NIGHTWISH and Floor Jansen have parted ways. The Finnish symphonic metal band announced the split on social media on October 15, 2026, ending a 14-year run that began when the Dutch singer stepped in mid-tour in 2012 and gave the band its most stable lineup in two decades.
Neither side gave a specific reason. According to the band, both parties agreed to go their separate artistic ways, a decision NIGHTWISH described as necessary for their future ambitions. They framed it as the end of a long voyage for the fans as much as for the musicians, wished Jansen well on her own path, and made clear that NIGHTWISH is not ending.
Jansen called it a hard decision, but said she sees a bright musical future ahead, thanked the fans for their support and asked them to follow her next steps. Her solo career now gets her undivided attention.
How we got here
Jansen, formerly of AFTER FOREVER and REVAMP, joined NIGHTWISH as a replacement for Anette Olzon during the Imaginaerum world tour in 2012 and soon became a full member. She sang on three studio albums: Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015), Human. :II: Nature. (2020) and Yesterwynde (2024).
The band has been off the stage since its last show at Tons of Rock in June 2023, and the silence has been loud all year. In August Jansen told the press that NIGHTWISH were on a temporary hold with nothing planned, and days later Tuomas Holopainen said six songs for the eleventh album were already written, with studio time blocked out for 2027 and no touring before a new record. That plan stands: NIGHTWISH say they will record in 2027. Whether Jansen had any part in those new songs, and who will sing them, is unknown. No replacement has been named.
It's a twist given that Holopainen once said NIGHTWISH would split up if Jansen ever left.
What's next
NIGHTWISH's 30th-anniversary celebration goes ahead with The Greatest 30 Years On Earth, due December 11.
Jansen's second solo album, Hytress, arrives January 15, 2027 via REVAMP Music/Warner Music, followed by a tour of Europe and South America. Lead single "Bring Me Silence" shows the heavier, down-tuned direction she has promised:
NIGHTWISH have now changed singers three times in 21 years: Tarja Turunen was dismissed in 2005, Anette Olzon left in 2012, and now Jansen. We've followed the band since the Tarja era — we gave Once a 9/10 — and the next voice will define its fourth chapter.