NIGHTWISH's FLOOR JANSEN Is Going Back To Her 'Metal Roots' With Some Of Her New Solo Music

During a July 10 livestream on her YouTube channel, NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen answered a few fan-submitted questions about her new solo single, "Run", which was released in late June via Revamp Music in collaboration with Warner Music. The track, which can be heard below, is the first taste of Floor's new solo music following the arrival of her debut album, "Paragon", which came out in March 2023. That LP showcased the Dutch-born singer's impressive vocal range and powerful voice on a diverse collection of pop-infused tracks and emotional ballads influenced by the sounds of her career.

Asked about the evolution of her songwriting after "Paragon", Floor said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's a great question, 'cause I really feel like before 'Paragon', after singing in NIGHTWISH and not making any music of my own for quite a few years, it took me a long time to get back into the feeling I'm also a songwriter. I felt like my vocal skills had been growing, where my songwriting skills kind of stuck in some part of the past. And then, with that album, I even had the ambition to create different kind of music, and it took me a long time to get into this. Whereas after 'Paragon', I felt, like, 'Okay, I'm already in the songwriting process. I'm already in this creativity. Now we're just gonna find the next step into this,' which was in a sense so much easier. And also working again with the same person [songwriter/producer Gordon Groothedde], we really became a great team. We don't need many words to kind of say the same thing. We very often think the same thing. He can have ideas that trigger ideas in my head, and the other way around. And it really has been a huge element of this evolution."

Floor continued: "I really feel like the essence is that it's definitely heavy. It's back to my metal roots. I can put the melancholic-ness back in there. But the shape of the song is often much more compact. Like, also 'Run' is a compact, short song with a real beginning, a real end. Yeah, it made sense for the both of us, for Gordon and me as songwriters. And, yeah, and I think that created a real new sound for us. So I'm super excited for that, and that I feel, like, 'Okay, this is where we are evolutionary in the process.'"

Following "Paragon", a sold-out tour, and nearly 150 million streams across Floor's entire solo catalog, "Run" marks the beginning of a powerful new chapter in her solo career.

With nearly 600,000 followers on Instagram, more than 56,000 Bandsintown followers, almost one million monthly listeners on Spotify and appearances on the main stages of renowned festivals such as Wacken Open Air, Masters Of Rock, M'era Luna and Sweden Rock Festival last year, Jansen is entering this new phase of her solo career with international momentum.

Musically, the "Run" single showcases a harder and darker side of her solo sound. The track was produced by Gordon Groothedde, with whom Floor previously collaborated on the final album of her former band AFTER FOREVER — before she joined NIGHTWISH. Lyrically, "Run" explores themes such as liberation, self-empowerment, and the courage to no longer conform to the expectations of others.

When "Run" was first released on June 26, Floor commented: "Today is a very special day: 'Run' is finally yours.

"Over the past years, I've explored many sides of myself through music. From the deeply personal journey of 'Paragon' to the theatre shows and festival stages, every step has helped me discover more about who I am as an artist. 'Run' feels like the beginning of the next chapter in that journey.

"This song brings me closer to the heavier sounds that shaped my early career. Working with Gordon Groothedde again made this feel like a true full-circle moment. Together, we created something that is powerful, dark and energetic, while still staying true to the emotional honesty that means so much to me.

"At its heart, 'Run' is about freedom. It's about letting go of the expectations others place on you. It's about no longer shrinking yourself to fit into someone else's picture of who you should be. Taking off the mask. Trusting yourself. Choosing your own direction.

"For me, this song represents courage and growth, and I'm incredibly excited that I can finally share it with you.

"Thank you for being here and for joining me on this journey. Your support means more than you know, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on 'Run'. I can't wait to hear what you think."

In November 2022, Floor revealed that she was "cancer free" after undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed following a breast cancer diagnosis.

In October 2023, Floor and SABATON drummer Hannes Van Dahl welcomed their second child, a daughter named Lucy. Jansen and Van Dahl also have a nine-year-old daughter named Freja, who was born in March 2017.

In April 2023, NIGHTWISH surprised fans by announcing that the band was not going to be playing any live shows for the foreseeable future and would be not be touring in support of the group's latest studio album, "Yesterwynde", which came out in September 2024 via Nuclear Blast.

Born in the Netherlands, Jansen joined her first band, one of the world's first symphonic metal bands, 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.