Jason Saulnier of the MusicLegends.ca web site recently conducted an interview with former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

MusicLegends.ca: On keeping your voice in tip top shape, what would be your secret?

Tarja: There are no secrets! I am training daily while being at home and while on tour, in every show day. It is vital for me to make progress as a lyrical singer since it also helps me to sing rock better. I still take singing lessons from my teacher from time to time and give lessons myself. I have to be cautious about how I dress, what I eat/drink and when I sleep so that my voice can shine as its best in each of my shows.

MusicLegends.ca: Any news on your next album?

Tarja: I am producing my next studio album already. We have recorded drums, guitars and bass for it already and at the moment we are finishing recording keyboards. The production will take until May next year, because I have several classical music tours in between that are breaking the process. If all goes fine, I hope that the album could be released in August/September next year. I have just recently found my style and sound, so I would like to establish it with the third studio album. The elements on the album will remain the same as in my previous albums, also the versatile style of songs. I like to keep the big dynamic changes between my songs, so that album songs feel radically different from each other. I am not stressed at all this time, even though I am producing the album on my own again. I have been lucky to gather around a group of musicians who are willing to work with me, so everything is going smoothly.

MusicLegends.ca: What do you think of the music industry today and where it is going?

Tarja: Until the governments don't have a clear law against piracy and the digital downloads are not working worldwide properly, the record industry will keep on suffering.

MusicLegends.ca: What's your vision of the Internet for musicians in the future?

Tarja: All the bands and artists have needed to find new ways to promote their products and Internet is a very important tool of information today, but still as big as it sounds, it is very limited. We are online, but not everybody is. When Internet becomes really massive, having everybody online and the laws are really clear, and then we can talk about music's future in Internet. I think we are still far away.

MusicLegends.ca: Could you describe what goes on in a day in your life as a musician on tour?

Tarja: I wake up usually quite late, just in time for the lunch, especially if I sleep badly during the night. I go out for jogging, if possible before soundcheck. After dinner, I start preparing my clothes, makeup and hair for the show. When I am ready with those things, I start with my breathing and vocalizing exercises to warm up my voice. Then it's show time! After the show, I usually meet my fans and that always takes some time before I can go to sleep again.

Read the entire interview from MusicLegends.ca.

Photo below courtesy of Tarja Turunen's Facebook page