Tarja Turunen, a unique figure in music, embodies a striking juxtaposition of classical sophistication and heavy metal intensity, paving the way for women in the genre and redefining artistic boundaries.
Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen Cabuli, born 17 August 1977, known professionally as Tarja Turunen or simply Tarja, is a Finnish heavy metal singer songwriter. She is a lyric soprano and has a vocal range of three octaves. Turunen studied singing at Sibelius Academy and Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe. She is a professional classical lied singer, and the former lead vocalist of the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, which she founded with Tuomas Holopainen and Emppu Vuorinen in 1996.
