Ex-NIGHTWISH vocalist Tarja Turunen has checked in with the following update:

"Regards from chilly Buenos Aires!

Here is winter while in Finland is summer. This is no news, but it is still very weird when you travel frequently and change the continents that the climate changes dramatically and you need some time to adjust to it.

I am preparing myself for the South American tour, which is going to start pretty soon. This tour is something that I've been waiting for so long. It is no lie to tell that it is one of my biggest dreams to be able to perform in this continent. Local people here are very emotional and passionate and they want to show their love for music and the artists.

Soon the rehearsals for the tour will take place in Mexico. I am looking forward to see how Kiko (Loureiro/ANGRA guitarist) and the rest of us will get the ball rolling and rocking. I am very excited! So take your camera with you to the concerts, to capture the unique atmosphere and performance of this group of people. You never know when this is going to happen again.

One of the personal highlights of the tour will be definitely the return to Guadalajara, Mexico. As some of you might know, some nasty, bad things happened there to me many years ago while performing on stage. Because of this, specially, I wished to get an opportunity to go there again. I want to get a nicer memory of the city and its people and to heal my scars. In the end, I can't blame all the audience for one stupid man's behaviour. I miss my fans in Mexico and I will be very delighted to sing for you again.

Before the tour still, next week I am going to spend it in Los Angeles. There I will meet some familiar people from film music scene that were already working with me earlier. And also I am looking forward to meet very interesting and great composers for the first time. Let's see what kind of songs we are going to create together! I am sure it will be a great experience for me to write with them.

I am continuing doing promotion for the first album, even though my thoughts are already in the next one. It is good to know that there is still a lot of work to do for 'My Winter Storm', since the touring keeps on going.

At the moment, I am writing new songs, alone, here at home. A sort of déjà vu that reminds me of the beginning of the process of 'My Winter Storm'. The biggest difference is that now, songs are flowing constantly and I am very anxious to start the production and recordings once again. I have already told you the name of one new song: 'The Crying Moon'. Not a ballad as most of you wrongly guessed.

Here goes another name of a song we composed in Antigua with Michelle and Kiko: 'Enough'. You won't need to wait too long to listen to it. I decided to perform it live in South America."

Turunen's South American tour schedule is as follows:

August

14 - Monterrey, Mexico - Cafe Iguana
16 - Mexico City, Mexico - Circo Volador
17 - Guadalajara, Mexico - Teatro Estudio Cavaret
20 - Bogota, Colombia - Downtown Majestic
23 - Sao Paolo, Brazil - Credicard Hall
24 - Curitiba, Brazil - Helloch
26 - Porto Allegre, Brazil - Bar Opinao
28 - tbc
30 - Belo Horizonte, Brazil - Lapa Multshow
31 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Canecao

September

3 - Santiago De Chile, Chile - Teatro Caupolican
6 - Buenos Aries, Argentina - Estadio Pepsi Music