* Let’s go back in time to the beginning, when you started to study music.
T.T: I was six years old when my parents saw I liked music and I was singing everywhere every moment. At this age I began to receive piano classes, and since that moment I learnt and practiced with classical music.
When I was 9 or 10 years old I began to study History and Musical Theory, studies that I completed in the Music School; and during that time my parents took me to the city 5 times a week to continue my musical studies after school. I did all kind of studies: chorus, banjo, flute, piano… music was my life (laughs). After that, when I was 15, I got free and entered in Music School. I could do it because in the previous years during summer, I used to work to pay my studies, and besides I didn’t go far away from my home, so I could see my parents a couple of times a week.
In that moment, I realized that I needed to go to the University or Music High School if I wanted to make the music my life.
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* Having those studies, why do you decide to study singing?
T.T: At the beginning everything was classical, and in my adolescence I did many things with church chorus. In that time I was interested in that style of religious music. After that, with my vocal formation, I started to sing in many styles and many school bands. One day, I woke up and I had lost my voice, I couldn’t sing anything, so I thought: “what’s the problem? What am I doing wrong?” Then I decided to study classical singing and vocal techniques.
* Is more difficult for you to sing Heavy than Classic? Have you needed a technique to develop your voice?
T.T: In Nightwish albums or in my new album, there are differences between normal singers and me due to the techniques that I use, because I always use lyric singing and its techniques that I have been studying for so long. Because of this, I can sing during quite hours with no vocal problems in comparison to other normal singers. There are many differences between using vocal techniques and simply using your throat.
I keep studying singing and taking lessons, and I still have a vocal teacher in Buenos Aires, where I always go when I’m there. It’s very important for me. I love classical music, but it’s not all that I want to do within the music area.
Nightwish came to my life when I was 19. I have just entered in the University, I was only 6 months, and in that time, my voice changed completely. I have always sung with normal voice, and I learnt vocal techniques in the University, so my voice changed much. It was a surprise for Tuomas and Hempo who had an acoustic project when they told me if I could record for her first demo, and when I arrive to the studio, I sang in a lyric way. They told “what’s this?” “you’ve never sung like this before”.
We only know each others due to the classes where we went together, but they knew I sang, and they asked me help with that demo, which wasn’t Heavy Metal, but an acoustic project. They told me if I wanted to try it at the studio.
* Are you surprised about the Nightwish success with you, reaching the highest points, and in the best moment everything get broken? It’s been 2 years since your leaving. How did you feel about the way of your leaving through a letter?
T.T: I felt very bad and I still feel like then. I would like that it hadn’t been that way, and they had talked to me about that, but it didn’t happen and it was their decision. I didn’t have any chance to try something different. Suddenly they put me between 2 worlds, and I still feel bad about it, it was so sad. When I look back and think about the years of Nightwish, it is impressive, like its music, always so beautiful and powerful. Like something magical. It was something which worked and never was any doubt about the musical direction of the band. Those are the memories I keep in my heart from all those years. It doesn’t matter what happened, the fact of having had all those years has been something wonderful.
That’s why I want my album to have something of that in it, it’s not a Metal album, but there are some Heavy songs. But the album is not only metal, there are many styles in it. Sometimes I sing lyric, and sometimes not. I want my disc to be something between both things.
* Have you coincided with them since then? Do you know Annette ( Blyckert ) Olzon?
T.T: No, we haven’t coincided. I have heard 2 songs in the radio when I was in Finland, one of them was Amaranth. I shouldn’t be the person who gives you an opinion.
* Do you think that it’s been difficult for them to find other singer?
T.T: I really wish her the best, so the same to the rest of musicians of the band. They have already released their new album and many people ask my opinion about the album or about Anette, and I think I’m not the correct person to express a public opinion. I don’t see the point of doing it.
* What have you learnt in all this time?
T.T: Many things. Metal music came to my life with Nightwish. Before then I didn’t listen to metal music, and since then, I got interested through other bands. It’s surprising because I didn’t know anything of metal music, and after being 9 years in the band singing, touring and being in all places in the world with the band, giving my face to the band, my passion and my voice, metal music is in my life, sometimes it seems like after these 2 years nothing had happened and everything is there.
I have learnt so many things through the music and its fans that I also grew as a woman. I was 19, and now I have 30.
* You have recorded in your album an Alice Cooper’s cover, “Poison”, why?
T.T: I think it would be fun. I know Alice Cooper’s music and other bands like Whitesnake, Guns’n Roses… But Poison, from Alice Cooper is my favourite. I remember drive in my car over Finland in a long travel. I listened to it 5 times in a radio station during the travel. Then I thought, “Why do they put so many times this classic in a radio station?” and “How would it sound if I did a cover of this song?” When I got home, I looked for the internet if any girl had sung it. I don’t remember the name, but there was a girl band that had already done it, and they did it well. Despite that, I wanted to do the cover and I had a clear vision of how I wanted the song, far away from the sound of the 80’s and how it would fit in my album, because it is very different of my songs. I think it has worked well, it’s been quite funny.
* What we see in your album is that you are interested in OST’s? Why this change?
T.T: I have been fan of movie soundtracks during many years and I have a big collection at home. I usually listen to them when I need to relax or even sleep. The other important aspect is that I also love movies, and I often go to the cinema. I have always wandered “What’s the secret of those film compositors that can introduce all the instruments and sound so good?” I searched in my collection and I realized that there were always the same people behind it, then I told my company, Universal, if there was a chance to work with some of them for my album. Hans Zimmer promised me the chance to travel to his studio, work with his people and mix the disc in Los Angeles. Working with them has been fantastic.
* You have had great musicians to record the album and however you have different musicians for the concerts. Why?
T.T: The guitar player (Alex Scholpp) and bass player (Doug Wimbish) are the same that have recorded the album, the drummer had already given his word to tour with other band. We talked about it in Ireland and he told me he would like to tour with us, but now it was impossible. I know Mike Terrana for many years and when I see him he always tells me to meet to do something.
* Will he have time between Axel Rudi Pell, Masterplan, Empire, his records…
T.T:(laughs) It’s true he is in many bands, but he is an excellent musician. He always tells me that if I need a drummer anytime, he doesn’t care the kind of music, I could count on him. Now I have had the chance, and I’m quite happy
* How are you going to divide the songs in your concerts?
T.T: This album will be difficult to reproduce in a concert, so we have to fix some things between the members of the band. We will need to find a moment in which we can meet all of us to see what we change, what we maintain and begin with play training. The band is formed, with Mike in drums, Alex with the guitar, Doug with bass guitar and there is a girl, María, who I have already work with, is Finnish, and she will play keyboards.
About the songs that we are going to play, we will play almost all songs of the disc, and besides we will play some Nightwish songs. Maybe we will include any other song that I had prepared for other projects.
* What do you expect to get with this album?
T.T: I don’t know what can happen, and I wouldn’t like to know it. It’s the beginning of something new and I take very small steps. I need to see what happen with my music and me. I need to see if people like my music, which some songs are different, and others similar the previous time in Nightwish. Maybe the people will need more time to catch what I want to transmit in my songs and my emotions. I would like to come to Spain to perform my songs in a concert, but I think this year will be very difficult. Maybe when I begin the world tour in March or April.
* Thanks and congratulations for your career. Good luck in this new project.
T.T: Thank you very much.
Mariano Crespo
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FORCE Magazine
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Translate: Javier Tendero
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