NIGHTWISH Singer ANETTE OLZON Explains Decision To Hire Personal Manager

The latest issue of MeNaiset, the most popular women's magazine in Finland, features a cover story on NIGHTWISH frontwoman Anette Olzon. The Swedish singer was interviewed for the article, which focuses on Anette's personal life and the behind-the-scenes politics that comes along with being in one of Finland's biggest rock exports.

According to Anette, she had a meltdown during the band's recent South American tour and walked offstage halfway through NIGHTWISH's concert in Belo Horizonte, Brazil because she lost her voice after being exposed to an excessive amount of smoke.

Olzon: "It's a big deal for a singer to lose his or her voice on stage. On the other hand, if the same situation had arisen six months earlier, I definitely wouldn't have walked off stage. Also the stress and the bad vibe within the band reached a boling point in Brazil."

Anette says the atmosphere on the road was tense and she had a hard time dealing with the stress that comes along with being away from home for weeks at a time.

"[The other guys in NIGHTWISH] have had ten years of experience in this business," she says. "I only have two years under my belt. When people become tired of each other, they become alienated from one another. Every group needs a war sometimes and we hadn't had one in the entire time I have been in the band. We spent our time tiptoeing around each other rather than arguing.

She continued: "A big fight clears the air. Everyone was tired but we got everything resolved. There's no point in dwelling on the past; you have to think ahead. On stage, though, everything is fine and we all have fun. The hassles away from the stage are the cause of most of the stress. It's not just about music; you have to constantly deal with new people and things around you."

One of the changes that Anette made is that she hired a well-known Swedish management company, Hagenburg Management (EUROPE, THE CARDIGANS),to handle her personal affairs. Olzon believes that in the long run, the expertise of a big company like the one she is currently working with will also help King Foo Entertaiment, which manages NIGHTWISH.

Olzon: "It was a hard decision for me [to hire a personal manager] because I didn't want problems with the band. I said that I have different needs in these areas than the rest of the guys. I, for example, need clothing sponsors which doesn't interest the rest of the band. Now I have a person who will be able to take care of that kind of stuff."

The fact that her new manager is Swedish has helped Anette deal with the business end of things better. Against her initial expectations, working in English has proved to be a little bit more complicated for Anette. There is also the fact that King Foo has worked with the NIGHTWISH guys for ten years and is therefore more at their service.

Anette emphasizes that her decision to hire a personal manager is more about making practical things run more smoothly than an attempt to create division or separate herself from the rest of the band. Now she doesn't have to get snappy if the band's manager hasn't done something and the rest of the group doesn't have to worry about Anette's special needs.

Olzon: "I now understand that [original NIGHTWISH singer] Tarja Turunen surely had a good reason to have her own manager and so do I. That doesn't affect my desire to be in the band, though. I believe this decision will help all of us."

Artists who are required to do a lot of traveling as part of their jobs have different ways of making themselves feel at home. For Anette, one way to achieve this was to tattoo the name of her son, Seth, on her right leg. The boy, who is old enough to attend school, is the apple of Anette's eye. Even though she spends a lot of time away from home, Anette — who divorced Seth's father after she joined NIGHTWISH — beams with excitement when talking about the normal, everyday things she does with her son.

Olzon: "Of course, it's hard sometimes. When I'm away a lot, he asks when he can come and join me on the road. We [NIGHTWISH] rarely play near my home, and he has his school, so the visits on tour don't happen very often. I still feel great knowing how proud of me Seth is."

Anette says her son loves the entire group. The bandmembers are his idols and he wants to be a guitarist when he grows up.

One of Seth's favorite moments took place when NIGHTWISH performed at the Metaltown festival in Gothenburg, Sweden.

"Seth came onstage to bow with us," says Anette. "I, of course, want to protect him, but I had to allow him that chance. He says that it was so cool to be on stage that he wants to come along next time and he decided to become a rock star when he grows up."