Tarja Turunen

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Tarja

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Img_capt = Tarja Turunen at "Obras Stadiun" at Argentina, 2008.
Img_size = 300px
Landscape =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen
Alias = Tarja, Tarja Turunen
Born = Birth date and age|1977|8|17
Origin = Kitee, Finland
Voice_type = Full lyric soprano [cite web | url=http://www.muzicisifaze.com/alt_articol.php?id=25 | title=Interview with Tarja Turunen (ex Nightwish) | author=Horia Diaconescu, Ioan Cora, Mihai Plamadeala | date=2005-11-30 | accessdate=2008-03-04 | publisher=Muzici si Faze]
Instrument = Vocals, piano, drums, flute
Genre = Symphonic metal, classical
Occupation = Singer, musician
Years_active = 1996 – present
Label = Universal
Associated_acts = Nightwish
Beto Vázquez Infinity
URL = [http://www.tarjaturunen.com tarjaturunen.com]
Notable_instruments =

Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen Cabuli (IPA2|'tɑrjɑ...'turunen) (born August 17, 1977, Finland) is a soprano and songwriter, best known as the former lead vocalist of Finnish symphonic/power metal quintet Nightwish. After a worldwide tour, she was dismissed from the band on October 22nd 2005. Tarja Turunen is now devoting her time to her solo career under the stage name of Tarja. She is married to Argentine businessman Marcelo Cabuli. Tarja has also appeared in various Finnish television programs, and was a guest judge on "Idols" on 27 March, 2007.

Career

Tarja with Nightwish

Born in Kitee, Finland, Turunen began to study music at the age of six, and moved to the city of Kuopio at the age of eighteen to study at the Sibelius Academy. She became a founding member of Nightwish in 1996 when her classmate Tuomas Holopainen invited her to join his new musical project. That year Turunen also performed with the Savonlinna Opera Festival. However, she did not become internationally famous until the release of Nightwish's successful follow-up album, "Oceanborn", in 1998.

Turunen sang solo in Waltari's rock-themed 1999 ballet "Evankeliumi" (also known as "Evangelicum") in several sold-out performances at the Finnish National Opera. She continued to tour and record with Nightwish through 2000 and 2001, after which she enrolled in Karlsruhe, Germany's Music University. While there, she recorded vocals for Nightwish's 2002 album "Century Child" and for Beto Vázquez Infinity.

In 2002, Turunen toured South America, performing in the classical Lied concert "Noche Escandinava" ("Scandinavian Night"), again to sold-out houses. Following this and an exhausting world tour in support of "Century Child", Nightwish took a hiatus and Turunen returned to Karlsruhe.

Finnish president Tarja Halonen and her husband invited Turunen to the President's Palace in Helsinki in December 2003 for the Finnish Independence Day Party, Finland's biggest social event, where the viewers of Finnish television station Yle named her the most impressively dressed lady, among honors given by several newspapers and magazines.

After the hiatus, Turunen rejoined Nightwish for the album "Once" and supporting world tour throughout 2004-2005, and embarked on a second "Noche Escandinava" tour in the spring of 2004. For Christmas 2004, she released the single "Yhden Enkelin Unelma" (One Angel's Dream), which sold gold in her native country, Finland. For the spring of 2005, she prepared a collaboration with Germany's Martin Kesici, the duet "Leaving You for Me", also accompanied by a video. On October 21, 2005, Turunen was asked to leave Nightwish in an open letter by the other members of Nightwish, over a dispute that involved "a changed attitude" and increased financial interest. [ [http://www.nightwish.com/en/article/6 Open letter by the Nightwish members] ] She responded through another open letter, which was posted on her website in both Finnish and English (the letter can no longer be found on her website, but is available on a fan page [ [http://tarjafans.deviantart.com/journal/6878751/ Open letter by Tarja Turunen] ] ). In February 2006, Tarja's husband Marcelo posted a message to her website addressing the situation, and asked for anyone who had questions pertaining to the issues between Tarja and the rest of the band to email him. [cite web | url=http://www.tarjaturunen.com/message.html | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070809231523/http://www.tarjaturunen.com/message.html | archivedate=2007-08-09 | title=Message from Marcelo] Marcelo then posted a lengthy reply to many of the questions he had received in June 2006. [cite web | url=http://www.tarjaturunen.com/fans.html | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070703211904/http://www.tarjaturunen.com/fans.html | archivedate=2007-07-03 | title=Answers to the fans questions]

Independent career

In December 2005, Turunen performed several Christmas concerts in Finland, Germany, Spain and Romania. 2006 was not a break year for Turunen, who recorded a Christmas album and vocals for her brother Timo Turunen's debut album. She also made an appearance at the Savonlinna Opera Festival.

The following day, September 17, Tarja's solo dates were announced across Europe. The currently confirmed cities are Berlin, London, Moscow, Budapest, Athens, Cologne, Paris, Amsterdam and Zurich. [ [http://www.myspace.com/tarjaturunen Tour Dates on Tarja's Official MySpace] ]

In October 2007 a street team endorsed by Universal Music and Spinefarm UK was launched for Tarja through UK-based company [http://www.worst-decision.com/ Worst Decision] . The team's aim is to help promote Tarja's upcoming single, album and tour with the help of dedicated fans, the most dedicated of which will be eligible to receive free gifts for their work [ [http://www.worst-decision.com Worst Decision - The Street Team Community] ] . While currently aimed mainly at the UK market it is hoped that many members from all over the world will join to help spread the word about Tarja throughout the UK, Europe and around the world.

Tarja's first independent album, "My Winter Storm", was released in November 2007 and achieved gold status in Finland on the day of release. The album took the number 1 spot on the Finnish charts, went platinum in Finland and gold in Russia, her first ever in Russia. "My Winter Storm" has also achieved gold in Hungary and in the Czech Republic. Tarja also sings on the track "In The Picture" on Nuclear Blast Allstars' album "Into The Light", 2007 [ [http://www.nuclearblast.de/band_showa.php?action=disco&artist=739&catid=NB%201799&out=2007-06-01] ] .

In late 2007 Tarja was nominated for two awards, an "ECHO" as best newcomer and an "Emma" for best Finnish artist. She is also confirmed to headline day one of the 2008 Metal Female Voices Fest in Wieze, Belgium.

On 9th May 2008, Tarja embarked on a long European tour to promote "My Winter Storm"; she chose to open the tour by performing at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig, Germany. Turunen has also told fans via her "My Winter Storm" blog that she is relocating to Antigua to work with the same producer as before, and that she has many ideas for her third album, currently in progress.

In July 2008, she was announced two tracks in the "My Winter Storm" blog: "The Crying Moon" for the new album, and "Enough", for one special edition of "My Winter Storm". So, on August 2008 she played "Enough" in her Storm in América Tour 2008.

On 10th September 2008, a Spinefarm UK representative announced that they will be releasing an EP for Tarja on 1st December which will include new material. [http://metalmarketing.org/spinefarm/index.php?showtopic=39]

Albums

With Nightwish

*"Angels Fall First" (1997)
*"Oceanborn" (1998)
*"Wishmaster" (2000)
*"Over the Hills and Far Away" (2001)
*"Century Child" (2002)
*"Once" (2004)
*"End of an Era" (2005)

With Beto Vázquez Infinity

*"Beto Vázquez Infinity" (2001).

olo

*"Henkäys Ikuisuudesta" (2006)
*"My Winter Storm" (2007)
*"TBA" (2009)

ide projects

*"Savonlinnan Taidelukion - Romeo ja Julia"
*"Schiller (band) - Tag und Nacht"
*"Anssi Tikanmäen - Yhtye Perinteinen POP"

ingles

With Nightwish

# "The Carpenter" (1997)
# "Sacrament of Wilderness" (1998)
# "Passion and the Opera" (1998)
# "Walking in the Air" (1999)
# "Sleeping Sun (Four Ballads of the Eclipse)" (1999)
# "The Kinslayer" (2000)
# "Deep Silent Complete" (2000)
# "Ever Dream" (2002)
# "Bless the Child" (2002)
# "Nemo" (2004)
# "Wish I Had an Angel" (2004)
# "Kuolema tekee taiteilijan" (2004)
# "The Siren" (2005)
# "Sleeping Sun" (2005)

olo

# "Yhden Enkelin Unelma" (2004)
# "Leaving You For Me" feat. Martin Kesici (2005)
# "You Would Have Loved This" (2006)
# "I Walk Alone" (2007)
# "Die Alive" (2008)
# "Enough" (Upcoming 2008)

References

External links

* [http://www.tarjaturunen.com/ Official homepage]
* [http://www.universalmusic.fi/tarjamicrosite/ Tarja Turunen] microsite at Universal Music
*myspace|tarjaturunen

Persondata
NAME=Turunen Cabuli, Tarja Soile Susanna
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Tarja Turunen
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Finnish opera/symphonic metal singer
DATE OF BIRTH=August 17, 1977
PLACE OF BIRTH=Kitee, Finland