FLOOR JANSEN: 'I Could Never Leave NIGHTWISH'

NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen recently released a new solo single, "Fire", via ADA, the division of Warner Music Group dedicated to independent label and artist distribution. Speaking to Finland's Chaoszine about her decision to launch a solo career nearly 25 years after she joined her first band, she said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I just never thought of it. I didn't feel the need to do anything like that. I found and find NIGHTWISH very fulfilling, so that's why I also took my time to really think about even do I wanna do it. The fact that I can do it doesn't mean I have to do it. It has to be fun, it has to be good. And it has to coexist [with everything else]. It's a luxury problem but still one you need to manage before it becomes an actual problem."

Regarding how different it is for her to be writing and releasing her own music compared to working with a band like NIGHTWISH, she said: "The fact that I'm by myself makes it scarier and different. It's more my brainchild than NIGHTWISH because [NIGHTWISH] is Tuomas's [Holopainen, NIGHTWISH keyboardist] brainchild and I add my creativity and my personality and who I am in my own way into NIGHTWISH, and I've always felt that very fulfilling. But, of course, when you decide, okay, I'm gonna write, I'm gonna think of how the video will look like, I'm gonna think of how the image of the whole thing is gonna be like, work with people towards that… It's, yeah, like I said, more of my brainchild in that sense. It brings a new level of excitement — a different level."

Jansen also addressed the fact that some NIGHTWISH fans are concerned that she might leave the band if her solo career takes off. She said: "I think by now they should know how much I love NIGHTWISH as well. So there's no need for concern at all; I could never leave NIGHTWISH. [Laughs] It's just really fun to do this on the side, and NIGHTWISH gives me plenty of time to do it. And yeah, also creatively, it's great to be creative like this."

Speaking about how she is able to explore other musical avenues with her solo project that she wasn't able to pursue with any of her previous bands, Floor said: "That was so nice with having two years [during the pandemic] to kind of test-ride that. Because my idea from the get-go was to not do metal or rock. I've been doing that for 20 years — 20-plus years. I'm already in one of the biggest bands you can think of, I'm already working with the best songwriter you can think of, so to do something in metal on the side would kind of feel like something weaker on the side. Why would I wanna do that? Plus I've already been doing it. You guys know how I look like in a metal band, so how do I actually look like when you strip it more down in a more 'less is more' kind of environment? Then it immediately becomes pop music, and that's so broad, like metal — there's so many styles. So how does Floor Jansen sound when she's not doing metal or rock? That I've been exploring, and I really soon realized I actually don't know because I've never been writing like that; I don't really think in pop lines. Yet if I grab a guitar or a piano — also because I'm pretty crap at playing; I'm very basic — I come with basic ideas, and that sometimes is good when you wanna write in a pop form. But I could never do that by myself. So I had to find the right songwriters to work with. And key in all this was really working with Gordon Groothedde, a Dutch producer. When we started writing together, my songwriting skills really fell in place. He's really, really good in what he does. And, yeah, I also noticed, besides the fact that pop and metal are musically so far away from each other, which is a bit of an obvious, but still in the process of finding my sound here, it became more and more clear to me where those differences lie. I also realized that, yeah, I think I kept developing myself as a singer, I feel confident with what I can do vocally, but songwriting-wise, I kind of stayed behind quite many years. So I'm reinventing myself there, I'm learning and it's super fun to do, really — to take upon that part of being a musician more."

As part of NIGHTWISH, Jansen has landed two Number One albums in Finland, and Top Five albums in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Born in the Netherlands, Jansen joined her first band, one of the world's first symphonic metal acts, AFTER FOREVER, when she was only 16 years old. The group went on to release five albums from 2000 to 2007, before they broke up in 2009.

Jansen's next band, REVAMP, released two albums in 2010 and 2013, before she joined NIGHTWISH as a full-time member. NIGHTWISH's first album with Jansen as the lead singer was 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", which landed in Top 10s around the world. This was followed by 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." , which was also an international success.

Jansen has toured extensively with the band and appeared on three of NIGHTWISH's live albums "Showtime, Storytime", "Vehicle Of Spirit" and "Decades: Live In Buenos Aires".

In 2019, Jansen participated in the popular Dutch TV show "Beste Zangers" where she scored a big hit with "Phantom Of The Opera" together with Henk Poort. She was recognized with a Dutch Popprijs award — a prestigious accolade for artists that has made important contributions to Dutch music. In the same year, her first solo tour sold out in less than 24 hours.

Jansen performed live with NIGHTWISH for the first time on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon. Jansen officially joined NIGHTWISH in 2013.

Last year, Holopainen said in an interview that NIGHTWISH would split up if Jansen ever chose to leave.