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The brightest star of the Finnish rock scene, the soprano singer Tarja Turunen has in a short time become one of the most well-known Finnish faces in the world of music. Turunen, who was born in the city of Kitee, Finland, started her musical studies at the age of six, and moved to study classical singing at the age 18 at the Sibelius Academy of Kuopio city. At the same time Tarja's classmate Tuomas Holopainen was starting his acoustical project, and invited Turunen to join the band. Tarja said yes to the invitation, and thus Nightwish was born. The band's first demo-tape was enough to get them a recording deal with Spinefarm Records. Shortly after signing the band in 1997 Spinefarm released their debut album "Angels Fall First", a masterpiece mixing modern metal music with operatic, classical vocals. At the time, Tarja was joining the Savonlinna Opera Festival Choir where she performed Wagner and Verdi among others. It was the beginning as well for Tarja Turunen to establish a career that compromises two different kind of music and a long way to go until the audience in general has accepted this fact.
The debut was followed in 1998 by Nightwish's breakthrough album, the platinum selling "Oceanborn", which contained such hit songs as "Sleeping Sun" and a cover version of the main theme of the "Snowman"-animation, "Walking in the Air"."Oceanborn" took the band to the stage in Finland and abroad, and Tarja's unbelievable stage charisma instantly made her the number one singer favourite of metal fans all over the world. Tarja’s face has been illustrating magazines from all over the world. Just to mention some of them we need to come with an amazing list from several countries like Norway, Germany, Spain, Brazil, France, Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands, Finland and Argentina. Scream Magazine, Roadie crew, Inferno, Rumba, Sue, Metallian, Blue wings (Finnair), Iltalehti (novedadespaper), Metal Hammer, Rock Hard, Metal Heart, Aardschok, Epopeya, Rock Brigade, Heavy Oder Was!?, Hell Awaits, Flash, Legacy Magazine, Orkus, Rock Tribune, Close Up Magazine, Hard N’Heavy, Maelmströn. In many of these publications, Tarja has been several times recognised among the best singers and specially in her home country, Soundi Magazine’s reader’s poll elected Tarja in 2002 as best Finnish singer and as the most wonderful person. Despite the band growing success Tarja made time available for her studies and other projects.
In the end of 1999 Turunen took part as a soloist singer in a modern ballet production of the Finnish National Opera House called "The Evankeliumi". The show was written and directed by the famous Finnish choreographer Jorma Uotinen together with Kärtsy Hatakka of the Finnish band Waltari. All performances of “The Evankeliumi” were completely sold out. In the beginning of 2000 Nightwish took part in the Finnish qualification of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Sleepwalker. Nightwish was second despite an overwhelming win in the public televoting. This hasn’t been the first time for a TV appearance by Tarja that has also been in some well-known Finnish programmes such as Lista Yle TV, Kokkisota MTV3, Hotelli Sointu TV1, Vaarallinen risteys MTV3, Huomenta Suomi MTV3 and Jyrki MTV3. In May 2000 Nightwish released their third album ”Wishmaster”, which immediately rose to the charts all over the world and went platinum in Finland in a matter of weeks. "Wishmaster" sold over 150.000 copies worldwide.
The year 2000 was very busy for Tarja and Nightwish, who constantly toured Europe, Finland, Canada and South America. There was more demand for gigs than the band could handle, so in 2001 the first live Nightwish-recording was made on New Years Eve 2000-2001, when Nightwish played a gig at club Pakkahuone in Tampere, Finland. The gig was filmed and recorded, and that material was then made into a DVD and VHS. The Finnish fans also got a limited edition full-length Live CD. All of these formats were released under the name "From Wishes to Eternity - Live", and every format proved to be a huge seller reaching once again, gold in Finland in CD format and gold in Germany in DVD. Before making their next full-length album, the band released a Mini-CD called "Over the Hills And Far Away" which quickly sold platinum in Finland and has achieved already double platinum status in their home country.
After the "Over the Hills and Far Away" -EP the band started working on their 4th full-length studio album "Century Child", but while the musicians were recording and writing the album, Tarja decided to go one step forward with her vocal studies by enrolling in the Music University of Karlsruhe, Germany. Although the studying schedule of Karlsruhe was very tight, Tarja managed to find time not only to record her vocals for "Century Child", but also to record vocals for the Argentinean bassist Beto Vazquez's album "Infinity" that become also an immediate success worldwide with releases in far East, Russia, hole Europe and South America, outstanding achievement for the band just because of the link with Tarja’s name. After some warm up concerts in Germany, Tarja also tour the classical stages of South America in Chile and Argentina performing a Lied Concert named “Noche Escandinava” (Scandinavian Night) together with Marjut Paavilainen, Ingvild Storhaug and Izumi Kawakatzu The sold out concerts sponsored by the Embassies of Finland, Germany, Japan, Norway and the Government of the City of Buenos Aires brought to South America songs from Jean Sibelius, Ture Rangström, Leevi Madetoja, Oskar Merikanto, Hugo Wolf, Richard Strauss, Gustav Mahler, Johannes Brahms, Felix Mendelssohn performed by Tarja Turunen creating a special connection between Tarja and the audience that will see her later once again developing her classical career in these countries. Nightwish's fourth album Century Child was released in the spring of 2002, and it has sold nearly 250.000 copies worldwide. The album release was followed by the massive "World Tour of the Century” which was three months long and took Nightwish's to ten countries around the world where the band performed 25 shows in front of 150.000 people. Exhausted of the world tour, Nightwish made a decision to have a long break to give its members some time of their own. Most members of Nightwish quickly engaged in several side projects, and Tarja went back to Karlsruhe before the end of the year to continue her studies.
Once again the huge demand for more shows pushed the band to perform two extra headlines sold out shows for 15.000 people at Oberhausen Arena and Munich in January 2003. When the official break was finally over, Nightwish got into the Summer of Innocence tour starting in June 2003. The experienced left behind 14 countries and 400.000 eyes that have been witnesses of those incredible nights. After three huge tours the band had in their hands an unbelievable amount of good off-stage and on-stage material. A documentary was an obvious choice when a usage for the material was planned, but the band felt that something extra was needed to support the various touring scenes. The answer was found when the Finnish music journalist Mape Ollila, who has been closely working with the band since the very beginning of Nightwish, asked Tuomas for an in-depth interview. Tuomas agreed, and the interviewers were then taken to Tuomas Holopainen's summer cottage with Nighwish members and crew. With the interview combined with the touring material, the result was the 2 hours and 15 minutes long documentary, which tells the band's tale in their words, from the very beginning to the present day. The new DVD “End of the Innocence” was released in October 2003 worldwide. At this point the year has already been very successful for Tarja, but it was definitely crowned by the invitation received from Finnish President Tarja Halonen and husband Dr. Arajärvi to assist to the President's Palace for the Finnish Independence Day Party, the most important social event of the country that takes place every year. Tarja Turunen achieved a new status when Yle TV Station official web page named her as The Most Impressive dressed lady in the party according to the people vote. Also the most important Finnish daily Newspapers as Ilta Lehti and Ilta Sanomat awarded her as the Queen of the Night and the Second Most Impressive dressed lady respectively. Many magazines and novedadespapers reflected this new mentioned status in their publications in the following month with a full national coverage of the issue. To end with an astonishing year, in December 19th 2003 Tarja Turunen performed, after tree years, an intimate Christmas Concert. The small Valkeala’s Church welcomed 600 people whom stood up to return a warmth applause to the artist after 60 minutes of traditional Finnish Christmas music from Sibelius, Kotilainen and Melartin as well as some arias from Bach and Mozart.
Nightwish started recording a brand new studio album and Tarja Turunen, after registering her parts, once again in the classical field, travelled to Buenos Aires, Argentina to share her voice this time offering a one month singing course to already trained musicians. Among the facts we can expect for 2004, we’ll find Tarja flying to Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Romania for a second tour with her classical line up of Noche Escandinava. The first official web page (already many not official ones can be found) for Tarja will be launched under www.tarjaturunen.com Nightwish has released their new album, “Once” what will take Tarja to uncountable photo sessions, pressconferences and interviews in Finland and worldwide. Just a warm up for the 2004 World Tour expected to be biggest one so far for a Finnish act abroad. Still Tarja will need to find some time to co produce and sing in her brother Timo’s iskelma (schlager) debut album. What seems in advance to be the most busy year for Tarja Turunen so far, 2004 will also show the beginning of her solo career with a long time planned Christmas Album. Album global sales with Nightwish exceed 1.000.000 copies. Tarja has already performed for more than 500.000 people worldwide. Many songs and video clips from Nigthwish have already been in high rotation in several countries. The TV broadcasting of the Independence Day’s Celebration at the Presidential Castle introduced Tarja Turunen to more than 2.000.000 people in Finland according to Yle TV Station. So far, this has only begun…
Facts
Name: Tarja Turunen
Date of birth: 17th of August 1977br style="color: black;">
Place of residence: Helsinki, Finland
E-mail: Tarja's mailbox is full! Please don't send her any more e-mail while she is on tour!
Hobbies: Music is both my work and my hobby.
Musical background: I started singing with the help of my teacher and took private piano lessons when I was in lower grades of the basic school. When I was in the upper grades of the basic school I started playing flute in a music college. After the upper grades I started music high school in Savonlinna with classical singing and music theater as my major. Then I went to Sibelius Academy to study church music. At the moment I am specializing in classical singing.
Favorite...
Food: Chicken
Drink: Dry, gentle red wine
Movie: The Gladiator
Music: All kind of music from classical to hard rock
Director: Ridley Scott
TV-program: I don't watch TV a lot, but I watch the news and best movies on the weekend
Actor/Actress: Russell Crowe
Book:RT
Author: Mika Waltari
Band: It's hard to name the best one. There's a lot of good bands.
Album: Gladiator soundtrack
Song: Von ewiger Liebe by Brahms
Season: Spring
Our best gig: Our South-American tour as a whole
Best gig you have seen:The opera Norma in Colón's theater in Buenos Aires. The band was REALLY good!!! huh...
Worst nightmare:That I wake up in the morning being mute!
Place you'd like to go: Exotic, small island somewhere far, far away. No tourism, no Finns. Only silence.
Life philosophy: Smile :)
She was the only girl in her school for six years
She drives a Nissan Primera
She hates spiders
Her favorite drink is red wine from Chile
She has a Calvin Clein watch
Her first concert with Nightwish was on the 31st of December 1997
From the beginning, Tarja has sung in 307 concerts with Nightwish
source :http://www.angelwings.de.tp/
Projects
Henkäys Ikuisuudesta (Breath form the Heaven) - 2006
1.Happy Christmas
2.Marian poika
3.You would have loved this
4.Mökit nukkuu lumiset
5.En etsi valtaa, loistoa
6.Happy new year
7.Walking in the air
8.Kuin henkäys ikuisuutta
9.Jo joutuu ilta
10.Varpunen jouluaamuna
11.Jouluyö, juhlayö
12.The eyes of a child
13.Magnificat Anima Mea: Quia respexit
14.Ave Maria
You Would Have Loved This (Single) - 2006
1. You Would Have Loved This (radioversion)
2. Walking in the Air
3. You Would Have Loved This (singleversion)
Yhden Enkelin Unelma(One Angel's Dream)
1. En etsi valtaa loistoa
2. Kun joulu on
Lyrics
One angels' Dream
Kun Joulu On
Kun maas' on hanki ja j?rvet j??ss?
ja silm? sammunut auringon,
kun p??sky pitk?n on matkan p??ss?
ja mets? autio lauluton,
k?y l?mmin henk?ys talvis??ss?,
kun joulu on, kun joulu on
Ei huolta murhetta kenk??n muista,
ei tunnu pakkaset tuikeat,
vain laulu kaikuvi lasten suista,
ja silm?t riemusta hehkuvat,
ja liekit loistavat joulupuista,
kun joulu on, kun joulu on
On ?iti laittanut kyst? kyll?,
h?n lahjat antaa ja lahjat saa,
vaan seimi, pahnat ja t?hti yll?
ne silmiin kalleina gangastaa;
siks mieli hell? on kristityll?,
kun joulu on, kun joulu on
En Etsi Valtaa, Loistoa
En etsi valtaa, loistoa,
en kaipaa kultaakaan;
m? pyyd?n taivaan valoa ja rauhaa p??lle maan!
Se joulu suo, mi onnen tuo
ja mielet nostaa Luojan luo!
Ei valtaa eik? kultaakaan, vaan rauhaa p??lle maan!
Suo mulle maja rauhaisa
ja lasten joulupuu!
Jumalan sanan valoa, joss' sieluin kirkastuu!
Tuo kotihin, jos pieneenkin,
nyt joulujuhla suloisin!
Jumala sanan valoa, ja mielt? jaloa!
Luo k?yh?n niinkuin rikkahan
saa joulu ihana!
Pimeytehen maailman tuo taivaan valoa!
Sua halajan, Sua odotan,
S? Herra maan ja taivahan!
Nyt k?yh?n niinkuin rikkaan luo suloinen joulus tuo !
Infinity
Until Dawn
Lonely nights I think of you
, My life, my king and my land.
Land of war will turn into light
Divine light will give us strength
Sunlight divine cover my land
Angels of light take care of us
Still darkness surrounds myself
Among the trees
I saw the gates of hell
I hear that someone screams my name
Devil claims for my life
Sunlight divine give me the strength
Angels of light show me the way
Flying up in the sky, riding through the wind
Until dawn things won't change at all
Strange sensations, fighting the evil in my heart
Angels of light help me save my land
Stars guide me in this night
Light my way to fight the dark
God, I pray to you one more time
With your help I'll save my land
Sunlight divine cover my land
Angels of light take care of us
Flying up in the sky, riding through the wind
Until dawn things won't change at all
Strange sensations, fighting the evil in my heart
Angels of light help me save my land.
Sadness in the Night
In the night I feel the cold of my loneliness
Cold that embraces my heart
Draining my strength to fight
Only to breathe this suffering
Tell me why? Why must I bear this cross
So heavy for my soul?
Please hold me in your love
I am the keeper of his heart
I was sent to take care of his sweetness
Never I'll forget his love
Never I'll forget the light
That shone in his eyes
Let me fly, let me be free
To stay with him beyond this life
Run across the sky
Let me see the sun again
Let me die Give me the light
I'm waiting for death to knock on my door
to release my pain
My sadness in the night
Let me die
Give me the light
I'm waiting for death to knock
on my door, to release my pain
My sadness in the night, forevermore
Every day
I dream of sunlight in my dark room
I want to find a reason why
Justify my reason to stay alive
Within this pain Tell me why?
Why must I bear this cross
So heavy for my soul?
Please hold me in your love
Let me die
Give me the light I'm waiting for death
to knock on my door, t
o release my pain
My sadness in the night
Let me die
Give me the light
I'm waiting for death to
knock on my door,
to release my pain
My sadness in the night
Let me die Give me the light I'm
waiting for death to knock on my door,
to release my pain
My sadness in the night
Leaving you for me
I`m sitting here alone
What else could I have done
I can`t regret `cause
I don`t even know what I did wrong
Freedom died with you
I`m searching for myself
Without feeling alive....
[What about me?]
Leaving you for me
[What about us?]
Try to understand, that I`m only leaving you for me
[I try to come back]
Demons in my head
They won`t let go.
Hiding from the truth
Is drifting through his thoughts
I can`t let go exploring every corner of his soul
Life has to go on
Used to find your way
I wanna feel alive...
(Chorus)
I`ve lock the door
Deep inside
Different memories
I`ve lock the door
Deep Inside
Different stories
Tired Of Being Alone
Once , you dreamed of me , twice
you wished that i'd pull you out
you chose your life , and put me down
still you don't understand
Tired of being alone
what you have dreamed
is not what i am
so far
let me be the one
please understand me
how i am
but i don't want , to walk alone
i need your hands to warm my soul
Tired of being alone
Tired of being alone
i will do my best
to become your love
i'll try
to fill the emptyness
in our hearts
oh so tired of being alone
Tired of being alone
i want to feel , i need to fall in love with you
Tired of being alone
You would have loved this
The winter left her blanket
here this morning
A soft and gentle coverlet of white
Unfolded in the shadows of the dawn
It Sparked in the early morning light
You would have loved this
You would have loved this
This was your favorite time of day
The greenery is laid across the mantle
And ornaments are hanging on the tree
And cradled in the windowsill's a candle
A beacon in the night
to call you back to me
You would have loved this
You always loved this
I know you loved this time of year
And though I understand
One day again I'll see you
I long to touch your hand,
hear your voice, feel you
You would have loved this
You always loved this
Oh, how you loved.
Walking In The Air
We're walking in the air
We're floating in the moonlit sky
The people far below are sleeping as we fly
I'm holding very tight
I'm riding in the midnight blue
I'm finding I can fly so high above with you
Far across the world
The villages go by like trees
The rivers and the hills
The forests and the streams
Children gaze open mouth
Taken by surprise
Nobody down below believes their eyes
We're surfing in the air
We're swimming in the frozen sky
We're drifting over icy
Mountains floating by
Suddenly swooping low on an ocean deep
Arousing of a mighty monster from its sleep
We're walking in the air
We're floating in the midnight sky
And everyone who sees us greets us as we fly
source:http://www.angelwings.de.tp/
Family
For a pitty,we don´t have any pictures of Tarja with her family.She has two brothers-Tony & Timo Turunen (also a singer).Her mother has died in the end of 2003.We don´t know very much about her father too.We can only use her words about 'em
"..My first childhood memory, and I remember it all quite vividly, was when I was around three or four years old and my father was building a new home for us. I was running around the building site and going into dangerous areas where I wasn´t supposed to go, as children do, and I remember my older brother - who´s seven years older than I am - looking out for me.." "...I have another brother who is five years younger than me. I´m the middle child. We´re a really close family, and I love my brothers dearly..." "...I had a really good relationship with my parents growing up. I was your typical "good girl" - I always got good grades and school and I was dedicated to my musical studies as well. My parents have always been supportive of my music, they started me off playing classical piano when I was five, and when I was about 10 it seemed like I´d be taking some kind of music class every night after school. My parents also thought they got off lightly in the teenage angst stakes too. I remember talking to my mother recently ad she said I didn´t really have any awkward teenage moments. But I know I did I just didn´t show it much..." "...My personality is very much like my mother´s. She´s a very strong woman and I draw my strength from her. And the more sensible side of me comes from my father. But the real influence on who I am right now comes from my husband. Everyone talks about the British´s "stiff upper lip", but Finnish people are even more reserved than the British ! So my husband has been teaching me ways of how to connect with my emotions and how to show my emotions, which is really important for being a performer..."
On 08.05.2003 Tarja has got married to the argentinian businessman Marcelo Cabuli,actualy being also her manager.He is almost 8 years older than her.He blamed buy the other members of Nightwish in turning her into a diva and one of the reasons,indicated by Tuomas Tarja to be fired from the band on 21.11.2005.
source :http://www.angelwings.de.tp/
