Dreams do come true. I am the living proof of this. Because if we go back to 2010 when I became a Nightwish fan, there was just one thing that I wanted to do, and that was to meet Anette Olzon, and tell her that she changed and saved my life. I had to wait only 16 years to do that, but it was worth the whole thing. I also got the honor of interviewing her for FemMetal, and you can read here what we talked about.

Benedetta

Hi Anette, how are you doing?

Anette Olzon

I’m fine, thank you. I’m really happy to be touring again.

Benedetta

Awesome. And exactly, you have been touring again after a long time. How did it feel to be back on stage in South America?

Anette Olzon

Well, that was the thing. I haven’t wanted to go on stage because, like I said, I have stage fright. And the last couple of years when I entered menopause, because I’m that old, I got more anxiety and more panic. So actually I cancelled the show with The Dark Element due to that. But yeah, you know, with some medicines and things and stuff like that. And then the opportunity from Eliel came. He asked me already a couple of years ago, “Do you want to come?” And I was like, “No, no, no, no, no.” But then he again asked me and he was like, “I will have the band and I will fix this“. Then I asked my husband, “Should I go?” He was like, “Go. And if you like it, fine”. I loved it. So when I came home, I was kind of depressed because I didn’t want to go to my job as a nurse. It was so boring, you know, after all this love. So I asked my family if I could go, so now I’m going to sing for a while. Yes.

Benedetta

That’s the best news ever. I don’t know if you know this, but your voice and yourself, you have inspired so many new generation of artists. And I know people like personally that they said that Anette was such a big inspiration for me to start singing. And so many bands are created because of your influence and your art.

Anette Olzon

Thank you. I never hear that. I only hear the negative. So thank you. I’m going to take that and put it in my heart. But really, I’m very good at just hearing the bad ones or reading the bad ones. That’s my person, you know, because I was bullied in school. I think that’s why I’ve always, you know, felt very insecure if people like me. So if you say that, I’m going to take it to my heart, and that will help me.

Benedetta

Also your resilience has inspired lots of people not to give up on their dreams. Because, I mean, sometimes it takes a very bad or negative comment to give up. You are the living proof that anything is possible.

Anette Olzon

Yeah. But believe me, I have given up many times during my life from music. There have been times when I have said “I’m not going to sing anymore. I hate this. I’m not going to sing.” And then I quit like for a year or something. But then there’s something when you love music. It’s the only thing if I have a bad day, I put on some music and I get happy. And when I sing, I am happy, whether it’s in my living room. So every time I think if you’re a true musician and you love what you do, you will come back. But of course, there will be times when you want to give up because it’s a very hard business and it’s not a normal job in many ways.

Benedetta

I’m so thankful that you didn’t give up at all.

Anette Olzon

No, I’m still going 55 and going also.

Benedetta

Can you share with us how your passion for knitting and making your own clothes started?

Anette Olzon

You know, the fun thing is that my mom has always knitted, since she was five years old. And she’s always said “You should knit” because I’ve been a very restless person. Like I said, with anxiety, she said “It would be good for you to sit and do something”. I was like, “No, no, no, no, no, no. Hate it”. But then I don’t know why, but I just thought it was like sewing was the first thing. And it was like, “I’m going to try and make dresses“. I couldn’t make anything. But, you know, I just cut and did it, it was so much fun. Then I just started knitting. I don’t know. But now I’m crazy. I have like my whole living room, there’s like this corner with so much yarn that I could have a yarn store. So my plan after touring when I’m tired of singing is to have my own yarn cafe and showroom. Because it takes so much of my home. My kids are like “Mom!!!!“, I have a whole yarn store and I need to knit. I didn’t bring any knitting on the tour because I was thinking maybe it’s good if I take a break for four weeks. Maybe I will go and buy some. We’ll see. No, but I think it’s really good for me. I bite my nails, that’s why I have these fake ones. And when I knit, I don’t do that because I need to have something to do all the time. So if I’m knitting while I’m watching TV, I’m relaxed and it’s nice. It’s also I’m thinking about when you do music and singing is creative and you’re a creative person. So everything you do with your hands or it’s like music. Nemo asks every day, kind of, “Should it look like this, mom?” And I’m like, “I have got some more yarn“. The cats are climbing in the yarn and there are more shells. I need to get some other storage for it. When I do something, I do it a thousand percent. Like I don’t need one knit. Then I do 100 knits. My father was the same. If he started planting bonsai trees, he didn’t get one. He got like 200.

Benedetta

How are your cats, by the way?

Anette Olzon

Oh, it was really hard to leave them. It was harder to leave them in a way than my kids. Because last tour, when I came home from South America, I had two cats and the female cat was actually very, very ill and I had to put her down. So that was like the first thing after coming from a super tour, going to the vets and having her in the hospital. And then she had to die. Then I got two others, so we have three cats and the little boy, he’s the orange cat. My first orange tiger, Simba. He’s on me all the time. I don’t know how he’s going to survive now. It was very hard to pack yesterday. No, but the cats are good. I love my cats and I love my kids, but Simba is very special. He will be depressed for sure. Or he will love my husband more than me when I get home. And then I will cry even more. I don’t want that to happen. No, but they’re fine.

Benedetta

You said that you wanted to be an author. Can you recommend some books that you, or what you are reading now, if you’re reading something?

Anette Olzon

I actually read, it’s a Swedish author, his name is Pascal Engman. And this book is called “The Clan”. It’s about gangs. You know, in Sweden, we have lots of problems with gangs and kids, 12-year-olds that kill people. And this is actually about that. So it’s a very horrible book, but it’s really, really good. So I like to read those kinds of books, serial killers or crimes. That’s my thing. It needs to be something really hard. And I watch all the serial killer documentaries. I don’t know why it’s some kind of thing. I think many women do that actually.

Benedetta

Do you think that we will ever reach some sort of equality between men and women in the metal world?

Anette Olzon

Well, I think it’s better now. It was already when I started in Alyson [Avenue] on this female fronted when we were playing, many people like “Pff, a girl singing”, and you still have that in some way. And I also feel that I didn’t want to be that kind of singer that was having very little clothes on, like Beyonce in metal world. Some female singers do that, and of course, that’s a way to get the attention. But I think also with the growling from Arch Enemy and, you know, those kind of female voices that are showing that you can sound so brutal and being a little girl. So I think it’s better. I mean, the world is what it is, and we are male and female. There is not the perfect equality, and music is like that. It’s better than when I started singing. There will always be those that don’t listen to you if you’re a female singing. But it’s better. It’s better. But I think it will be always hard. But we have those Alissa White-Gluz and those that are showing that women are just as good or even better at many things.

Benedetta

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. It’s been an honor and a pleasure to meet you. Is there anything else that you want to add to our readers?

Anette Olzon

Just come. Come see us. Come see the boys because my musicians are amazing. And they have traveled all over from Brazil just to be with me on this tour. And they are amazing. Really good. So come. Come listen to them. If you don’t listen to me, listen to them.