Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee, formed in 1996 by keyboardist and primary songwriter Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and vocalist Tarja Turunen. The lineup was later expanded with drummer Jukka Nevalainen and bassist Sami Vänskä following the release of their debut album, "Angels Fall First" (1997). In 2001, Vänskä was replaced by Marko Hietala, who also assumed the role of male vocalist. Nightwish gained domestic recognition with "Angels Fall First" and achieved wider international success with the albums "Oceanborn" (1998), "Wishmaster" (2000), and "Century Child" (2002).

The band's 2004 album, "Once", sold over one million copies and marked their commercial breakthrough in the United States. The single "Wish I Had an Angel" (2004) received airplay on MTV and was featured on three US film soundtracks. Additional singles and music videos were produced from "Once", along with a re-recording of "Sleeping Sun" for the compilation album "Highest Hopes: The Best of Nightwish" (2005). Following Turunen's departure in October 2005, Anette Olzon joined as the new lead vocalist in May 2007. That September, Nightwish released "Dark Passion Play", which sold nearly two million copies, with its lead single "Amaranth" achieving notable success in Europe. The band released their seventh studio album, "Imaginaerum", in November 2011. Olzon left the band in October 2012, and Floor Jansen became a permanent member alongside session musician Troy Donockley in October 2013.

In July 2019, Nevalainen, who had been inactive since 2014 due to insomnia, confirmed that he would not return to the band, and Kai Hahto, who had been his replacement since 2014, became the official drummer. Bassist Marko Hietala left the band in January 2021 and was succeeded by Jukka Koskinen in August 2022.

Nightwish is among the best-selling musical acts in Finland, with nearly 900,000 certified copies sold domestically. The band has sold over 10 million records worldwide and received more than 60 gold and platinum awards. They have achieved six Number 1 albums and thirteen Number 1 singles. On 26 October 2018, Nightwish was inducted into the Finnish Music Hall of Fame as the 11th member of the honorary gallery. Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightwish

Studio albums Angels Fall First (1997) Oceanborn (1998) Wishmaster (2000) Century Child (2002) Once (2004) Dark Passion Play (2007) Imaginaerum (2011) Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015) Human. :II: Nature. (2020) Yesterwynde (2024)