List of Nightwish band members

This is the line-up of Nightwish, an Echo-winning band from Kitee, Finland, formed in 1996 by songwriter/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former vocalist Tarja Turunen. Nightwish is Finland's most successful band with more than 7 million sold albums worldwide, 1 silver award, 11 gold awards and 30 platinum awards.

Although Nightwish has been prominent in their home country since the release of their first single, “The Carpenter” (1997) and debut album Angels Fall First, they did not achieve worldwide fame until the release of the albums Oceanborn, Wishmaster and Century Child, which were released in 1998, 2000 and 2002 respectively. Their 2004 album, Once, which has sold more than 1.2 million copies,^[1] led to Nightwish video clips being shown on MTV in the United States and inclusion of their music in US movie soundtracks. Their biggest US hit single, “Wish I Had an Angel” (2004), made it onto three US film soundtracks as a means to promote their North American tour.^[2] The band produced three more singles and two music videos for the album, as well as “Sleeping Sun”, from the 2005 “best of” compilation album, Highest Hopes, prior to vocalist Tarja Turunen’s dismissal.

In May 2007, former Alyson Avenue frontwoman, Anette Olzon, was revealed as Turunen’s replacement,^[3] and in the autumn, the band released a new album – Dark Passion Play, which has sold more than 1.5 million copies.^[1] The supporting tour started on October 6, 2007 and ended on September 19, 2009.^[4][5] A new E.P./live album, Made in Hong Kong (And in Various Other Places), was released in March 2009 as a MCD/DVD.

Nightwish has received eleven awards from both the Emma-gaala Awards, from therteen nominations,^[6][7][8] and one Echo Awards from two nominations. Nightwish has also received 2 nominations from the Metal Hammer Golden God Awards but has not received an award; Nightwish already won awards from MTV Europe Music Awards^[9] and from World Music Awards, and also was nominated for the MTV Video Music Awards in 2004.^[6]

Current members

Tuomas Holopainen

Active: 1996–present

Instruments: Keyboards, piano and male vocals

Albums with the band: All Nightwish releases since the first 1996 demo

Tuomas (born December 25, 1976) is a Finnish composer, musician, poet and producer. Known best for heavy metal music, he has also studied jazz and classical styles, but he didn't appreciate these styles explaining to be influenced by harmonic film music. Holopainen has written several songs that have been included in movie soundtracks, including recent collaboration with Nightwish bass player, and male vocalist, Marco Hietala on “While Your Lips Are Still Red”, for the Finnish film “Lieksa!” in 2007.^[10] He has revealed that he is working on another "movie project", but that he couldn't reveal anything about it yet.^[10] This project may have been the Imaginaerum movie.

Erno Vuorinen

Active: 1996–present

Instruments: Lead guitar, bass guitar (1997–1998) and classic guitar

Albums with the band: All Nightwish releases since the first 1996 demo

Erno or Emppu (born June 24, 1978) is a Finnish guitarist. He started to play guitar as a private study at the age of 12 and since then he has played in various bands including Nightwish, of which he is a founding member, Brother Firetribe, Almah (with Angra's frontman Edu Falaschi) and Altaria. As of 2008 one of his side-projects Brother Firetribe released their two albums, "False Metal" (Re-released as "Break Out"^[11]), and "Heart Full Of Fire" worldwide.^[12][13]

Jukka Nevalainen

Active: 1997–present (on hiatus since 2014)

Instruments: Drums, percussion

Albums with the band: All Nightwish releases since the first 1997 album, Angels Fall First except for Endless Forms Most Beautiful

Jukka (born April 21, 1978) is a finnish drummer. He spent his early years in the city of Kitee; his drumming career started at the age of eleven when his music teacher at school told him that a new educational program for music was opening, and he thought Jukka would fit in well as a drummer. His first band was "The Highway" but he joined his first real band at the age of 15–16. The band had a rehearsal place, but was restricted to practice only a couple of days a week. After he left that band, he joined up with Erno "Emppu" Vuorinen and they got a permanent practice place. As of August 2014, Nevalainen is on hiatus due to persistent insomnia, and will not perform on the 2015 album or the upcoming tour.

Marco Hietala

Active: 2002–present

Instruments: Bass guitar, classic guitar, male vocals, multi-neck guitar

Albums with the band: All Nightwish releases since 2002 album, Century Child

Marco (born January 14, 1966) is a finnish vocalist and bassist, he is often seen as an icon for the Finnish metal scene. He is also the vocalist and bassist as well as composer/lyricist for heavy metal band Tarot. He joined Nightwish following the departure of previous bassist Sami Vänskä. He was a prominent guest musician in Delain, a project involving many members of the gothic/symphonic metal community. Marco is the bassist and lends his voice to a number of songs. He also participated in the recording of Invitation, by Altaria, providing backing vocals. Hietala has also been part of the bands Sinergy and Northern Kings. In Delain, Hietala played the bass for the album Lucidity and was also the main male vocalist on the album. He is also featured as vocalist in two of the songs on Delain's new album April Rain. In March 2009, Marco joined the band Sapattivuosi, they cover Black Sabbath songs in Finnish.^[14]

Troy Donockley

Active: 2013–present (session member 2007-2013)

Instruments: Uilleann pipes, tin whistle, backing vocals, guitar

Albums with the band: All Nightwish releases since 2007 album, Dark Passion Play

Troy Donockley (born 30 May 1964) is an English composer and multi-instrumentalist most known for his playing of uillean pipes. He has performed on Dark Passion Play and Imaginaerum so far. He accompanied the band on most of their Dark Passion Play tour and is featured on the music video for the single "The Islander". When the band released their latest album Imaginaerum in 2011 he was asked to play a wide array of instruments including, uillean pipes, celtic bouzouki, tin and low whistles and was even asked to supply some Cumbrian chanting on the song, "The Crow, The Owl, and the Dove." He also joined the band on the Imaginaerum World Tour. On October 9, 2013, he was confirmed as a full-time member of Nightwish.

Floor Jansen

Active: 2013–present (session member 2012-2013)

Instruments: Lead vocals

Albums with the band: Endless Forms Most Beautiful

Floor Jansen (born 21 February 1981) is a Dutch soprano singer, who was the lead singer of the symphonic metal band After Forever which disbanded in 2009, and is the current singer for ReVamp. She is also a member of supergroup Star One. She started touring with Nightwish on 1 October 2012 when Anette left the band. She was originally scheduled to play with the band until the end of the Imaginaerum World Tour. On October 9, 2013, she was confirmed as the new full-time lead vocalist for Nightwish.

Former members

Anette Olzon

Active: 2007–2012

Instruments: Lead vocals

Albums with the band: Dark Passion Play and Imaginaerum

Anette (born June 21, 1971) is a Swedish singer, she replaced Tarja Turunen after her dismissal on October 21, 2005. Olzon was formerly the vocalist in the Swedish AOR band Alyson Avenue. After her admission in Nightwish, Anette played with several bands, in studio and live, including Brother Firetribe and Pain, and will release a new album in the near future, under her own name.^[15] Anette's departure from Nightwish was announced on 1 October 2012, midway through their North American tour, and Floor Jansen took over on vocals for the remainder of the Imaginaerum World Tour.

Tarja Turunen

Active: 1996–2005

Instruments: Lead vocals

Albums with the band: the first 1996 demo until Once

Tarja (born 17 August 1977) is a Finnish singer-songwriter, composer and actress, whose work includes three solo albums. She was dismissed from the band on 22 October 2005^[3] after nine years, in the end of the Once Upon a Tour. In 2006, Tarja released a Christmas album, Henkäys Ikuisuudesta, with a support classical tour between November 25 and December 26. In 2007, Tarja released My Winter Storm, an album with various styles, including alternative rock and symphonic metal, that sold over 500.000 copies worldwide. The support tour, Storm World Tour, started on November 25, 2007, and ended at London on October 19, 2009, selling out.

Sami Vänskä

Active: 1998–2001

Instruments: Bass guitar

Albums with the band: Oceanborn until Over the Hills and Far Away

Sami (born 26 September 1976) started playing bass as a private study. He has played in a few bands which have been mostly from the metal genre. He started his career in the band Nattvindens Gråt, with Tuomas Holopainen. He made 2 albums, A Bard's Tale (1995), Chaos Without Theory (1997) and a demo, Dar Svanar Flyger (1995), with them. He joined Nightwish for the second studio album, Oceanborn, and was soon replaced by Marco Hietala.

Timeline

Guest appearances

References

External links

• Nightwish's Official Website