Tarja Turunen

Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen Cabuli (born August 17, 1977, in Kitee, Finland), commonly known as Tarja Turunen, is the former lead singer of the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. Turunen is the m

Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen Cabuli (born August 17, 1977, in Kitee, Finland), commonly known as Tarja Turunen, is the former lead singer of the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. Turunen is the most popular singer from the genre in Finland and throughout Europe, as well as an accomplished classical and opera singer. She now devotes her time to her solo career.

Turunen began to study music at age six, and moved to the city of Kuopio at 18 to study at the Sibelius Academy. She became a founding member of Nightwish in 1996 when her classmate Tuomas Holopainen invited her to join his new musical project. That year Turunen also performed with the Savonlinna Opera Festival. However, she did not become internationally famous until the release of Nightwish's successful follow-up album, Oceanborn, in 1998.