NIGHTWISH Singer On Narrow-Mindedness In Music

NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon has posted the following message on her official blog:

"When I sang in ALYSON AVENUE, which is a female-fronted band just like NIGHTWISH, but even more so, since it's only my voice there, we got so many 'real' hard rockers and metalheads who said female-fronted was shit and it should only be males singing rock etc... Even long before it's been like this, even bands like HEART had big problems to get some respect in their days.

"And how come so many people think it's OK to bring opera or classical singing into metal but wouldn't accept, for instance, Britney or Avril Lavigne to sing metal??

"What's the difference between having a singer from another genre like pop or jazz singing metal or a classical singer?

"And look at Chris Cornell and Timbaland... then that wouldn't be OK to do either?? Since Chris is a rocker and Timbaland 'pop?'

"Can you imagine what the opera/classical people say about those classical singers who sing in a 'metal band??' Oh my god... that can't be done...opera is sooooo special and metal is not music... I have myself heard these things being said in the music university and among classically trained people.

"And like when I started taking vocal lessons at 15 years of age... You MUST sing opera or classical!! Rock voice will kill your voice!!!

"Hmm...;=)

"I sang in a local Christmas show just a couple of years ago and I was the only one not opera or classically trained. And when we rehearsed, the conductor said after I had sang a little more rocky song: Well, THAT'S also one way to sing... and looked as if he had swallowed a really bad lemon... ;=)

"It's one thing that we all have different tastes in music... we should have that and that's just fine, but when it comes to 'rules' and such narrow-mindedness that we can see not only in metal but other genres too, I think it's sad for the music.

"Music should be joy, breaking borders, getting people closer, making people feel, embracing and talking to hearts and souls, and most of all, fill the world with different sounds.. like I have said before when I talked about differences in people, I don't want to hear just ONE repetitive sound every single day, I want different sounds floating around.

"Colourfullness in music too;=)

"And here [see YouTube clip below] is just an example of crossing borders: NIGHTWISH in a remix of DJ Orkidea...great, great mix and I would love to dance to it on the dance floor. ;=) Techno is perfect on the dance floor. ;=)"