Nightwish

Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead vocalist Tarja Turunen. The lineup grew with drummer Jukka Nevalainen and bassist Sami Vänskä. In 2001, Vänskä was replaced by Marko Hietala, who also took over the male vocalist role previously filled by Holopainen or guest singers. Nightwish has been successful in Finland since the release of their debut album, Angels Fall First (1997), and were later recognized internationally through the release of their albums Oceanborn (1998), Wishmaster (2000) and Century Child (2002). The band released Once in 2004, which sold over one million copies and was the band's breakthrough in the United States. After Turunen's dismissal from the band in 2005, Anette Olzon joined as her replacement and recorded two albums with the band: Dark Passion Play (2007) and Imaginaerum (2011), before leaving in 2012. In 2013, Floor Jansen took over as lead vocalist and became a permanent member of the band alongside Troy Donockley. After the release of Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015), Nevalainen left the band in 2019, and Kai Hahto, who had acted as his replacement since 2014, became the official drummer. Hietala left the band in 2021, and Jukka Koskinen was announced as his replacement in 2022. The band's ninth and tenth studio albums, Human. :II: Nature. and Yesterwynde, were released in 2020 and 2024, respectively. Ahead of the release of Yesterwynde, the band announced they would be going on a touring hiatus. Nightwish is the third-best-selling musical act in Finland with certified sales of nearly 900,000 copies. The group has sold more than 10 million records and received over 60 gold and platinum awards. In 2018, Nightwish was inducted into the Finnish Music Hall of Fame, becoming the honorary gallery's 11th member.[edit]