Floor Jansen

Floor Jansen

Floor Jansen live with Nightwish in 2013
Background information
Birth name Floor Jansen
Born (1981-02-21) 21 February 1981
Origin Goirle, North Brabant, Netherlands
Genres Neoclassical metal, power metal, progressive metal, symphonic metal, thrash metal, gothic metal (early)
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter vocal coach
Instruments Vocals, Piano
Years active 1997–present
Labels Nuclear Blast
Associated acts
Website Official website

Floor Jansen (pronounced [ˈfloːr ˈjɑnsə(n)]; born 21 February 1981 in Goirle) is a Dutch singer, songwriter, and vocal coach. She is the lead vocalist of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish.

Jansen first became known as a member of symphonic metal band After Forever, standing as their lead vocalist from 1997, to their disbanding in 2009. When After Forever disbanded, she formed ReVamp and has released two albums with them. In 2012 following the departure of their lead vocalist Anette Olzon, Nightwish brought in Jansen as a touring member until the end of their Imaginaerum World Tour. In 2013, they announced Jansen was now their full-time lead vocalist.

A frequent collaborator of Arjen Anthony Lucassen, she is a member of his progressive metal supergroup Star One, and sang in the Ayreon albums Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer and 01011001. She also sang lead vocals in several songs of the MaYan album Quarterpast and in Avalon's Angels of the Apocalypse. She is the older sister of fellow singer Irene Jansen.

Biography

After Forever (1997–2009)

Jansen was sixteen when she joined Apocalypse (the name of the band After Forever in its early days) in 1997. Three years later the band released its first album, Prison of Desire. Her ability to sing both classical and rock music has made her reasonably popular in the metal scene. She took sole charge of After Forever's lyrics and vocal melodies since the departure of Mark Jansen (no relation) in 2002.[1] Prior to this, up until the Decipher (2001) album, the two would write together. Before becoming a full-time musician, she worked as a singing teacher.[2]

Jansen with her former band After Forever at the Masters of Rock festival in 2007

Because of the burnout that After Forever band mate Sander Gommans underwent, the band took a year off starting in January 2008 but ultimately decided to call it quits in February 2009. Jansen posted on her website, that while After Forever was on hold (and since then disbanded), she would use this opportunity to start writing music with Jørn Viggo Lofstad (Pagan's Mind, Jørn Lande) for a new musical project.[3] On 16 June 2009, Jansen announced through her MySpace site, that she had started a new metal band, which has put the project called Sinh with Lofstad on hold.

ReVamp (2009–2016)

On 17 October 2009, Jansen announced via MySpace, that the name of her new band was ReVamp.[4] ReVamp's first album was produced with After Forever keyboardist Joost van den Broek, bass player Jaap Melman (formerly of Dreadlock Pussy)[5] and guitarist Waldemar Sorychta (Grip Inc., Voodoocult, Eyes of Eden and Despair) as songwriters and producers. The current line-up of ReVamp features keyboardist Ruben Wijga, bass player Jaap Melman, guitarists Jord Otto and Arjan Rijnen and drummer Matthias Landes.

ReVamp performing live in Oslo in September 2010

In August 2011, Van Canto announced on Facebook, that ReVamp would no longer participate in their Out of the Dark tour, as Jansen suffered a burnout herself.[6]

In late 2011, Jansen joined her former band mate in After Forever Mark Jansen for his band MaYan's Latin American tour, performing in São Paulo. In 2012, Jansen joined Adrenaline Mob on stage in Bochum and Weert. ReVamp's second album, Wild Card, was released in 2013.[7]

ReVamp announced its breakup in September 2016, citing Floor Jansen's inability to deliver 100% to both ReVamp and Nightwish.[8]

Nightwish (2012–present)

After Nightwish's previous lead vocalist Anette Olzon parted ways with the band, Jansen acted as Nightwish's live lead vocalist for the remainder of the Imaginaerum World Tour in 2012. She was at her sister's wedding when she received the call to replace Olzon.[9] Her first show with the band was in Seattle in October. When commenting on the experience, she said:[9]

“ There was this evil voice in my head that said, 'What on earth do you think you're doing? You don't know these songs, you've had no time to learn them'. And everybody in the venue was holding a cell phone, so it would be on YouTube straight away. ”

On 9 October 2013, Jansen was announced as Olzon's permanent replacement in the band,[10] following an invitation she received from the band in a hotel bar.[9]

Other works

Three albums by the Dutch composer and multi-instrumentalist Arjen Anthony Lucassen include guest vocals from Jansen. She sang one song on Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer, made a number of contributions to the Star One project and plays the character Ω in the Ayreon album 01011001. Her sister Irene Jansen played "Passion" on Ayreon's The Human Equation. She has also been a guest for the metal band Nightmare.

On December 9, 2013, she was also announced as the main vocalist, playing the lead role, for the second full-length album of former Stratovarius guitarist Timo Tolkki's metal opera act Avalon.[11] The album, Angels of the Apocalypse, was released on May 16, 2014.


Personal life

On 18 September 2016 it was announced, that Jansen and her partner Hannes Van Dahl, drummer of Sabaton, are expecting their first child.[12][13]

Singing style

A versatile vocalist, Jansen can sing from ethereal, classical and operatic singing, to powerful belting, and aggressive, raspy vocals like screaming and death growls.[14][15][16] A Dramatic Soprano, she sings the styles of rock and heavy metal.

Jansen started studying music at the Dutch Rock Academy in 1999, entering the Conservatorium Tilburg three years later. She studied musical theatre and a year of opera.[14][15] Later, she started teaching performing in her own course called Wanna be a Star?!

She used to play the guitar, piano and flute and has completed several years of music studies.[17][18]

Discography

Jansen live with Nightwish in 2013, before being promoted to regular member later that year.

With After Forever

Demos

  • Ephemeral (1999)
  • Wings of Illusion (1999)

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

With Nightwish

Studio albums

Live albums

Singles

With ReVamp

With Star One

Studio albums

Live albums

As a guest

References

  1. ↑ Nuclear Blast Records (3 April 2007). "After Forever - Interview w/ Floor Jansen + Joost van den Broek (Part 1)". YouTube. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  2. ↑ "Nightwish: Floor Jansen, Tuomas Holopainen and Marco Hietala on making the cut as a musician". The Cut. 31 December 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "Biography". Floor Jansen. 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "Name of my new band!". blogs.myspace.com. 17 October 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
  5. ↑ "Former After Forever Singer's Revamp: First Full Length Song Posted Online". Blabbermouth.net. 21 April 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  6. ↑ "Van Canto post". Facebook.com. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  7. ↑ "Official website". ReVamp Music. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  8. ↑ "Facebook announcement - No More Revamp".
  9. 1 2 3 Everley, Dave (8 December 2015). "How Nightwish became a modern metal phenomenon". Metal Hammer. Team Rock. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "Press release // October 9th, 2013". Nightwish.com. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  11. ↑ "Floor Jansen is the main vocalist on Avalon II, the album and European tour planned for May 2014". Avalon Opera.com. 9 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  12. ↑ "NIGHTWISH Singer FLOOR JANSEN Is Four Months Pregnant". 18 September 2016.
  13. ↑ "Nightwish singer Floor Jansen is four months pregnant". 17 September 2016.
  14. 1 2 "Interview - Floor Jansen of ReVamp & Nightwish". Cryptic Rock. 24 September 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  15. 1 2 Ashmedai (18 August 2013). "Pulling A Wild Card: An Interview With ReVamp". Metal Blast!. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  16. ↑ May, Ant (15 March 2015). "Nightwish – Endless forms most beautiful – Preview". PlanetMosh. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  17. ↑ "After Forever". Musical Discoveries. 13 June 2004. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  18. ↑ "Review of Decipher - The Album". Musical Discoveries. 7 July 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
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