Nightwish on Tarja split and new album plans

Nightwish, fronted by Floor Jansen, released Yesterwynde in 2024; keyboardist and songwriter Tuomas Holopainen now admits the band were blamed "for good reason" over the 2005 dismissal of original singer Tarja Turunen, and he says fans should care because the group already has new material and a timetable for future work and live shows.

Holopainen told Metal Hammer that the open letter which ended Turunen’s tenure left the remaining members pilloried in the press and in public debate, to the extent that Finnish politicians were drawn into the story. He says the band felt they had no workable future together at the time and were operating in a survival mindset.

"get blamed for what happened, for good reason," he said.

Holopainen and his bandmates originally accused Turunen of putting business and money ahead of the music and of altered behaviour tied to her husband and manager, Marcelo Cabuli; Turunen denied those claims. The split remains one of metal’s most public and bitter breakups, and Holopainen describes the aftermath as an ugly, final break that ended any realistic chance of reunion.

Looking forward, Holopainen revealed he already has six finished Nightwish songs and feels unusually inspired. He told Metal Hammer the band have reserved studio time for 2027 and are aiming to finish another album before a full live return, which he suggested could come in 2028—the end of the group’s live hiatus that began in summer 2023.

Holopainen dismissed speculative reunion scenarios involving Turunen and former bassist/vocalist Marko Hietala, saying the split was effectively a divorce and that the band members have their separate lives now.

Turunen has continued as a solo artist: her album Frisson Noir arrived in June and she has a special orchestral show at the Ancient Theater in Plovdiv on September 18, followed by a European run from September 30 to October 25.

For the full interview, read the Metal Hammer piece here.