Interviews

She became the new singer of a Finnish hard rock band

A shooting star. Anette Blyckert from Helsinborg sang in a ABBA coverband and dreamed about tha big stages. Now she's got the chance of her life with the millions selling hard rock band Nightwish. And her six-year-old son is extremely proud of his mother.

- He keeps talking about it all the time and asked me recently if he could call me "Nightwish-Anette", says the singer when Metro meets her in Stockholm.

Anette who uses her maiden name Olzon as her artist name ("it's easier for people to pronounce") is in the capital with her college Tuomas Holopainen to tell about the upcoming CD "Dark Passion Play". Secrecy around the new singer has been tight and four long months Anette was forced to keep the big news to herself.

- I and my close family could not meet out closest friends during the whole time. We knew that they would find out right away if we lied to them and we wanted to avoid the obvious questions.

The 36-year-old had not even heard about the band but only a couple of months before she, like 2000 others did apply for the job.

- It must have been fate, says she and laughs.

Anette, who lives in Helsinborg with her husband and son, took part in talent seeking competitions at the age 13 already. But it is only now when she replaces the beautiful sounding Tarja Turunen when she will meet the big audiences.

- I tried to make it when I was younger but gave up and begun working with more "normal" things. But it lacked something, so I decided to seek different jobs as singer while I studied psychology.

How did people around you react when you told them about Nightwish?

- Everybody has been proud and happy for me. I have fought many years for this and they know this is my dream.

Nighwish will visit Sweden for three concerts later this year: Göteborg, Lisebergshallen 30/11, Stockholm, Arenan 4/12, and Umeå, Skycom Arena 5/12.

Text Patrik Wirén

Translated by The Enigma from the Nightwish Discussion Board