Hey everyone,

The development of the interactive fan map is continuing, and honestly, I feel like my fingers are permanently glued to the keyboard at this point 😄 But it’s finally starting to really take shape.

🤖 And I’d actually love your ideas on one thing

Because of licensing and database size limitations, there won’t be custom uploaded avatars or images. Everything will come from free/licensed sources. However, registered users will have access to themed AI avatars, and I want to play around with the style a bit.

What kind of themed avatars would you like to see in FrissonMap?

They can be inspired by the Frisson era, symphonic metal, horror, Tarja's albums, concerts, dark aesthetics, or anything that fits the vibe of the project.

For example:

• long-haired blond bassist 😉🎸
• gothic violinist
• fantasy metal witch
• symphonic drummer
• corpse paint panda, because why not

Basically anything that would fit a metal/fan community vibe.

And just as a quick reminder for anyone who may have missed the earlier posts 😄

FrissonMap is basically a fan-made interactive map project we came up with together here in the community. The idea is that people from all around the world will be able to share their thoughts, impressions, memories, and experiences connected to Tarja’s new music and era directly on the map.

🛠️ And where is the project at right now?

The interface for placing your comments directly on the map is already done, along with concerts and POIs (points of interest) like Hartwall Arena, Kitee, plus some admin tools for me 😄

This weekend will mainly be about polishing the UI, working on the responsive mobile design, and GDPR (a very exciting thing, obviously).

Iltalehti, 5. 12. 2003

For the original text, visit the Instagram account Tarja Turunen Suomi.

Will heavy metal get you to Eurovision?

The heavy metal band Nightwish, led by Tarja Turunen, participated in the Finnish Eurovision selection in 2000 with their song Sleepwalker. Finnish metal did not please the jury, even though the band won the public vote.

Was going to Eurovision the right decision for Nightwish?

You can look at that from many sides. It definitely brought us a new audience, and many people heard Nightwish for the first time then. Winning the public vote was more important to us than winning the contest itself, we still went in with our middle fingers up a little bit: a heavy metal band for Eurovision, hehe. I actually burst into tears when I heard that we were in the semi-finals. It made me so angry that the joke became true. In the finals there was nothing you could do about it.

Did the participation get any negative comments from the most puritanical metal fans?

We read a lot of online feedback on the subject. Fans were really amused that a metal band was at Eurovision. We were quite surprised by that, because the heavy metal crowd could have thought differently. Well, we're unlikely to be at that contest again. Even a couple of years after the contest, European journalists were still asking, “Were you really at Eurovision?”

Are you a big Eurovision fan yourself?

Not really. Of course, if I happen to be home at the time, I can watch them. I haven't been able to watch Eurovision for a couple of years. It's just not important to me.

What kind of song could Finland win the competition at least once with?

Old elements are great, but you should always include something new. By now, every song has already been composed once. It's an incredibly tough to start making a three-minute song that has a good chorus, something new, and that will stick in your mind after hearing it once. It's hard to say what elements it should contain.

What is your all-time favorite Eurovision song and why?

Waterloo by ABBA. It's still a good song and I still listen to ABBA from time to time.

The worst Eurovision song of all time?

I think a few years ago there was a girl band from Croatia that sang in falsetto. They had really lost the plot.

If the next Eurovision was held in Finland, would you go there to cheer?

Ahem, well... I'm pretty pessimistic about that. I might not go. I might not put things on hold for Eurovision.

Blue Wings
Dec 2002-Jan 2003

For more articles, visit, visit the Instagram account Tarja Turunen Suomi.

Nightwish’s Metallic Daydreams

Blending operatic vocals, synthesizer, flute, choir, strings, and spoken word, heavy metal band Nightwish has shot from small-town Finnish Karelia to global success. Now the group faces some tantalising decisions.

“We've got this huge, bombastic, almost corny sound," says Tuomas Holopainen, founder, songwriter, and keyboardist of Finnish metal band Nightwish. Corny it may be, but that sound — call it Kate Bush meets Deep Purple — has made them one of the most successful Finnish rock bands ever, second only to European stars HIM.

At the heart of the sound are two young classically trained musicians with huge potential: lead vocalist Tarja Turunen, 25, and multi-instrumentalist Holopainen, who turns 26 on Christmas Day.

Six years ago on that holiday, their lives fatefully linked in their small hometown of Kitee, near the Russian border.

“I knocked on Tarja's door, handed her a demo tape and asked her to get in touch if she was interested,” says Holopainen.

“She said ‘yes’ almost right away. We'd known each other since we were 13. Tarja's always been like a sister to me and the other guys in the band,” adds Holopainen, quashing any suspicions of intra-band romance.

Holopainen's keyboards and Turunen's vocals are unusual in metal. Backed by a more familiar guitar-bass-drum trio, they've created an unmistakable sound.

Live or in the studio, the sound of Nightwish in high gear is a take-it-or-leave-it proposition. A sound this massive and piercing leaves no middle ground — and sends some listeners rushing to switch radio stations. For hundreds of thousands around the world, though, it inspires near-worship.

From Santiago to Seoul

That sound conjures up images from the blockbuster movie Titanic: a gigantic metal machine ploughing through a stormy night world of tragedy, while a female figure spreads her arms at the bowsprit, soaring above it all.

The night is the black world portrayed in Holopainen's lyrics, the hull and engine are the band's guitars and rhythm section, and the female figurehead is of course Turunen.

Like Titanic, Nightwish is at heart a spectacle for the young masses. And it has found its masses: from Japan to Russia and Latin America, where the band's hotel was often besieged by passionate young fans. In Brazil, where the band has toured twice, there's a cover band that plays only Nightwish songs.

The band's fourth and biggest-selling album, Century Child, also brings Titanic to mind with the power ballad “Forever Yours." One of Nightwish's biggest hits, it echoes Celine Dion’s theme from the movie, with swelling strings and haunting tin whistle.

“Forever Yours” showcases the progress Holopainen and Turunen have made since Nightwish's fumbling 1997 debut. He has become an assured composer and a better lyricist. Meanwhile, her seven years of classical training are evident in her new-found sensitivity.

Turunen began with liturgical music at Helsinki's Sibelius Academy. For more than a year now, she's been studying chamber music at the University of Music Karlsruhe in southern Germany, near the French border.

“I enjoy singing a lot more now than I did six years ago,” she says. “The colours and range of my voice have been increasing, which makes it more fun to sing. And the training with Nightwish has made me and my voice stronger.”

“I've been lucky enough to enter the worlds of both rock and classical.”

Those worlds collided when Turunen attended the Sibelius Academy. The constant band activities and her sudden celebrity status — her image was splashed across every bus shelter — were a serious distraction from her studies. So in September 2001 she moved to Germany, throwing the band's future into doubt.

Since then Turunen and Holopainen say that she has found a balance between her contrasting worlds — at least for now. This year, she took time off to record Century Child and complete an around-the-world tour, which took the band to 16 countries.

For now, the band's future plans are on hold for at least a year, with the exception of two German dates in January and a few festivals next summer.

“The rumour that Tarja is leaving the band has been blown out of proportion,” says Holopainen. “She's not leaving, she's just taking a break to concentrate on her studies. She's more motivated than ever.”

Catching the Third Wave

The author of a new book on Finnish metal, Jone Nikula, sees trouble down the road for Nightwish.

“The question of Tarja leaving will come up as she has operatic ambitions,” he says. “Nightwish is Holopainen's band, he's the musical genius behind it. But it's hard to imagine anyone else filling Tarja's PVC outfits!”

Nikula, rock radio impresario and manager of glam rock legend Hanoi Rocks, has just published a history of Finnish metal titled Iron Age (Rauta-aika).

“Nightwish represents the third wave of modern Finnish metal, along with HIM and Children of Bodom,” he says.

“They've all had an international approach from day one. When they came up, the infrastructure they needed was already in place, all the managers, promoters, labels, and so on.”

“Nightwish isn't easy to categorise, though. They're definitely old-school European metal. But the instrumentation is more innovative, and Tarja gives it flavour. I'd describe them as melodic heavy metal with a strong Teutonic influence.”

Holopainen calls their latest album “Wagnerian.” And the Germans seem to agree. Europe's biggest music market snapped up over 15,000 copies of the band's Sleeping Sun EP within a month.

Bulwarked by this German popularity, their breakthrough album Wishmaster sold 170,000 copies. And in less than half a year, Century Child has shifted 300,000 units — pushing the band's sales well past the half-million mark.

Dungeons and Dragons

Still, success in the English-speaking world has eluded them, as it has every other Finnish rock band. Listeners find unintentional humour in some of Nightwish's lyrics and pronunciation, especially their earliest efforts.

Turunen, too, has had trouble with some of Holopainen's lyrics, which are spiced with eroticism, Biblical references, and sword-and-sorcery fantasy.

“On the older albums, some of the words were very naive and funny, descriptions of nature and the deeper emotions of a young man who hadn't yet experienced much in life yet,” she says.

“Still, Tuomas has always been very honest with his music and with his words. And with each album he's making progress in expressing himself. The covers and lyrics are full of fantasy, but the music is very emotional. There's mystery and magic in Nightwish's music.”

For Holopainen, it was natural to write in English.

“Somehow it doesn't sound as corny as when I write in Finnish — at least to me!” he says, laughing.

Still, that word comes to mind when listening to some of the lyrics, which are a Tolkienesque blend of heroism and heartache. Ditto for the twee New Agey album cover artwork, an irony-free zone peopled with warriors and wizards, seductresses, and swans.

“There's always been an element of schoolboy humour in heavy metal,” notes Nikula. “But irony is very difficult to pull off, especially for a metal band.”

Epiphany in Kansas City

Holopainen, who writes virtually all of the material, played piano as a child, moving on to saxophone. He also played clarinet for 10 years before graduating from music college.

The epiphany of his musical life came unexpectedly.

“When I was 15, I was an exchange student in the U.S. My host family took me to see Metallica and Guns N' Roses in Kansas City. From then on, I was hooked.”

Turunen, meanwhile, has conflicting feelings about heavy metal and rock in general. Despite obvious affection for her colleagues in Nightwish, other Finnish bands and their fans, she insists:

“I'm really no ‘rock chick.’”

Rock and a Hard Place

She prefers Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, and Sergei Rachmaninoff, and singers such as Anne-Sofie von Otter and Renée Fleming.

Turunen's decision to go to Germany was a clear statement that classical is more important than rock — regardless of Nightwish's runaway success.

That move suggests strength of character and artistic will. Yet is she ready to toss in this glamorous and potentially lucrative job for a much shakier future in the classics? Or could she balance both?

Sure, Montserrat Caballé and Luciano Pavarotti have dabbled in rock, but only after achieving mega-stardom as classical performers. For an up-and-coming singer, wearing two hats could be difficult.

Realising this, Turunen says:

“If you get a job in an opera house, you just can't run here and there with a rock band and do your opera work at the same time.”

Whether Nightwish's star will quit the band is a hotly debated topic by fans on the band's official website (there are also at least 30 fan sites). They also speculate on whether she will marry an Argentinean who appears briefly in the band's DVD film.

Turunen receives plenty of propositions, especially from Frenchmen. In Latin America — Nightwish was the first European band to play in Panama — that adulation was overwhelming when fans tried to tear strands of her hair and clothes, and jump on stage to grope her.

“Obviously Tarja's a sex symbol,” says Nikula, “but she's not just a pin-up girl. Most metal bands with a female singer are more Gothic, or they go for a sort of vixen image. But Tarja's a real frontwoman who has maintained her integrity.”

“She's really kept her feet on the ground,” agrees Holopainen. “She's still the same girl-next-door as she was 15 years ago.”

Holopainen shakes his head at French and German women who've appeared without warning at his home in remote Northern Karelia or the band's studio in Helsinki, and at fans who fly halfway round the world to attend a Nightwish gig.

With devotion like that, the sky should be the limit for the band. Holopainen and Turunen want to try a film score, and quieter, less frenetic music would clearly suit both of them.

“Originally I wanted to do acoustic mood music,” says Holopainen. “I'm a huge fan of New Age music and film music.”

“I'm fascinated by musicals, though I've only seen one, The Phantom of the Opera, in London. I'd love to do some kind of big show like that, if only I had the time and money and creativity. With a real orchestra, choir and dancers, maybe at a castle... Hey, Savonlinna is only 80 kilometres from my house!” he adds.

For Turunen, a project pushing Nightwish's high-powered rock closer to opera could be just the ticket. And working in the 15th-century Olavinlinna Castle would be a flashback to her days in the Opera Festival choir.

“That would be just a great experience! The environment in Savonlinna is so beautiful. I spent my greatest school years there, and did some musical theatre in Savonlinna when I was 18 or so.”

If Savonlinna sows the seeds for a future generation of musical theatre, perhaps someone should approach these melodramatic rockers. The castle would be invaded by a youthful army of musical marauders. And a few of them might even book tickets for the next Wagner production.

Link to the IG post.

Naša redakcia pripravuje rozhovor s Tarjou Turunen a radi by sme dali priestor aj vám, našim čitateľom, stať sa toho súčasťou. Pod tento post napíšte otázku, ktorú by ste jej radi položili. Tie najzaujímavejšie sa potom opýtame!

Otázky píšte do zajtrajšej polnoci!

Our editorial team is preparing an interview with Tarja Turunen and we’d like to give you, our readers, the chance to be a part of it. Under this post, write a question you’d like to ask her. We’ll ask the most interesting ones!

Send your questions by tomorrow midnight.

#tarja #tarjaturunen #frissonnoir #newalbum #interview

Hey everyone!

Some time ago we talked here about the interactive map project connected to Tarja’s new album - and the project is still actively in development. The infrastructure is already done and I’m now heavily working on the functional side of the map. And I thought it could be fun to involve you a bit in some decisions. 😊

The core idea is simple: fans from all around the world can place a pin on the map and attach a short comment connected to Frisson Noir, the new era around it or the upcoming tour.

Originally, the idea was mostly centered around listening moments, something like:

🎧 “Listening to track 3, loving the energy. Tokyo, 3 PM.”

But the more I work on it, the more I feel the map could become a bit more community-driven too. So I’d genuinely love your feedback here.

1) Pin categories

Right now I have 2 main categories:

• 🎧 Listening - “I’m listening right now”
• 💜 General - anything where Frisson Noir or this current Tarja era connects to a place, memory or moment

If you can think of another category, feel free to throw it in.

2) Future concerts

The map will also include Tarja’s upcoming concerts as events.

Registered fans will be able to mark:

• “I’m going”
• “I was there”

Right now the plan is mainly focused on the Frisson Tour.

But would you also want to see other future concerts and tours there? For example Christmas shows, classical shows, etc.?

3) Online events

I’m also considering online events: fan-organized listening parties, streams, watch parties and similar things.

Would something like that make sense to you on the map?

4) the map is not meant to replace social media

I don’t want this to become another social network. Longer discussions, meetup coordination and fan chat would still stay here on Reddit.

Every event will also have the option to connect directly to a Reddit thread on r/TarjaTurunen so discussions don’t get fragmented across multiple places.

So feel free to throw any ideas or questions at me - otherwise I’ll probably just go with the simplest possible approach.

BTW: The app is still very much in a draft state, so the final visuals, pins and surrounding graphics will look different from what you currently see in the screenshot.

Iltalehti 8.12.2012

For the original text, visit the Instagram account Tarja Turunen Suomi.

MTV3: Tarja Turunen revealed her daughter’s name

The new mother Tarja Turunen talked about her daughter for the first time on MTV3’s Heikki&Mikko Show.
“Naomi Eerika Alexia,” the happy mother answered Heikki Paasonen’s inquiries on the name.

The girl will get her last name from both mother and father. Her last name will be Cabuli Turunen.

Naomi is already four months old. Tarja told she became pregnant last December while on a Christmas tour in Finland.

The first months of pregnancy she spent on rock tours.

“She sleeps the best when rock is playing!” the proud mother told on the show.

She will learn Finnish

Tarja Turunen’s motherhood came as a surprise to everyone at the end of November. The star published a photo on Facebook of herself holding a small baby in her arms. The next day the singer’s publicist confirmed that this was really Turunen’s own biological child.

On the Heikki & Mikko Show the singer says that she knew that the Facebook photo would be turned into news. She tells that the pregnancy wasn’t kept exactly a secret, but the last months of pregnancy were nice to spend at home, as were the first months after the baby was born.

“We needed to get a Finnish passport first thing!”

Naomi-daughter is Tarja’s and husband Marcelo Cabuli’s firstborn.

(From Tarja’s IG)

It was such a pleasure shooting the photos for my new album with the one and only timtronckoe.

As always, they turned out beautifully and I’m really excited for you to see more very soon in the Frisson Noir artwork

(From Tarja’s IG)

(From Tarja’s TikTok)

(From Tarja’s IG)

(From veselina.svilarska IG account)

Veselina Svilarska is the lead designer of the Bulgarian brand Metamorphoza, which has recently started designing stage outfits for Tarja.

She wrote in an Instagram post:

Crafting a visual identity for an artist is always a journey, but this one was truly special.

From concept to stage, we had the privilege of shaping the visual world for tarjaofficial concert in Tbilisi. Every detail was designed to amplify her presence, her voice, and the emotional depth of the performance.

A blend of power, elegance, and atmosphere, brought to life under the lights.

video: filipov_photography

Viini 1/2016

For the original text, visit the Instagram account Tarja Turunen Suomi.

ONE MORE, TARJA TURUNEN

How does wine affect the voice?
Wine relaxes, including the vocal cords. When the vocal cord muscles relax, the voice becomes a little deeper. I personally cannot drink any alcohol before a performance. However, a glass of red wine after a concert has become a habit.

Argentina is your second homeland. What role does wine have there?
Wine plays a big role in the everyday life of Argentines. It is enjoyed daily at lunch and dinner, but in a refined way. Argentines would be shocked if wine was served in cardboard boxes like we do in Finland. Local wines are valued in the country, and there are many small wine shops in the cities.

Do you enjoy Malbecs?
I like the roundness, depth and rich taste of malbec. It has the same drama as my music. Anything diluted doesn’t work in a glass or in your ears.

You travel a lot for your work. Does your taste for wine change between countries?
I like to taste local wines. I like red wine more than white. Besides Malbec, my favorite is the Italian Primitivo. On a hot summer day, I also enjoy Chardonnay.

Do you often eat steak with red wine in the Argentinean way?
I wasn't much of a meat eater before. It took me quite a while to get used to the food culture of my husband Marcelo Cabuli's home country, which is dominated by meat. Nowadays, a good Argentinean steak is like candy.

What do good wine and music have in common?
Like wine, good music gets better with age. Think of The Beatles, for example. I want to compose timeless music, I don't follow trends. Many quality wines are timeless too.

3 ARGENTINEAN DELICACIES

BIFE DE CHORIZO STEAK
Argentinians love meat. The steaks are big and juicy. The best dinner consists of a good steak and salad. Argentinean meat is so good and tender that no sauce is needed.

GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST
Besides red meat, chicken is often enjoyed at barbecues. My favorite side dish is mashed pumpkin.

EMPANADA DE CARNE
These meat pastries are very traditional and come in all flavors.