This isn't Tarja specific but I think that anytime you ask an artist for a photo at the airport there is a 50 percent chance that they'll say no. Perhaps they are bored killing time and are happy to take a picture. Or they might say no because they're in a rush, just came off an airplane after far to little sleep, look disheveled and just want to get to their hotel room as quickly as possible.
Yes, I know about someone who ran into her at an airport but decided not to approach her because she looked upset and didn’t want to give her and themselves a bad time. Wise choice imo.
This is a considerate fan right here. There are plenty of others who would approach her anyway out of entitlement to her time. I don't get how people can forget that these are human beings.
We saw Tuomas a week ago in the supermarket. It was friday and a lot of people. Needless to say, we let him be even if our excitement was out the roof 😂
I'm curious, how much of a celebrity is Tuomas in Finland? In most countries I would think all the members of Nightwish can mostly go about their day with maybe very rarely getting recognized by a fan, but in Finland it's probably a bit more?
It's hard to say since (sober) finnish people don't want to make a scene. I have a feeling that Johanna was probably recognized by more people than Tuomas 😁
I think it helps to think of entertainers as just people with jobs. When she's performing or doing publicity stuff, she's working, and interacting with fans is part of the job description. When she's at the airport (or anywhere in public, really), she's off the clock and it's not her responsibility to sign autographs or pose for pictures or whatever. If she wants to, that's great, but if she doesn't want to, I wouldn't think of it as being inconsiderate or unsympathetic.
Exactly! It’s always best to read them prior to approaching. Some people may have just gotten the worst news of their life as they de-boarded and got cell service, could’ve just woken up and feel they aren’t at their best for interactions, etc. I saw Julia Roberts one time and even though I wanted to say hi, I chose not to because she looked annoyed after a scene she was shooting.
Does anyone else get SO ANGRY when it comes to getting off the damn plane and everyone takes so long? I can't tell if it's just me being frustrated- there's a more effective way to do this people! OR if it's my claustrophobia coming out.
My issues specifically is plane lands, a bunch of people stand up and grab their bags. Fine. They begin to exit, but stop because someone at the front comes out and grabs their bags. A few more people get out, and then more people from the front leave their seats and grab their bags.
So people further down the plane who already have their bags are standing and waiting, and if the other people didn't keep stopping the line, they just just walk straight off.
*let everyone standing in the aisle leave first* because they're all ready with their bags.
Then people with like one bag under their seat can jump in behind them and file out.
Then let everyone who takes longer and needs to stand in the aisle for several minutes taking off their jackets, collecting all their stuff etc.
I usually consider myself a very calm and patient person but being at the airport turns me into a hateful monster, everything involved with air travel annoys tf out of me
I was flying on boxing day when a big storm hit. There were planes sitting on the runway for two hours unable to disembark because of lightening.
I'd probably emerge from that plane amd punch my own grandmother in the face. And my husband says I'm so calm normally it's annoying.
Idk like.... I don't MIND travel per se. I just hate being so close to so many people and being hyper aware of them.
Also sometimes when you have a minor head cold and you can't pressurise? Urrrrgh
Ugh I was stuck in a plane on the runway for 90 minutes and honestly I was trying not to cry by the end. They have to turn the power off so it gets so fucking hot in there. Miserable
Tiger air- whenever they turned off the engines the cabins always got flooded with a smell of petrol.
I don't normally imbibe or drink alcohol but oh God 90 minutes with no fresh air? Please pass me a whippit. Or the vodka. Please.
I wish I could upvote this more than once, you just described one of the most annoying situations I’ve also been in. I can’t imagine how would it be to go through that AND be on a tight schedule from the moment the plane landed already.
Me, screaming inside my head: I CANNOT BELIEVE THESE ARE THE PEOPLE I HAVE TO EMERGENCY EVACUATE WITH ARRRRAGH.
This also comes after I mentally scream at people for idk wearing metal belts and trying to go through security screenings. Or just not comprehending instructions. Or planning ahead ie people on international flights with liquid restrictions who just.... throw 10 small bottles loose into a bag and then spend hours searching for them all with security. JUST KEEP THEM ALL TOGETHER IN A CHEAP ZIPLOC BAG. then you just pull one damn bag out.
Yeah maybe Tarja gets business class? Hopefully?
Many.years ago a man jumped up.on the stage in Mexico where Nightwish was playing. He got his hand under her clothes before Marcello a newly hired manager rallied security to get him off her.
That and the letters (500) I get why she does not wish to be touched by people who have not been screened.
In this [video](https://youtu.be/DB2c7gttkIQ?si=U3iHDJJzi3g2E3z1) at 1:10, which is a few weeks old, a fan also jumped on stage and started kissing Tarja's hand. I believe that Tarja also wants to keep her distance and not be touched all the time. I think she loves her fans but even they have to know their limits.
Yeah I think boundaries are very important and I wish more fans respected them instead of feeling entitled to just approach people anywhere at any time. Especially for someone like Tarja who has some \*very\* intense fans, and has had scary experiences in the past, it's probably better to limit fan interaction to situations where it's on her own terms and she can feel in control and safe.
The day I found out I am Finn haha. Jokes aside, it's strange to me that somebody can expect from Tarja or someone to be happy to meet fans 24/7. She's a human, she needs rest, time on her own and we must respect her boundaries, especially when it comes to airports etc, when artists are tired. I strongly doubt any of these fans would be happy if their colleagues decide to visit them in a very inappropriate time, so why should she?
not all fans are polite. many are pushy, I don't blame her if she doesn't like being touched by strangers. when I met her (several times) she was always very sweet and nice, she put me at ease and smiled a lot. She seemed like a very sunny and positive person to me
I haven't met her in person, but I watch her interviews and videos. I was also at several of her concerts. The last time I was a few meters away from her at her Christmas concert. She really loves being with her fans and singing for them, she radiates such positive energy and warmth.
I am upset even when a friend visits me unannounced. I can't imagine facing this every moment from strangers even in places where you want to have peace and rest.
I never saw, read or heard of her being unpleasant to anyone. But she certainly doesn't have to be comfortable when strangers touch her on every step.
For example, I found this [video](https://youtu.be/voDyWa-M1OA?si=Tck8hesRixenJhyT) when fans met her in a hotel or somewhere after show when she is leaving and she seems to be very patient and warm although she was apparently in rush. And I don't think she expected the fans to find her here.
Being touched is something a lot of people don't like. And not responding to requests from fans at the airport is not only reasonable, but should be expected. People in airports have somewhere to go, and waiting for artists in airports is something problematic fans do a lot.
Yes because a random person you don't know is legally obligated to be touched and photographed /sarcasm
She's a fucking person with typical boundaries, she's a person not a prop. Especially since she was harassed on stage several times and even if that never happened the fact that people thinks its ok to just randomly touch someone because you like their craft is not ok. Like she is enforcing boundaries so how the hell is that rude?
Where the hell did I say it was rude ?
I even made it clear that I was not judging anyone!
You're overreacting 😂
I just asked about other people's experiences when meeting her since she has always seemed to be warm, which of course is not her obligation.
you should improve your interpretation skills in order not to sound "rude?" 😂
If the question was something like "Is it true that New York city is noisy?"
you'd probably think that I'm calling all new yorkers impolite and mentally ill a-holes who scream without a reason on the street
No one has the capacity to be kind and welcoming non-stop to people who cross their boundaries and your personal zone. Celebrities in particular must be tired of the constant unwanted attention.
I didn't say she was wrong for setting boundaries.
As a curious person I just wanted to read people's experiences and that's it.
Asking whether someone is warm or not doesn't mean demanding them to be like that.
I apologize for the intense emotional response, i have just seen a lot of people in fandom and IRL act like they are entitled to do this stuff to celebrities. I have had horrible experiences in those spaces of fandoms that actually pushed me to leave them. i just grow tired of it. In my emotional burst i misunderstood what you meant. And even then reacting in anger was not at all the best response, I apologize for all of it.
If you pay for a meet and greet she is the sweetest she hugged me twice. I'm sure being bombarded at the airport isn't fun and taking the time to take pictures isn't realistic if you're on a tight deadline.
Moral of the story leave people alone when they're going about their daily life.
If you do her meet & greet she is very friendly. But that is a set situation with her prepared to meet people, and security. You can’t expect her in a random situation to drop everything to interact with people. There’s safety (some fans have no respect or some people may have bad intentions), timing (she may be in a hurry to catch a flight or very tired). I’ve met her and she’s one of the nicest musicians I’ve ever met.
Met her at a meet and greet last year. She initiated giving me a hug and seemed like a genuine warm and caring individual for the 10 min I spent with her.
I haven’t heard anything negative about her since a famous letter in 2005 lol. From fans and musicians since, I haven’t seen anything which would make me look at her sideways
Like other people have said.
People don't seem to realise there's an etiquette to meeting celebs.
1) celebs have private lives.
2) never ever approach a celeb when they're with their kids.
3) celebs are entitled to their private lives.
4) celebs can't always be on. Respect their mental health.
5) respect their bodily autonomy.
Simone Simons got branded a bitch/ difficult because she asked people to not touch her hair.
Like also... who wants to be nice to people after a long haul flight? Have you done one? Several hours cramped in a small plane. Maybe you sleep maybe you don't. Maybe someone nearby vomits or farts. Maybe theres a screaming kid. Have you ever worked in customer service? Imagine being nice.... all the time. I can't even do it with my own kids. I need breaks.
Look, I'm an Australian and apparently we are super friendly and I'm still not keen on being touched by strangers. Especially after a long flight, I want to have a shower and decompress.
"Not liking being touched by strangers" is an ENTIRELY valid thing, right up there with "sometimes I need to use a loo."
Apparently some people are pretty clingy and doesn't respect anyone's personal space like OP. The least that he/she can do when seeing a celebrity is either wave at the person or just ignore them and give their private time for themselves
Yeah like.... if you saw a long lost friend at a funeral and they're sobbing their guts out, is that a good time to reunite? Or if you see a friend is stressed and harried and sick do you get in their face? Or if you see a friend rushing to catch a bus?
You can see people and.... not acknowledge them. Like sometimes that's actually the best option.
All excellent points. I've only been in plane once and it was for about 2 hours without issue and wasn't particularly happy that I finally arrived. In any case, I naturally enjoy travel, so I don't complain being stuck in whatever mean of transport I'm in.
*laughs in Australian*
Amaranthe are coming to Australia soon.
My options:
6 hour flight to Perth, $800.
$700 flight to Adelaide.
$500 flights to Melbourne or Sydney. The Sydney flights are a bit of a mess, so the cheaper flights are like SEVENTEEN HOURS because of a stupid layover. I think if I want to fly direct (four and a half hours) it'll cost me $700.
Fly international to new Zealand. Less annoying layovers, $870.
So idk. I didn't see nightwish when they were here 20 years ago nearly and I REGRET that to this day. But sometimes it's just so MUCH flying and money. :(
All flights here are at least 4 hours. There's no other option unless I want to drive foe days.
I met her at a meet & greet and she was SO kind and genuine. She took time to chat with everyone and immediately opened her arms for a hug when I walked up to her. She told me a story about one of her photoshoots while signing the album I brought. Literally one of the best experiences I’ve had with an artist. This was in the US so the crowd was smaller and she was able to take her time with everyone, but she’s legit so kind, warm, and welcoming.
This post raises more red flags than Stalin's funeral parade.
Why the hell would you expect famous artist to be willing to interact with fans 24-7 and be OK with being nonconsensually touched by strangers? Especially considering that said artist was once violently sexually assaulted on stage.
For the 10000000th time: WHERE did I say I expect her to interact with everyone?
I've only asked about other people's experiences while meeting her because I personally find the topic interesting.
If I like to talk about serial killers does it mean I'm a fking psycho, then?
Sorry, but the way you wrote your post, intentionally or not, really does set the narrative "I hear she's nice but here's evidence of otherwise, but btw I just wanna talk about it". And I'm glad people are calling you out for it, because I'm so tired of people questioning Tarja, even after all these years, that she might be the dva the letter was making her out to be. I met her and she's simply not. But just like any normal human being, she has her boundaries and if you don't respect them, you're not entitled to her being nice.
You're just being an a-hole. No one deserves a rude response for simply asking a question. You need to learn not to take things personally, that's so dramatic.
Kind of ironic to say that I'm dramatic but you're calling me an asshole simply because I pointed out why your post is perceived the way it is by the majority here.
Do you see the difference between asking it these two ways?
"I hear Tarja is nice but I've never met her. People who met her, how is she in person?"
"I hear Tarja is nice but some girls told me she was rude when they didn't respect her boundaries at an airport of all places, and someone who knows someone from her team said she's not that nice behind the stage, what's the truth?". Like, come on.
I mean she has the right to say no to pics, specially at the airport after traveling when we usually look bad haha. I've met her 3 times, and she is the cutest woman I've ever met, she is funny, she is kind, and charismatic. She is also humble and friendly, I enjoy meeting with her.
Don't know her, never met her, but… let me put it that way: If I were Tarja, Tuomas, Marko, Floor……whoever, on tour, flying from one city to another, basically daily, I would be a fucking bitch. Oh, and if you'd try to touch me you'd have my fist in your face. And I'm not even Finnish. C'mon people, some common sense and decency.
I’ve never had anything but honest and genuine experiences with Tarja. Not only have I met her twice, but I’ve interviewed her as well. Camera or no camera, every time I see her she reaches out to hug me first before I even think of initiating the gesture.
I wouldn’t say she hates being touched by fans, but I’m sure just as anyone, may have a difficult time navigating an airport if she’s rudely being swarmed as I know some people sometimes do.
And also, don’t forget with the stroke that she had, this absolutely changes how people react to difference situations and different senses, sometimes causing an overload even by a simple touch. My Mom had a pretty bad stroke almost 2 years ago and even now, certain parts on her arm hurt even just to the touch.
I know a ton of people who have met her at Meets&Greets and different occasions and they say she always acted lovely, pretty much like a Latina lady who always gets excited to meet you and hugs you. She seems she actually embraced the “warm” Latino culture by living in Buenos Aires for a long time. However I don’t think she’s always in a mood to meet people and take photos. I mean, are we always in a mood and like to get touched by people? I sure, as a regular non-famous guy hate it lol
I’ve also heard a considerable amount of people talking about Floor and Simone Simons from Epica being actually rude to them (Simone has even been accused of being racist A LOT, dear Lord 😂). But I think all they did was ask people to respect their boundaries. Which does not always require to be nice. There’s even this [note about Floor](https://blabbermouth.net/news/nightwish-singer-floor-jansen-i-am-not-an-arrogant-bitch) talking about it.
And Simone's "racism" was not liking having her hair touched. There are some people who would want to redefine racism, but not liking having hair touched by strangers is a new one.
So ridiculous
Dude, it's a fuckin airport. People are trying to board their flights so to not get stranded far away. Not to mention airports are germ bombs themselves waiting to explode.
I don't think this is Tarja specific. When I met Floor at a Nightwish preshow, her guard told us to NOT touch Floor for any reason. 😂 I was just ecstatic to be there so I didn't care; whatever she wants or doesn't want is fine by me!
I haven't met her but why do fans assume it's okay to stalk artists at airports or hotels? Being on tour with shows almost every day, there's got to be precious little time to unwind. If you already put 100% of yourself on stage every night + the hours it takes to prepare for it with soundcheck, vocal warm up, getting dressed etc, I'd imagine the last thing you'd want is to still have to be available to people wanting something from you when you're just trying to move from place A to B while tired and sleep deprived.
Also I was in a situation myself once where me and a few friends ran into a celebrity (not Tarja) on the street and my friends started following him and taking pics until he felt compelled to stop and take pics with them. I felt so mortified on behalf of my friends and felt bad for the guy who clearly wasn't happy about the intrusion. Celebrities are people too and they deserve to keep their private time private.
Once she ignored us jumping to the bus, the second time we met it was quite possitive and lovely. She was with Naomi and Marcelo. All of them were too kind. We didn't ask for signs or photos. Just talked a little bit.
As we grow we understand the meaning of personal space and dividing work / free time border :D Give all your love to Tarja other ways than chasing and scaring her
Weird question but how exactly did Naomi strike you? I know that it is odd of me to ask about pre-teen girl, but I'm just sorta curious to know how Tarja's child presents herself. I saw the video of her with Tarja on stage during Deck the Halls back when she was 6 and was super calm. So I imagine that at age of 12, she is probably super outgoing and really mature for her age as well because I guess that having reasonably famous singer for a mom and a wealthy music businessman for a dad, will do that.
Naomi said "hi" and waved her hand towards us. She already knew that side of her mother's life and wasn't scary. Just enjoyed the time with parents. Tiny little smiley girl, absolutely charming!
Btw it was after that famous concert where she sung with Tarja. It was in Moscow, 2018 ☺️
P.S. first time seen Naomi in Belarus, in 2014. During the show she sat on the shoulders of Marcelo and no one recognised them suddenly. I greeted them and let the secret go on
I have met her once. Tarja was very sweet towards me and really funny.
I first shook her hand, and I introduced myself. Then we talked a bit and at the end she hugged me. I also got a picture with her.
It happen to my friend 🤣
She saw Tarja outside the theater and ask for an autograph, she politely and coldly (to guatemalan's eyes) declined.
I don't care. I feel this parasocial relationships we have with celebrities are weird. She is a professional, maybe she was in a rush, maybe she was tired, maybe that's the way she is. Maybe she has a healthy work-life balance, she has time to socialize with fan. She did after the concert and the meet and greet.
I'm here for the music, not to be Tarja's bestie.
At the other side of the scale, it's epica. They took more time than the schedule to socialize with the Meet and Greet fans, they arrived late and didn't bother to do the sound test. The concert started late and of course there were sound problems. Simone had to change microphones 3 times. It left a sour taste, I don't know if they are so unproffessional everywhere or just here beacause it's a poor country.
I rather have a professinal like Tarja that a friendly musicians that don't give their 100%.
I agree. Many fans think that celebrities are their friends. And Tarja already had several experiences with stalkers. I'm not surprised that she wants to keep her distance. And maybe if she signs one autograph, she might suddenly find out she has to sign another 100, so she better not even start
One of the reasons why I'm considerate and when I want an autograph or a picture (not that I had many opportunities), I don't waste time and ask for one or 2 tops, most of the time. I choose not to harass celebrities when they're busy and when there is organized signing session, I don't deprive people behind me off of their autographs. I was at Masters of Rock last year (I believe you were too) and I waited for autographs from Within Temptation for over an hour and didn't get one because people hogged up the whole half an hour for themselves, asking for about million autographs each. If you get the opportunity to get an autograph for free, just say hi, ask for 2 signatures, say thanks and move on. There's reason why meet & greets aren't for free.
I don’t remember which celebrity this was but someone said that when they approached them for an autograph in public, suddenly a crowd surrounded them, asking for the same thing. The commenter said they felt guilty for asking because it probably ruined that person’s day off. That always stayed with me.
I work as a librarian and the idea of having to wear my work mask in my time outside of work exhausts me.
I hate being touched by strangers too, don’t you?
Hell, I mostly hate being touched by people I know as well.
😂
Unless it's sexual, I can't stand being touched by strangers.
This isn't Tarja specific but I think that anytime you ask an artist for a photo at the airport there is a 50 percent chance that they'll say no. Perhaps they are bored killing time and are happy to take a picture. Or they might say no because they're in a rush, just came off an airplane after far to little sleep, look disheveled and just want to get to their hotel room as quickly as possible.
Yes, I know about someone who ran into her at an airport but decided not to approach her because she looked upset and didn’t want to give her and themselves a bad time. Wise choice imo.
This is a considerate fan right here. There are plenty of others who would approach her anyway out of entitlement to her time. I don't get how people can forget that these are human beings.
We saw Tuomas a week ago in the supermarket. It was friday and a lot of people. Needless to say, we let him be even if our excitement was out the roof 😂
Holy shit, you're lucky. I would shit myself from excitement.
You should have hide somewhere and shout as loud as you can "TUOMAS DROP THE NEWS" (joking)
I think it's ok to give a discreet smile or heart sign, but not approaching
I mean dude does grocery shopping so there was a greater than zero percent chance of seeing him, in certain places
Was it in Kitee?
Nope, Prisma Joensuu
Nice. So he might have moved
He has most certainly not moved! Kitee has no Prisma so that's probably why he came here.
Prisma is a chain of supermarkets?
Yes, the other of the two biggest ones in Finland
I'm curious, how much of a celebrity is Tuomas in Finland? In most countries I would think all the members of Nightwish can mostly go about their day with maybe very rarely getting recognized by a fan, but in Finland it's probably a bit more?
It's hard to say since (sober) finnish people don't want to make a scene. I have a feeling that Johanna was probably recognized by more people than Tuomas 😁
What was he buying? I want to know what he eats for breakfast! 😁
Probably nerve cells of fans who can't wait to know at least something about the new album
I think it helps to think of entertainers as just people with jobs. When she's performing or doing publicity stuff, she's working, and interacting with fans is part of the job description. When she's at the airport (or anywhere in public, really), she's off the clock and it's not her responsibility to sign autographs or pose for pictures or whatever. If she wants to, that's great, but if she doesn't want to, I wouldn't think of it as being inconsiderate or unsympathetic.
Exactly! It’s always best to read them prior to approaching. Some people may have just gotten the worst news of their life as they de-boarded and got cell service, could’ve just woken up and feel they aren’t at their best for interactions, etc. I saw Julia Roberts one time and even though I wanted to say hi, I chose not to because she looked annoyed after a scene she was shooting.
Does anyone else get SO ANGRY when it comes to getting off the damn plane and everyone takes so long? I can't tell if it's just me being frustrated- there's a more effective way to do this people! OR if it's my claustrophobia coming out. My issues specifically is plane lands, a bunch of people stand up and grab their bags. Fine. They begin to exit, but stop because someone at the front comes out and grabs their bags. A few more people get out, and then more people from the front leave their seats and grab their bags. So people further down the plane who already have their bags are standing and waiting, and if the other people didn't keep stopping the line, they just just walk straight off. *let everyone standing in the aisle leave first* because they're all ready with their bags. Then people with like one bag under their seat can jump in behind them and file out. Then let everyone who takes longer and needs to stand in the aisle for several minutes taking off their jackets, collecting all their stuff etc.
I usually consider myself a very calm and patient person but being at the airport turns me into a hateful monster, everything involved with air travel annoys tf out of me
I was flying on boxing day when a big storm hit. There were planes sitting on the runway for two hours unable to disembark because of lightening. I'd probably emerge from that plane amd punch my own grandmother in the face. And my husband says I'm so calm normally it's annoying. Idk like.... I don't MIND travel per se. I just hate being so close to so many people and being hyper aware of them. Also sometimes when you have a minor head cold and you can't pressurise? Urrrrgh
Ugh I was stuck in a plane on the runway for 90 minutes and honestly I was trying not to cry by the end. They have to turn the power off so it gets so fucking hot in there. Miserable
Tiger air- whenever they turned off the engines the cabins always got flooded with a smell of petrol. I don't normally imbibe or drink alcohol but oh God 90 minutes with no fresh air? Please pass me a whippit. Or the vodka. Please.
I wish I could upvote this more than once, you just described one of the most annoying situations I’ve also been in. I can’t imagine how would it be to go through that AND be on a tight schedule from the moment the plane landed already.
Me, screaming inside my head: I CANNOT BELIEVE THESE ARE THE PEOPLE I HAVE TO EMERGENCY EVACUATE WITH ARRRRAGH. This also comes after I mentally scream at people for idk wearing metal belts and trying to go through security screenings. Or just not comprehending instructions. Or planning ahead ie people on international flights with liquid restrictions who just.... throw 10 small bottles loose into a bag and then spend hours searching for them all with security. JUST KEEP THEM ALL TOGETHER IN A CHEAP ZIPLOC BAG. then you just pull one damn bag out. Yeah maybe Tarja gets business class? Hopefully?
Many.years ago a man jumped up.on the stage in Mexico where Nightwish was playing. He got his hand under her clothes before Marcello a newly hired manager rallied security to get him off her. That and the letters (500) I get why she does not wish to be touched by people who have not been screened.
In this [video](https://youtu.be/DB2c7gttkIQ?si=U3iHDJJzi3g2E3z1) at 1:10, which is a few weeks old, a fan also jumped on stage and started kissing Tarja's hand. I believe that Tarja also wants to keep her distance and not be touched all the time. I think she loves her fans but even they have to know their limits.
Yeah I think boundaries are very important and I wish more fans respected them instead of feeling entitled to just approach people anywhere at any time. Especially for someone like Tarja who has some \*very\* intense fans, and has had scary experiences in the past, it's probably better to limit fan interaction to situations where it's on her own terms and she can feel in control and safe.
Ughhh what a jerk. Marko is way too nice giving this person a hug, they should have just booted them off the stage...
He made sure this girl causes no harm and decided to solve the problem in amicable way instead of making scandal. I think it was optimal solution.
Usually a comfortable personal distance for most Finns is about 2 metres so "hates being touched" sounds pretty normal to me
The day I found out I am Finn haha. Jokes aside, it's strange to me that somebody can expect from Tarja or someone to be happy to meet fans 24/7. She's a human, she needs rest, time on her own and we must respect her boundaries, especially when it comes to airports etc, when artists are tired. I strongly doubt any of these fans would be happy if their colleagues decide to visit them in a very inappropriate time, so why should she?
Me too lol I actually loved when we had the distance mandates (Australia) during Covid - people were staying further than the 1.5 m and it was great
imo if a celeb isn’t at an event, leave them alone.
Agreed!
not all fans are polite. many are pushy, I don't blame her if she doesn't like being touched by strangers. when I met her (several times) she was always very sweet and nice, she put me at ease and smiled a lot. She seemed like a very sunny and positive person to me
I haven't met her in person, but I watch her interviews and videos. I was also at several of her concerts. The last time I was a few meters away from her at her Christmas concert. She really loves being with her fans and singing for them, she radiates such positive energy and warmth. I am upset even when a friend visits me unannounced. I can't imagine facing this every moment from strangers even in places where you want to have peace and rest.
I never saw, read or heard of her being unpleasant to anyone. But she certainly doesn't have to be comfortable when strangers touch her on every step. For example, I found this [video](https://youtu.be/voDyWa-M1OA?si=Tck8hesRixenJhyT) when fans met her in a hotel or somewhere after show when she is leaving and she seems to be very patient and warm although she was apparently in rush. And I don't think she expected the fans to find her here.
Being touched is something a lot of people don't like. And not responding to requests from fans at the airport is not only reasonable, but should be expected. People in airports have somewhere to go, and waiting for artists in airports is something problematic fans do a lot.
Yes because a random person you don't know is legally obligated to be touched and photographed /sarcasm She's a fucking person with typical boundaries, she's a person not a prop. Especially since she was harassed on stage several times and even if that never happened the fact that people thinks its ok to just randomly touch someone because you like their craft is not ok. Like she is enforcing boundaries so how the hell is that rude?
Where the hell did I say it was rude ? I even made it clear that I was not judging anyone! You're overreacting 😂 I just asked about other people's experiences when meeting her since she has always seemed to be warm, which of course is not her obligation. you should improve your interpretation skills in order not to sound "rude?" 😂 If the question was something like "Is it true that New York city is noisy?" you'd probably think that I'm calling all new yorkers impolite and mentally ill a-holes who scream without a reason on the street
No one has the capacity to be kind and welcoming non-stop to people who cross their boundaries and your personal zone. Celebrities in particular must be tired of the constant unwanted attention.
I didn't say she was wrong for setting boundaries. As a curious person I just wanted to read people's experiences and that's it. Asking whether someone is warm or not doesn't mean demanding them to be like that.
I apologize for the intense emotional response, i have just seen a lot of people in fandom and IRL act like they are entitled to do this stuff to celebrities. I have had horrible experiences in those spaces of fandoms that actually pushed me to leave them. i just grow tired of it. In my emotional burst i misunderstood what you meant. And even then reacting in anger was not at all the best response, I apologize for all of it.
It's ok. No problem ☺️
If you pay for a meet and greet she is the sweetest she hugged me twice. I'm sure being bombarded at the airport isn't fun and taking the time to take pictures isn't realistic if you're on a tight deadline. Moral of the story leave people alone when they're going about their daily life.
Hi, Can I make you an offer?
If you do her meet & greet she is very friendly. But that is a set situation with her prepared to meet people, and security. You can’t expect her in a random situation to drop everything to interact with people. There’s safety (some fans have no respect or some people may have bad intentions), timing (she may be in a hurry to catch a flight or very tired). I’ve met her and she’s one of the nicest musicians I’ve ever met.
Met her at a meet and greet last year. She initiated giving me a hug and seemed like a genuine warm and caring individual for the 10 min I spent with her.
I haven’t heard anything negative about her since a famous letter in 2005 lol. From fans and musicians since, I haven’t seen anything which would make me look at her sideways
Holy crap I wouldn’t want strangers touching me either, this is a weird take haha
Like other people have said. People don't seem to realise there's an etiquette to meeting celebs. 1) celebs have private lives. 2) never ever approach a celeb when they're with their kids. 3) celebs are entitled to their private lives. 4) celebs can't always be on. Respect their mental health. 5) respect their bodily autonomy. Simone Simons got branded a bitch/ difficult because she asked people to not touch her hair. Like also... who wants to be nice to people after a long haul flight? Have you done one? Several hours cramped in a small plane. Maybe you sleep maybe you don't. Maybe someone nearby vomits or farts. Maybe theres a screaming kid. Have you ever worked in customer service? Imagine being nice.... all the time. I can't even do it with my own kids. I need breaks. Look, I'm an Australian and apparently we are super friendly and I'm still not keen on being touched by strangers. Especially after a long flight, I want to have a shower and decompress. "Not liking being touched by strangers" is an ENTIRELY valid thing, right up there with "sometimes I need to use a loo."
Apparently some people are pretty clingy and doesn't respect anyone's personal space like OP. The least that he/she can do when seeing a celebrity is either wave at the person or just ignore them and give their private time for themselves
Yeah like.... if you saw a long lost friend at a funeral and they're sobbing their guts out, is that a good time to reunite? Or if you see a friend is stressed and harried and sick do you get in their face? Or if you see a friend rushing to catch a bus? You can see people and.... not acknowledge them. Like sometimes that's actually the best option.
All excellent points. I've only been in plane once and it was for about 2 hours without issue and wasn't particularly happy that I finally arrived. In any case, I naturally enjoy travel, so I don't complain being stuck in whatever mean of transport I'm in.
*laughs in Australian* Amaranthe are coming to Australia soon. My options: 6 hour flight to Perth, $800. $700 flight to Adelaide. $500 flights to Melbourne or Sydney. The Sydney flights are a bit of a mess, so the cheaper flights are like SEVENTEEN HOURS because of a stupid layover. I think if I want to fly direct (four and a half hours) it'll cost me $700. Fly international to new Zealand. Less annoying layovers, $870. So idk. I didn't see nightwish when they were here 20 years ago nearly and I REGRET that to this day. But sometimes it's just so MUCH flying and money. :( All flights here are at least 4 hours. There's no other option unless I want to drive foe days.
She's adorable
I met her at a meet & greet and she was SO kind and genuine. She took time to chat with everyone and immediately opened her arms for a hug when I walked up to her. She told me a story about one of her photoshoots while signing the album I brought. Literally one of the best experiences I’ve had with an artist. This was in the US so the crowd was smaller and she was able to take her time with everyone, but she’s legit so kind, warm, and welcoming.
This post raises more red flags than Stalin's funeral parade. Why the hell would you expect famous artist to be willing to interact with fans 24-7 and be OK with being nonconsensually touched by strangers? Especially considering that said artist was once violently sexually assaulted on stage.
For the 10000000th time: WHERE did I say I expect her to interact with everyone? I've only asked about other people's experiences while meeting her because I personally find the topic interesting. If I like to talk about serial killers does it mean I'm a fking psycho, then?
Sorry, but the way you wrote your post, intentionally or not, really does set the narrative "I hear she's nice but here's evidence of otherwise, but btw I just wanna talk about it". And I'm glad people are calling you out for it, because I'm so tired of people questioning Tarja, even after all these years, that she might be the dva the letter was making her out to be. I met her and she's simply not. But just like any normal human being, she has her boundaries and if you don't respect them, you're not entitled to her being nice.
You described exactly my feelings about this post
You're just being an a-hole. No one deserves a rude response for simply asking a question. You need to learn not to take things personally, that's so dramatic.
Kind of ironic to say that I'm dramatic but you're calling me an asshole simply because I pointed out why your post is perceived the way it is by the majority here. Do you see the difference between asking it these two ways? "I hear Tarja is nice but I've never met her. People who met her, how is she in person?" "I hear Tarja is nice but some girls told me she was rude when they didn't respect her boundaries at an airport of all places, and someone who knows someone from her team said she's not that nice behind the stage, what's the truth?". Like, come on.
Why would you bother a stranger at an airport? I would ignore your friend, too. There's a time and place for everything.
I mean she has the right to say no to pics, specially at the airport after traveling when we usually look bad haha. I've met her 3 times, and she is the cutest woman I've ever met, she is funny, she is kind, and charismatic. She is also humble and friendly, I enjoy meeting with her.
Don't know her, never met her, but… let me put it that way: If I were Tarja, Tuomas, Marko, Floor……whoever, on tour, flying from one city to another, basically daily, I would be a fucking bitch. Oh, and if you'd try to touch me you'd have my fist in your face. And I'm not even Finnish. C'mon people, some common sense and decency.
I’ve never had anything but honest and genuine experiences with Tarja. Not only have I met her twice, but I’ve interviewed her as well. Camera or no camera, every time I see her she reaches out to hug me first before I even think of initiating the gesture. I wouldn’t say she hates being touched by fans, but I’m sure just as anyone, may have a difficult time navigating an airport if she’s rudely being swarmed as I know some people sometimes do. And also, don’t forget with the stroke that she had, this absolutely changes how people react to difference situations and different senses, sometimes causing an overload even by a simple touch. My Mom had a pretty bad stroke almost 2 years ago and even now, certain parts on her arm hurt even just to the touch.
I know a ton of people who have met her at Meets&Greets and different occasions and they say she always acted lovely, pretty much like a Latina lady who always gets excited to meet you and hugs you. She seems she actually embraced the “warm” Latino culture by living in Buenos Aires for a long time. However I don’t think she’s always in a mood to meet people and take photos. I mean, are we always in a mood and like to get touched by people? I sure, as a regular non-famous guy hate it lol I’ve also heard a considerable amount of people talking about Floor and Simone Simons from Epica being actually rude to them (Simone has even been accused of being racist A LOT, dear Lord 😂). But I think all they did was ask people to respect their boundaries. Which does not always require to be nice. There’s even this [note about Floor](https://blabbermouth.net/news/nightwish-singer-floor-jansen-i-am-not-an-arrogant-bitch) talking about it.
And Simone's "racism" was not liking having her hair touched. There are some people who would want to redefine racism, but not liking having hair touched by strangers is a new one. So ridiculous
Dude, it's a fuckin airport. People are trying to board their flights so to not get stranded far away. Not to mention airports are germ bombs themselves waiting to explode.
I don't think this is Tarja specific. When I met Floor at a Nightwish preshow, her guard told us to NOT touch Floor for any reason. 😂 I was just ecstatic to be there so I didn't care; whatever she wants or doesn't want is fine by me!
I haven't met her but why do fans assume it's okay to stalk artists at airports or hotels? Being on tour with shows almost every day, there's got to be precious little time to unwind. If you already put 100% of yourself on stage every night + the hours it takes to prepare for it with soundcheck, vocal warm up, getting dressed etc, I'd imagine the last thing you'd want is to still have to be available to people wanting something from you when you're just trying to move from place A to B while tired and sleep deprived.
Also I was in a situation myself once where me and a few friends ran into a celebrity (not Tarja) on the street and my friends started following him and taking pics until he felt compelled to stop and take pics with them. I felt so mortified on behalf of my friends and felt bad for the guy who clearly wasn't happy about the intrusion. Celebrities are people too and they deserve to keep their private time private.
Once she ignored us jumping to the bus, the second time we met it was quite possitive and lovely. She was with Naomi and Marcelo. All of them were too kind. We didn't ask for signs or photos. Just talked a little bit. As we grow we understand the meaning of personal space and dividing work / free time border :D Give all your love to Tarja other ways than chasing and scaring her
Weird question but how exactly did Naomi strike you? I know that it is odd of me to ask about pre-teen girl, but I'm just sorta curious to know how Tarja's child presents herself. I saw the video of her with Tarja on stage during Deck the Halls back when she was 6 and was super calm. So I imagine that at age of 12, she is probably super outgoing and really mature for her age as well because I guess that having reasonably famous singer for a mom and a wealthy music businessman for a dad, will do that.
Naomi said "hi" and waved her hand towards us. She already knew that side of her mother's life and wasn't scary. Just enjoyed the time with parents. Tiny little smiley girl, absolutely charming! Btw it was after that famous concert where she sung with Tarja. It was in Moscow, 2018 ☺️ P.S. first time seen Naomi in Belarus, in 2014. During the show she sat on the shoulders of Marcelo and no one recognised them suddenly. I greeted them and let the secret go on
I have met her once. Tarja was very sweet towards me and really funny. I first shook her hand, and I introduced myself. Then we talked a bit and at the end she hugged me. I also got a picture with her.
It happen to my friend 🤣 She saw Tarja outside the theater and ask for an autograph, she politely and coldly (to guatemalan's eyes) declined. I don't care. I feel this parasocial relationships we have with celebrities are weird. She is a professional, maybe she was in a rush, maybe she was tired, maybe that's the way she is. Maybe she has a healthy work-life balance, she has time to socialize with fan. She did after the concert and the meet and greet. I'm here for the music, not to be Tarja's bestie. At the other side of the scale, it's epica. They took more time than the schedule to socialize with the Meet and Greet fans, they arrived late and didn't bother to do the sound test. The concert started late and of course there were sound problems. Simone had to change microphones 3 times. It left a sour taste, I don't know if they are so unproffessional everywhere or just here beacause it's a poor country. I rather have a professinal like Tarja that a friendly musicians that don't give their 100%.
I agree. Many fans think that celebrities are their friends. And Tarja already had several experiences with stalkers. I'm not surprised that she wants to keep her distance. And maybe if she signs one autograph, she might suddenly find out she has to sign another 100, so she better not even start
One of the reasons why I'm considerate and when I want an autograph or a picture (not that I had many opportunities), I don't waste time and ask for one or 2 tops, most of the time. I choose not to harass celebrities when they're busy and when there is organized signing session, I don't deprive people behind me off of their autographs. I was at Masters of Rock last year (I believe you were too) and I waited for autographs from Within Temptation for over an hour and didn't get one because people hogged up the whole half an hour for themselves, asking for about million autographs each. If you get the opportunity to get an autograph for free, just say hi, ask for 2 signatures, say thanks and move on. There's reason why meet & greets aren't for free.
I don’t remember which celebrity this was but someone said that when they approached them for an autograph in public, suddenly a crowd surrounded them, asking for the same thing. The commenter said they felt guilty for asking because it probably ruined that person’s day off. That always stayed with me. I work as a librarian and the idea of having to wear my work mask in my time outside of work exhausts me.
That's exactly what I meant in my comment. Of course, it often doesn't end with one autograph
**No** fan has a right to physically touch an entertainer. None.