Demi-magazine czerwiec 2004 Tarja

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Tarja Turunen: "I´m still confused about the success"

Tarja Turunen is living for music, and her greatest top moments of life are associating to music. In her heart, a woman that has become a worldwide star, is still a down-to-earth girl from Kitee that is still amazed how her dreams have become reality.
My top moments:

When I was accepted to a school I wanted
"I felt I had reached the first victory of my life when I got into an art high school I wanted. When I was young I already knew that I didn´t want to stay in Kitee´s school, so I aspired to somewhere else, worked hard for the acceptance - and was accepted. Another victory was when I got into Sibelius-academy, with first try. When I heard that I was accepted I was jumping crazily around and screaming with my full voice just because I felt so happy."

When I heard the first Nightwish-demo
"Our first demo song never became anything bigger but I´ll remember it always. It was an amazing feeling to hear own, fist year student´s voice from the tape. I started to understand how many things I could do with my voice."

When I did my first gig with band
"I never imagined that I would do concerts, and definately not with a heavy music band. Our first gig was in Kitee and second in Helsinki´s old Lepakko. I remember I couldn´t move because the strain, when we got into such big events so fastly."

When I first heard Nightwish from radio
"I was in a car trip when the song started to play. It was some song from our first album (Angels Fall First, 1997). I can´t remember who were there with me. I remember I was thinking: "Oh dear! Now so many other people can hear this too." It actually frightened me. I bet I was blushing hardly then!"

When I went to Germany to university
"Departure to study classical music was essential parting from continualy growing Nightwish scenes. It was great to be nameless and unknown among the students, like everyone else."

When I got to the best singing teacher´s learning
"In Germany I didn´t even dare to aspire to be a student of the teacher I admired. But the other teacher already had too much students and my favorite teacher liked me so much that he wanted to teach me. It was that kind of top moment I would have jumped to the roof if I could! Because of him I have taken huge steps forward as a singer. It´s hard to find a teacher like him. His teaching methods are changing every week."

When I got my first gold record
"Getting a gold record is probably a traditional top moment to an artist. It was a great moment for me because then I started to trust that someone is really liking our music, because numbers don´t lie. Even our first album sold gold, and from Oceanbron we got platinum."

When I found a person who understands me
"I felt my life changing remarkably when I met my husband (Marcelo Cabuli). From him I found a person who really appreciates and supports me perfectly. Before I didn´t dare to trust that this could happen to me. I was very suspicious. Of course another top moment was when I got married. We have been married about year and half."

When I won Bruce Dickinson
"Last year I was voted for the rock singer of the year in Argentina. Women and men were in the same series so I won for example heavy-legend Bruce Dickinson. It was awesome! The voting result proved that our fans are still there though we didn´t do a new album last year. It´s a pity that there was no diploma for that result! Well I wouldn´t find a place for it, because my home is have been in repairs for a long time."

Tarja doesn´t live head up in clouds

- This year I have had time to be in home about one week, Tarja Turunen laughs. She doesn´t sound bitter, maybe more surprised. Nightwish, that has risen into huge list and selling success, is taking care of that there will be only few home weeks in the future.
Singer, that still clearly speaks with Kitee´s dialect, is fascinating crossing of big star and simple little town girl. In photoshooting of the interview one moment she poses with the familiar dramatic face and on another moment she starts to laugh frisky, when the wind machine blows the hair to her eyes or bra slides under the dress.
Living between those two roles isn´t always easy. Return to the daily life is hard for Tarja. After long tours "the horrible emptiness" strikes, but nowdays she´s prepared to that. Now Nightwish will have a world tour that will last one and half year, and the singer is waiting for it eagerly and terrifiedly at the same time.
- Of course a thing that lasts so long is frightening. Though we will sometimes visit home, we are still on tour longer than ever before. Touring is hard: you can really feel it in those mornings when you wake up in the tour bus in some city and already then fans have surrounded you. You must know what is going on, get pretty and have strenght enough to be friendly, she describes.
Matter of looks has become inseparable part of Tarja´s work. In her free time she feels more comfortable without make-up, but on tours never. The same Sirja-friend is still responding about her personal clothing, the same woman who have done Tarja´s performing outfits from the beginning of the career.
- I think about my looks quite much, it´s a part of my image. I realize that I´m under the judging of media and fans all the time. Continual watching is sometimes tiring. It´s annoying when fans come to say: "You look definately different without make-up!" They maybe did mean in friendly but it doesn´t feel nice, she sighs.
Tarja´s healthy way of life is of course good for looks, but first of all she follows it to protect her voice. She´s avoiding "almost hystericaly" getting cold, smoky bars, she sleeps and eats as well as possible and practises a lot. On tours it´s even more hard to follow regular life style, but there is no time for partying either. Still she doesn´t feel that she must give up for something, because singing gives her so much.
- I don´t usually create dreams in my head or imagine what future will be. My childhood dream, that was to be singer, has already come true manifoldly, she says. I can´t tell what I will do for example five years later. The only thing that is sure is that I will sing, wherever I´m singing. I´m a singer for my soul and for my way of life.