NIGHTWISH Singer FLOOR JANSEN Is Studying Finnish To Make Unity Within Band 'Even Bigger'

FaceCulture recently conducted an interview with Dutch singer Floor Jansen (NIGHTWISH, REVAMP, ex-AFTER FOREVER). You can now watch the chat in three parts below. A couple of excerpts from the interview follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On what her role in NIGHTWISH is going to be now that she has been upgraded from a touring singer to a full-time/permanent member:

Floor: "I guess that's something that needs to be seen, how I can grow into my role within the band, because I have been a guest musician for the whole 'Imaginaerum' tour. So, of course, I knew I was gonna stay, but the whole concept of all that was already there. So for the upcoming album, I don't know how that will grow. I, of course, have my experience, and so do the guys, and I can't imagine myself, with my personality, sitting back and saying, 'Yeah, do whatever and I'll follow.' But on the other hand, they know exactly what they're doing — they've proven to be able to write great songs and to put out something that totally… where all the pictures match and where the whole concept is one. And I guess it's a process to see how I can add with my creativity and how my input is gonna be there. I can imagine, I have my feelings and ideas about stage outfits, but also with the songwriting, Tuomas [Holopainen, NIGHTWISH keyboardist] is definitely the master of the writing process, he's the guy in charge, but Marco [Hietala, NIGHTWISH bassist/vocalist] also writes and the whole band comes together and makes the puzzle work. So somewhere in that puzzle I'll get my share."

On whether she will be moving to Finland from The Netherlands in order to be closer to NIGHTWISH's home base:

Floor: "Out of practical reasons, I don't have to move to Finland. I mean, it's quite nearby, and you're there always for certain periods of time, for either a show or now for the recording period and there are facilities there where I can stay. But I'm studying Finnish, and it's one of the five most difficult languages in the world. And the more I learn, the more I realize that's definitely true. [Laughs] So I might move to Finland, at least for a while, to learn the language a bit better, 'cause you don't learn any language better than in the country itself."

On why she is studying Finnish:

Floor: "Well, imagine being in a group of 25 people. There are 20 Finnish people, there's one German, there's one Dutchie, and there's one… Or 20 people, let's say… And there are only two or three people who do not speak Finnish… whether it's a group of German people, Dutch people — wherever you're from. You always speak the language you hear most. So if there are 20 people, and 18 of them are Finnish, most people will speak Finnish amongst each other. Regardless of how well the NIGHTWISH guys and everyone involved speaks English, and they're very willing to translate, they still need to translate. And I feel if I wanna be part of the whole circus even more, be more involved, understand everyone better, even now that I'm studying, understanding the culture a bit better, in the long run, it's gonna make me feel like I fit in a little bit better. Even though they have welcomed me with open arms and I already feel at home — I call them my brothers and my family — I think being able to speak the language makes the unity even bigger."