"Another chapter of the Nightwish story has ended today.Nightwish and Anette Olzon have decided to part company, in mutual understanding, for the good of all parties involved.
"In recent times it has become increasingly obvious that the direction and the needs of the band were in conflict, and this has led to a division from which we cannot recover.
"Nightwish has no intention of cancelling any upcoming shows, and as a result we have decided to bring in a substitute vocalist starting in Seattle 1.10.2012. Her name is Floor Jansen from The Netherlands (ex-After Forever, ReVamp), and she has graciously stepped in to help us complete the Imaginaerum world tour.
"We are all strongly committed to this journey, this vehicle of spirit, and we are sure that this will lead to a brighter future for everyone.
"We forever remain excited about the adventures to come, and we are extremely proud of the two beautiful albums and the wonderful shows we shared together."
This comes right after ex-lead singer, Anette Olzon was hospitalised and the rest of the band decided to continue the concert with vocalists Alissa (The Agonist) and Elize (Amaranthe), without even informing Anette.
Anette's swift exit from the band came as a shock to many fans, and was totally unexpected even after the incident the previous day. Many fans speculated that there was a lot more to this "mutual decision" than the press statement reveals, with many thinking they had planned to get rid of Anette for some time. These speculations were confirmed by replacement singer Floor Jansen who revealed on Dutch radio that Nightwish had contacted her months ago to replace Anette after the Hartwall show.
One theory is that the plans to boot Anette had been kept secret from her, and she somehow found out before they intended, and everything escalated from there.
It is also thought that the band had been treating her as a lesser member prior to the hospitalisation incident, which brought this to a climax. Anette's demand for fair treatment was probably seen as diva-like and Tarja-like by the band, resulting in a Tarja style showdown.
Whichever side of the fence fans sit on, I think there is a common view that Anette wouldn't walk so easily and a lot must have happened to make her leave.
Let's hope that we get to hear Nightwish' and Anette's sides of the story in the near future.
This comes right after ex-lead singer, Anette Olzon was hospitalised and the rest of the band decided to continue the concert with vocalists Alissa (The Agonist) and Elize (Amaranthe), without even informing Anette.
Anette's swift exit from the band came as a shock to many fans, and was totally unexpected even after the incident the previous day. Many fans speculated that there was a lot more to this "mutual decision" than the press statement reveals, with many thinking they had planned to get rid of Anette for some time. These speculations were confirmed by replacement singer Floor Jansen who revealed on Dutch radio that Nightwish had contacted her months ago to replace Anette after the Hartwall show.
One theory is that the plans to boot Anette had been kept secret from her, and she somehow found out before they intended, and everything escalated from there.
It is also thought that the band had been treating her as a lesser member prior to the hospitalisation incident, which brought this to a climax. Anette's demand for fair treatment was probably seen as diva-like and Tarja-like by the band, resulting in a Tarja style showdown.
Whichever side of the fence fans sit on, I think there is a common view that Anette wouldn't walk so easily and a lot must have happened to make her leave.
Let's hope that we get to hear Nightwish' and Anette's sides of the story in the near future.