FLOOR JANSEN: 'The Reason Why NIGHTWISH Sounds The Way It Does Is Because TUOMAS HOLOPAINEN Writes The Music'

France's Duke TV recently conducted an interview with NIGHTWISH frontwoman Floor Jansen. You can watch the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On developing her voice within NIGHTWISH:

Floor: "I didn't really work on the voice. It's more a natural progression of thinking of what kind of feel the song needs. I tried to practice singing the songs. At first, I only had the old recordings, and that's a terrible way to study music because you immediately get the interpretation of a different vocalist. The real getting-to-know-the-songs feel came when we actually were rehearsing together. The total sound and difference of how we are today came to be because it's not just how I sing, it's how are we gonna play it? We have now Troy [Donockley] in the band, who comes with different kinds of instruments. We, very early on in this process, decided that we want to do as many live vocals as possible — not too many recorded backing [tracks], but a lot of live, so that means that it's Marco [Hietala, bass/vocals], Troy and me singing a lot more live, in harmony, than we did before."

On singing fan favorite "Ghost Love Score":

Floor: "[It's] one of the biggest challenges to sing, 'cause it's such a song to get it right. But I naturally felt that the ending… Yeah, I always sang it differently, and it just kind of grew into the way it became, which became such a signature of me on that song that it became very much appreciated by fans. I love playing the song always, because it became so special and because it comes out in a way that you can't predict these things, you can't make those things, they just kind of happen, and so this happened. And in that sense, it, of course, made this song extra special to me."

On NIGHTWISH's songwriting process:

Floor: "The way it works with NIGHTWISH has been and it always will be is that Tuomas [Holopainen, keyboards] writes the music. Also, with [2015's] 'Endless Forms Most Beautiful', I did not feel the need to say, 'Yeah, I'm a songwriter, too. So I should write songs.' The reason why NIGHTWISH sounds the way it does is because he writes the music. But another reason why it sounds the way it does is because other people that are musical and are songwriters too come in and say, 'Okay, this is the song and we are gonna play it. I'm gonna sing it.' So everybody has their sound and their personality and signature into the songs. And so did I on 'Endless Forms Most Beautiful', and that's how I see the upcoming album as well. If I would feel that I just wrote a song that would be perfect for NIGHTWISH, I would surely play it to him, but he writes on a level that I don't really feel I have much to add. But if I would feel that way, I would surely be able to play it to him and he would listen to it. But he is the one making NIGHTWISH sound like this, so I'm very good with that."

Holopainen recently said that "all the songs" for the follow-up to "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" album have been completed musically. "I'm still working on some lyrics," he said. "And, of course, the arrangement process, the rehearsals are gonna take months — it's gonna take all of next year, actually, But all the songs that are gonna be included on the album, with the titles, with the album title, everything's now there. So from now on, it's just the arranging and the polishing the corners."

NIGHTWISH's next album will mark the band's second full-length release with Jansen, who has been touring with the group since 2012.

NIGHTWISH has spent the last few months on the road in support of its recently released "Decades" compilation.