Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen Cabuli, known professionally as Tarja Turunen, is a Finnish singer who began her career as the lead vocalist of the Finnish band Nightwish before continuing as a solo artist. She was born on August 17, 1977, in Kitee, Finland. Her interest in music began at an early age, when she started studying music at the age of six. At fifteen, she began taking singing lessons, and at eighteen she moved from her hometown to Helsinki to study classical music at the Sibelius Academy. In addition to singing, she plays piano and drums.
In 1996, Turunen co-founded Nightwish with her fellow student Tuomas Holopainen. That same year, she performed at the Savonlinna Opera Festival. She gained wider recognition following the release of Nightwish’s second studio album, Oceanborn, in 1998. The band’s popularity continued to grow with subsequent releases, while Turunen’s vocal abilities became one of the defining elements of its sound. She continued touring with Nightwish during 2001 and 2002, taking part in the band’s tours and other musical projects.
Turunen’s collaboration with Nightwish ended on October 21, 2005, when she received an open letter from Holopainen and the other members informing her that their collaboration had come to an end. In 2007, Anette Olzon became Nightwish’s new vocalist. The band’s first album following Turunen’s departure, Dark Passion Play, included the song “Bye Bye Beautiful”, which Holopainen dedicated to their former collaboration.
After leaving Nightwish, Turunen continued her career as a solo artist. In December 2005, she performed several Christmas concerts in Finland, Germany, Spain and Romania and also recorded several Christmas albums. Her first solo studio album, Henkäys Ikuisuudesta, was released in 2006. It was followed by My Winter Storm in 2007, What Lies Beneath in 2010 and Colours in the Dark in 2013.
Turunen’s musical style is associated with symphonic metal, gothic metal and power metal, while her classical training remains an important part of her artistic background. Her career combines classical vocal education with the sound and performance traditions of metal. Through her work with Nightwish and her subsequent solo career, she has developed a musical path that connects classical music, metal and independent artistic work.
