Tarja Turunen

“I do always the music before the lyrics. The story or an idea for the lyrics appears during the composing process normally, but some other times I already have a strong idea of the story I would like to sing before any music comes to my mind.”

“I wake up usually quite late, just in time for the lunch, especially if I sleep badly during the night.”

“In the beginning of my career, I didn't have any female singer in metal to ask for advice, nor have I ever had a role model or a metal singer that could inspire me, because the way I sang was operatic.”

“I don't write duets - I write songs for my voice.”

“If you think of people, the majority of us, we can't do what we really love. I am really grateful that I can work with my dream.”

“I have very different kinds of songs - there are these film-music-type of songs, and then metal, metal, metal, ha-ha! These are different kinds of styles, so not every musician can play both types of music.”

“Gold, we think, is something polished and perfect, sophisticated, a luxury. But in its natural state, it's a raw element.”

“When I need some energy in the morning I can put a metal CD in my player, because it gets me going! Classical music will send me off the road!”

“Producing a dark Christmas album in the middle of the summer is a very interesting process, especially if you are doing it by the turquoise Caribbean Sea.”

“I think it's really important to be humble for the music because there is always someone better than you, there is always something new for you to learn for music and you can't be the best in the world. It makes you work very hard.”

“I could write songs on the beach, but the interior darkness, we have it all. We have it.”

“I mean, being a solo artist is very different than being a member of a band. It's absolutely different. The whole situation is very different - situations where you can't really compare, it's so very different. But I found happiness.”

“I feel my voice can fit in many things so it's very interesting to combine things and music styles.”

“I'm a workaholic. My listeners, I think, they know me as a workaholic already. But, you know, work is my love.”

“Christmas for me is a time for being close to my family and those close to me.”

“Myself, I would love to record and film every performance I make, as each concert is special and unique.”

“As I am a lyrical singer, I really have to work hard. I'm still really training on a daily basis on my vocals. Because of the lyrical training, it never really ends.”

“I was kind of, I would say, even obsessed with music. I wanted to start learning piano when I was six years old, and after that, my parents were very supportive and they took me to several kinds of music lessons. So music filled all my childhood.”

“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.”

“It really is very true that the more you do, the less you know. I try to keep myself very open-minded in that sense.”