Floor Jansen left Nightwish on 15 October 2026, ending a run that began when she stepped in as the band’s touring vocalist in October 2012. Both sides called the split a mutual decision and neither gave a reason for it. She is now focused on her second solo album, Hytress, due 15 January 2027.
What Nightwish and Floor Jansen Each Said
Both statements went out on 15 October 2026 and ran to only a few lines each.
Nightwish wrote: “After careful consideration, we have, in mutual agreement, decided to part ways.” The band added that the decision was “necessary and important to us and our future ambitions”, and closed by telling fans that “this marks the end of a truly great voyage.”
Jansen posted her own note the same day, signed “With love and respect, Floor”. She wrote: “Endings create new beginnings, and even though it was a hard decision to make, I believe there is a bright musical journey ahead of me.” Her solo career, she said, “will now get all of my attention”.
Four days later she released a 37-second video message thanking fans. “I got so many wonderful reactions wishing both me and Nightwish the best,” she said, before acknowledging the mood among listeners: “Of course, you’re worried. Of course, you’re sad. So am I.”
Why Did Floor Jansen Leave Nightwish?
No reason has been given. Neither statement explains the decision, and neither side has elaborated since.
What both did say is that the parting was mutual, that it serves separate ambitions, and that it carries no ill will. The band’s line that “we will now pursue those goals in our own separate ways” points to diverging plans rather than a falling-out, but Nightwish has not said what those plans are.
As of 22 October 2026, the two statements remain the only account on record. Any stated cause circulating beyond them is speculation.
She Had Not Played a Nightwish Show Since June 2023
Jansen’s last concert with Nightwish was on 17 June 2023 at the Lemonsoft Stadion in Vaasa, Finland, three years and four months before the split was announced.
The band had announced on 6 April 2023 that it would stop touring for “two to three years” once its next record was out. The Human. :II: Nature. tour duly finished that June, and Yesterwynde, released on 20 September 2024, received no tour at all.
That changes how the ending reads. Singer and band were already off the road together for the whole of that stretch, and their shared output across it came to one studio album.
Was It 13 Years or 14?
Both figures appear in coverage because there are two defensible start dates, and Jansen counts from the earlier one.
She first sang with Nightwish in Seattle in October 2012, stepping in on the Imaginaerum tour after Anette Olzon’s departure, and she was announced as a permanent member on 9 October 2013. Counting from the stand-in gives 14 years; counting from the appointment gives 13.
In her video message Jansen thanked fans for “the 14 years in Nightwish”, which settles the question for her own part. She was the band’s third lead singer, after Tarja Turunen and Olzon, and she sang on three studio albums: Endless Forms Most Beautiful in 2015, Human. :II: Nature. in 2020 and Yesterwynde in 2024.
What Floor Jansen Does Next
Her second solo album arrives in January 2027, with a tour behind it.
- 21 August 2026: the single “Bring Me Silence” arrived alongside the album announcement.
- 15 January 2027: Hytress, a 12-track record, is released through REVAMP Music and Warner Music.
- January and February 2027: a European club tour with her full live band, opening in Antwerp on 14 January.
- April 2027: South American dates, among them Santiago, Chile, on 22 April.
She is not starting from scratch. Her debut solo album, Paragon, came out on 24 March 2023 while she was still in Nightwish, and she put out a further solo single, “Run”, in June 2026.
Her career also long predates the band. Jansen joined the Dutch group After Forever in 1997 at the age of 16 and stayed until it disbanded in February 2009, then fronted ReVamp until that band announced its break-up in September 2016, and recorded an album with the side project Northward released in October 2018.
What Happens to Nightwish Without Her
Nightwish is carrying on, and as of 22 October 2026 it has not named a new singer.
Five members remain: Tuomas Holopainen on keyboards, Emppu Vuorinen on guitar, Troy Donockley on uilleann pipes, Kai Hahto on drums and Jukka Koskinen on bass. The band’s statement said it would enter the studio in 2027 to record its eleventh album.
Holopainen had filled in more of that schedule two months before the split. Speaking in August 2026, he said six songs were written, put the recording session in May 2027 and suggested live shows could return in 2028.
One release still lands before any of it. The Greatest 30 Years On Earth, a live compilation marking the band’s thirtieth anniversary, is due on 11 December 2026 through Napalm Records as a three-CD and Blu-ray set and a four-LP and Blu-ray set. Its contents come from concerts and sessions recorded between 2021 and 2023, which is to say from Jansen’s years in the band.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Floor Jansen Quit Nightwish or Was She Dismissed?
Both parties described it as a mutual agreement. Nothing in either statement suggests she was dismissed, and no reason for the decision has been published.
Who Sings for Nightwish Now?
Nobody yet. The band had not announced or hinted at a fourth lead vocalist as of 22 October 2026.
Is Nightwish Splitting Up Too?
No. The remaining five-piece confirmed it will continue and record an eleventh studio album, with Tuomas Holopainen pointing to a May 2027 recording session.
When Is Floor Jansen’s New Album Released?
Hytress is out on 15 January 2027 via REVAMP Music and Warner Music, and it is her second solo album after Paragon in 2023.
Where Can You See Floor Jansen Live in 2027?
Her Hytress tour opens in Antwerp on 14 January 2027 and plays European clubs through January and February, with South American dates following in April.
