RtM: First of all, I would say that I really liked your album, music with good taste, beautiful interpretations, modern and emotional. How long have you been working on songs? When you started to compose it had in mind some musical direction?
Anette: Thanks so much, happy to
hear you like it! I wrote all songs but one already back in 2009 when I decided
I wanted to make a solo album. One song was written just before the release, "One Million Faces". When I started to write the songs, I was still in Nightwish and
didn't want it to sound anything like my band, and thats why its a much softer
album.
RtM: And how about the reception until now? So I followed the
reviews and the comments of the fans are mostly positive. Course, will always
have those who were expecting something more along the lines of Nightwish, or
friendlier to the symphonic metal. Well, I think it is something you will live
forever, the fact that you was former singer of Nightwish.
Anette: Yeah, all reviews have
been really good and many fans really love the album, but as you say, those who
are pure metal fans, of course thought I´d make a Metal album and might reject
it since I didn't.
RtM: The title track, "Shine," is very beautiful, brings
a modern dress, catchy chorus, I would like you to talk a little more about
this song and its beautiful lyrics.
Anette: Shine is such a special
song to me, mainly because the lyrics are really special to me and how I want
those who have been bullied or mocked or mistreated by someone, to be lifted up
and feel hope from my lyrics. "Shine" talks about that those who bully you are
just bitter ones , with no lives so just lift your head high and move on. Show
them that you are better than them by staying strong.
RtM: I believe some of the compositions on "Shine" are
influenced somewhat troubled period you spent mainly with the problems in
Nightwish. It brings a certain melancholy, being very emotional. Even remember
what you said about the song "Lies", which reflects some of these
problems you spent.
Anette: Well, not really, cause "Lies" for instance is about my marriage crashing, which actually happened right
when I started in NW. And the overall feeling of melancholy is just because I
took memories and stuff from deep within me that I have carried around, and
brought them to surface and that gave the lyrics and songs a melancholic
feeling.
RtM: "Falling" also brings great melodies and catchy
chorus, and is also one of the highlights in my opinion. I liked this song, and
I believe it follows a line like "Lies" and "Shine",
showing enough of your personality as a solo artist, creating an identity in
the first album.
Anette: "Falling" was actually the
first song we wrote when we sat down making the songs and it also is the one
most "metal" like song of the album. After that song I felt I wanted
the songs to be softer and less metal/rocky so thats why that one differs a bit
from the others.
RtM: “Watchin Me From Afar”
is another strong song, and shows a side more “New Age” and “Folk”, and
I felt you especially inspired on this song, with an interpretation full of
emotion. Tell us a little more about this song.
Anette: This song is so special to
me and to Stefan and Johan, cause when we sat down by the piano and drums just
trying out the melody the feeling in it came to us immediately and the lyrics
are written for my husband Johan, so its a real love song.
RtM: Talking about inspiration, which singers would you cite as
your biggest influences?
Anette: The voices I listened to
in my childhood, like Agneta Fältskog, Barbra Streisand, Sting, Carola, Whitney
Houston and Mariah Carey. Big voices have always inspired me.
RtM: You had some writing partners, as Anders Bagge, would like you
to talk a little about his contribution in the compositions, the direction and
final results of the album.
Anette: Well, Anders wasn't
co-writing with me himself, but I used his song writing team, Stefan Örn and
Johan Glössner and we recorded the album in his studio so he was there and gave
his inputs which was really helpful. He´s a great songwriter and knows how to
build great melody lines and get that hook to the song.
RtM: In a future album, who would you invite to a duet, or divide
compositions?
Anette: I want to write songs with
Stefan and Johan again and also Martijn Spierenburg from Within temptation whom
I've written “One Million Faces" with. I have also asked Peter Tägtgren from
Pain to co-write with me so that will be fun! Duets...i don't know, who but if I
have a song I find would suit a co-singer, I think there are many good ones.
Jake from Amaranthe has a great voice and is a friend of mine so he's a good
choice for a co-lab.
RtM: would like you to talk a little about the experience in the
movie "Imagenaerum", and as I recall you had already had experiences
in theater. You think about doing some work of this kind in the future?
Anette: It was a good experience
and also a hard one since I have a bit of stage fright and more so when there´s
a lot of people with cameras around me so that made it a bit stressful. But it
was great so see how a movie is done and I don't think I would look for a movie
to be starring in, but a musical would be nice to do. That would suit me
better.
RtM: I came to know your work listening to a duet on the album
"Conspiracy" by Michael Bormann, the song "Two of a Kind",
from there I went looking the Alyson Avenue’s albums, and as a fan of Melodic
Rock / Hard Rock, I liked too. I would
like you to talk a little about this participation in Bormann’s album.
Anette: Michael is a very good
friend to Niclas in Alyson, so he asked me back then if I wanted to sing on his
song and so I did. We never met, cause nowadays i'ts common that you just send
the songs between each other and thats what we did.
RtM: And your work with Alyson Avenue? You have talked to the guys?
Can you perhaps return to the band? I think it would be great, especially with
the exposure you had, coupled with the potential of the band. I think your
voice is perfect in this type of music (Melodic Rock), and I think you should
do something in the future. What do you say? I also remembered participation in
the album of the Brother Fire Tribe, which follows the same line.
Anette: We talk all the time, me
and Niclas, since we are like family to each other. We have talked about
starting Alyson again and we all want that at some point but the time needs to
be right for everyone and Niclas is quite occupied with writing songs for his new
album with Sapphire Eyes and I am busy with a TV show in Finland this spring.
But hopefully we have some time soon=)
RtM: Speaking about Alyson Avenue and Melodic Rock, I find it
amazing how sweden is a country that produces many bands and artists of great
quality, which greatly enhance the catchy tunes. How do you explain this
"phenomenon", this tendency for creating great melodies? Even we
mention ABBA, who is idolized, including by means of Metal musicians. Recently
I did an interview with Snowy Shaw, and remember he has tattooed ABBA in their
the fingers.
Anette: I believe it's like you
say, our love for catchy and good melodies. Our way of speaking is also very
melodic so maybe that has something to do with it. And ABBA is, I believe, for
many swedish musicians, idols, and music we have heard while growing up, and for
me, ABBA is the kings and gods of pop and great melodies, iconic.
RtM: Do you have plans to do some live shows or tour to release
your album? And what songs you would like to play live? In addition to songs
from your album, whatever else you want to include in a set-list?
Anette: I haven't done so much
live shows for the album due to me having small children and didn't want to
leave them for long tours, but now they are all bigger and I hope I can come
out and tour with "SHINE" as well as with a new album I hope to release in the
near future. Live I have played all my songs from "SHINE" and also some new songs
I´ve written and some covers. My next gig will be including some songs from my
Nightwish times and I believe some fans will like that.
 |
| Yeah! Ready to Rock! |
RtM: And what
have you done now that has more free time? Must be nice to have additional time
to be with the family. I read in an interview that you would focus on continue
your studies, and work with charity too as well. Are you thinking about to stay right away
from a career devoted exclusively to music?
Anette: I have
been studying, yes and still am, but at the moment my studies have to stand
aside a little bit since I have a TV show I´m participating in Finland starting
march 1st (Watch here), which means I need to focus on that for a while. I
would love to do both things and maybe I can but if I have to choose and I can
live on it again, music is what I want to do.
RtM: I know you may already be tired of this subject (Nightwish),
but I promise that I will do only a few questions at the request of your fans
here in Brazil. On DVD / Blu-Ray that the band released last year, "Story
Time ... Live Time", which brings a documentary talking about a period in
which its output (or dismissal) of Nightwish, and you do not authorized use
images or your voice in this documentary, and in my opinion I think you did the
right thing, for there shows only their version at some facts. They came to
tell you about what the content of the documentary? What are the reasons you
have not authorized the use of your image?
Anette: They wanted me to pay for, and be included in that dvd and
documentary after they kicked me out in a mean and cruel way, so of course I
didn't want to be in it. Why would I? I didn't want anything more to do with
the band, ever. And due to what they did with Tarja and Marcelo in the
documentary they released after the firing of her, where they only showed their
side and made her look like the bad one, I for sure didn't want them to do the
same to me. So easy choice, I said no immediately and I do not regret my choice
at all today.
 |
| On TV Show, having fun! |
RtM: I believe
you must have had a good time during your stay in the band, like traveling to
different countries, to become a world-known person, and probably, and some
places, hardly leaving anonymous on the street! How was it for you from one
moment to another being on stage for big festivals and thousands of fans ahead?
Anette: It was actually a hard
process for me, cause I didn't like that people recognized me in the streets
and felt weird about it. I have been brought up where I´ve learned that we are
all equal in this world and everyone has the same value, so for me, I haven't
had anyone I have as a big idol so that I would go to shows, chase them for a
photo or autograph, so it felt really weird that someone would think I was so
special and important. But I learned and understood that this comes with the
job, and nowadays I still feel a bit embarrassed if someone recognizes me, but I
also feel moved that they care and like me so much.
RtM: Your work in the band always ended up being compared to Tarja,
with a wave of fans not accepting change, and remember that you said that you
even got to undergo some death threats from some stupid person. It is very
strange that some levels can get idolatries or obsessions. People sometimes
forget that on stage are people with families, feelings and a life beyond work.
Anette: Well, I understand the
frustration they felt, Tarja was the official singer from the start and she has
a very special voice and singing, being this a bit "cold" and
untouchable metal queen and she was the total opposite from me, both how she
looked, sang and acted on stage. I am a very open person, happy, outgoing and
sing with a more commercial voice and it sounded so different for the NW fans
so those old die hard fans just couldn't take it. And it was a pity I had to
take the blame for it and I shouldn't but sometimes people don't understand and
act as they should do when they are in love with something.
 |
| Rehersal for the TV show on Finnish MTV |
Anette: No, we have no contact.
The crew and me were all friends and had no problems at all. And in the band
there were some members who always stood behind me and then there were some who
wanted me out. So a divided group of people=) The reason for this is of course
something only the members know so I can't say exactly what, but I believe we
had different opinions and I also got pregnant again and that wasn't something
they liked and then they kicked me out.
RtM: By what we see outside,
Tuomas controls almost everything in the band, it seems to me that maybe
reaches a point that the band becomes a solo project from him. And we will now
see how the relationship with Floor Jansen, whether she will have a continuity.
I think complicated for most musicians cannot contribute with ideas or
compositions.
Anette: Yes, NW is only Tuomas and
he even writes that when he officially make a statement: always write: Tuomas
and Nightwish. So it's his band, he controls it, he makes the decision,s but he
also listens to other ones, and sometimes maybe to the wrong ones, but thats his
choice and we´ll see how it will go. I believe we haven't heard or seen the
last from them when it comes to member exchanges cause if it doesn't work, it
just doesn't work, no matter who comes in to the group. If they don't try and
change and evolve, nothing will be different and the same problems will arise.
It's easy to blame the "new" member for the problems, but when it
happens several times I do think people should understand it's not that way.
RtM: Finally, I would like you quoting your favorite hobbies,
and about the music, what bands or
artists have you heard when you are at home?
Anette: I love to exercise, I do
cross fit and also love to be in the gym and life heavy weights. I listen to
all kind of music, pop, hip hip, rock, metal anything since I believe music is
wonderful, no matter what genre it comes from. I am very open-minded when it
comes to music.
RtM: Anette, thank you very much for your attention, we look
forward to further work to hear your beautiful voice! I leave these final lines
for you to send a message to the Brazilian fans!
Anette: Thank you and I want to
say thanks for all of the fans in Brazil and hope I can come over to sing for
you someday soon=)
Interview by Carlos Garcia
Anette Olzon's Facebook
Anette's Official Site
Interview by Carlos Garcia
Anette Olzon's Facebook
Anette's Official Site
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