Who saw that coming?
Another chapter of the Nightwish story has ended today. Nightwish and Anette Olzon have decided to part company, in mutual understanding, for the good of all parties involved.
In recent times it has become increasingly obvious that the direction and the needs of the band were in conflict, and this has led to a division from which we cannot recover.
Nightwish has no intention of cancelling any upcoming shows, and as a result we have decided to bring in a substitute vocalist starting in Seattle 1.10.2012. Her name is Floor Jansen from The Netherlands (ex-After Forever, ReVamp), and she has graciously stepped in to help us complete the Imaginaerum world tour.
We are all strongly committed to this journey, this vehicle of spirit, and we are sure that this will lead to a brighter future for everyone.
We forever remain excited about the adventures to come, and we are extremely proud of the two beautiful albums and the wonderful shows we shared together.
If you look at Anette’s blog, it’s not a happy picture that emerges. She had been forced to miss a gig due to a quite serious illness, and the show went ahead with a stand-in singer rather than cancelling the gig. The fall-out from that led to her parting company with the band just days later, although it’s difficult to escape the conclusion that trouble may have been brewing for a while, and this was just the final straw.
It retrospect, it’s probably a good thing Olivia Sparnenn didn’t get the gig when she auditioned, if that’s how Tuomas Holopainen treats his singers.
Update: It gets worse. According to Prog Magazine, they’d already made the decision to replace Anette Olzen with Floor Jansen some time ago, without Anette’s knowledge. Showbiz can be a nasty business.
