Nightwish and Floor Jansen part ways after 13 years, with a new album planned for 2027

Nightwish and singer Floor Jansen have parted ways. Both the Finnish band and Jansen announced the split in statements on Thursday 15 October 2026, ending a partnership that began in 2013.

Nightwish are one of the biggest names in symphonic metal, a style that sets operatic vocals and orchestral arrangements against heavy guitars. Formed in 1996 by keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, they have had three lead singers: founding vocalist Tarja Turunen, then Anette Olzon, then Jansen, a Dutch singer who first joined as a stand-in on tour.

What each side said

The band called the parting "in mutual agreement" and said it was "necessary and important to us and our future ambitions". They added that "Nightwish will continue", and wished Jansen well on her artistic journey. No replacement has been named.

Jansen wrote that "endings create new beginnings" and pointed to a bright musical path ahead. She is turning to her solo career, including an album called Hytress due in 2027 and a tour to go with it. No tour dates have been announced.

The era she leaves behind

Jansen sang on three Nightwish studio albums: Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015), Human. :II: Nature. (2020) and Yesterwynde (2024). The band's lineup now stands as Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley, drummer Kai Hahto and bassist Jukka Koskinen.

The timing matters. Nightwish are marking their 30th anniversary and plan to go into the studio in 2027 to record a new album. Holopainen has previously said in public that the band would end if Jansen left, which makes the "Nightwish will continue" line the most notable sentence in the announcement. How the band answers the question of who sings next will decide what that album sounds like.