Floor Jansen

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Okay, when I heard that Lanternlight, the final single from Yesterwynde, was Floor's choice, I knew to brace myself. And she did not disappoint. Backed mostly by just Tuomas on piano and a string section with a bit of backing and added vocals by Troy, this is classic Floor Jansen. It could almost work as a Floor solo piece, to be honest.


And she's started hinting at an upcoming "surprise" which most of us fans are taking to mean a new solo track, whether cover or original.
 
Artist interviews are a mixed bag, often poorly done or just focused on gossip or their "latest and greatest" work. But then there's the really good ones that get into what makes the artist tick and show you something of the person. Elizabeth Zharkoff of The Charismatic Voice is an opera singer and voice coach who does reaction videos and artist interviews that are very much a cut above the usual. Her own background helps, of course. And she just released a 1 hr 42 min video with Floor. And it is wonderful. Sure, they touch on the new Nightwish album. That's inevitable especially given its tortured history dating back to the pandemic. But they also geek out on vocal technique and training (both are trained singers, Elizabeth teaches voice and Floor used to), motherhood and its impact on being a touring artist (something both have experience with), the mental and physical stresses of touring, and so on. I'm not quite done, but the quality here is excellent and if you ever wanted to get a sense of what Floor is really like beyond her stage persona, here it is. She's forthright, honest, and as engaging as I've ever seen her. And, yes, the line about "Endless Laundry" is a play on a Nightwish album title.


And Floor herself put out a nice short video about Yesterwynde that she released the other day. Yes, that's her soon-to-be 1-year-old Lucy providing a backing track.

 
It seems fitting that after an eventful couple years (solo and Nightwish tours, first solo album, cancer, baby), Floor returned to her first solo single from March 2022 and released a powerful new version "Fire (Stripped)". With more minimalist instrumentals, the most important instrument, Floor's voice, really shines this time. And it is not a remix. Floor recorded a new vocal track so this is a completely new version of one of her best solo numbers. The song debuted today on major streaming services and Floor was to perform it as part of an appearance on Dutch television as well.


Her other, even bigger announcement, is that she is doing a theater tour of The Netherlands next Fall. Besides singing, she will be talking about and reflecting on her eventful life as a performer, mother, and, yes, patient. Her cancer is to be part of the conversation. Three of ten shows are already sold out as of today.
 
Here is the live version from Dutch TV. As I have come to expect from Floor, it's even better than the studio version.


Apparently the show also included appearances by her friends Anneke van Giersbergen, another Dutch metal vocalist, and Henk Poort, the Dutch stage star she first worked with during her season on the TV series Beste Zangers. To the everlasting delight of fans, her sister Irene made an appearance, too. If I could ask one wish of Floor, and I think a lot of fans would be with me on this, it would for a "Jansen Sisters" album and/or tour.
 
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