reach you yet J I even did an interview with the Dutch radio, standing outside the venue in my stage outfit. With a 9 hour time difference…

My cold got worse and the doctor had to give me some power supplies to help me. Thank goodness for that, they helped instantly and the second show was an amazing blast. The Crystal Hall in Portland is a beautiful venue and the atmosphere extraordinary! Again the audience welcomed me warmly! I am so grateful!!!

Today we’ll play in San Fransisco (see the pic)! I always wanted to see this city so I hope there is some time (and energy) left for this! I will keep writing to you. And for those who came to the show: thank you for your support!!!

Love,

Floor

(Source: twitter.com)

Ex-NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen-Cabuli says that she has no interest in rejoining her former band — seven years after she was unceremoniously fired from the group via an open letter.

Turunen, who currently resides in Buenos Aires, Argentina with her husband and manager Marcelo Cabuli, tells Finland’s Iltalehti that she’s grateful to the fans who kindly hope that she will return to NIGHTWISH. However, she insists that there is no chance of that ever happening.

“I would be ready to rejoin NIGHTWISH if all the members of the band and the management team were changed,” Turunen-Cabuli joked to Iltalehti.

Since 2005, the soprano has pursued a solo career and is now working her third studio album, which will be released around Christmas. She said she learned of the latest NIGHTWISH singer departure when a journalist from Finland contacted her for a comment.

And what were her initial thoughts about NIGHTWISH and Anette Olzon parting ways?

“Sadly enough, I wasn’t surprised by it,” Tarja said.

Turunen-Cabuli, who was in NIGHTWISH from 1996 until 2005, says she is really happy with her solo career right now and insists that returning to the band wouldn’t bring her the same kind of joy and sense of fulfillment. 

Although Turunen-Cabuli has been recording and performing as a solo artist for nearly a decade, she says that she understands the fans who miss the original lineup of NIGHTWISH and are hoping for a reunion. 

“No one knows what I went through in the band during those years, so I accept how hard it is for the fans to understand my feelings on this matter,” Tarja said. 

Somehow I think there will still be some who won’t get the message ^^’