Christmas songs brings happy memories, bright decorations and familiar melodies. But Tarja Turunen has a different vision of what the holiday season should look. On Oct 31, 2023, she released her own take on “Frosty the Snowman”, turning one of the most recognisable Christmas songs into a dark and haunting winter ballad.
Released as the lead single from her album “Dark Christmas” the track takes a very different road from the cheerful original. And releasing it on Halloween was a perfect choice. After all, this isn’t the kind of Frosty you would expect to find in a children Christmas cartoon.
A Dark New Life for a Christmas Classic
Originally written by Walter E. “Jack” Rollins and Steve Nelson in 1950 “Frosty the Snowman” has been part of Christmas music for generations. Its familiar melody is usually connected with fun, snowmen and holiday cheer.
Tarja changes that feeling completely.
Her classical soprano voice is the lead on the song, supported by a large orchestra and children’s choir. The music doesn make it sound like a happy Christmas party, it gives it a creepy, almost movie like feel.
The result is a version that feels closer to a winter story told in the middle of a dark forest. The familiar song is still there, but the mood has changed. Tarja doesn’t need to turn it into a metal track to make it darker. Her voice and the orchestral sound do the work.
The Story Behind “Dark Christmas”
“Frosty the Snowman” was the first single from Tarja’s 2023 studio album “Dark Christmas” released on November 10 through earMUSIC.
The album continues the idea she explored on her 2017 holiday record “From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas)”. Rather than following the usual bright and cheerful Christmas sound, Tarja wanted to create something for listeners who don’t connect with traditional holiday music or prefer a more mysterious side of the season.
The choir also plays an important part in the sound. The arrangements feature the British International School of Marbella Kids Choir, alongside producer and arranger Jim Dooley. That contrast between Tarja’s operatic voice and the children’s choir gives the song an unusual character.
It sounds like a Christmas memory, but one with a few shadows hiding behind it.
A Gothic Winter Video
The official music video follows the same dark direction. Filmed in a snowy woodland, features winter landscapes, candles and performances with piano and harp.
Tarja appears in a dark hooded outfit with gothic makeup while figures dressed in white robes add to the strange, almost dreamlike atmosphere.
It’s a fitting visual match for the music. There are no bright Christmas lights or traditional holiday scenes taking center stage. Instead, the video feels like a winter fantasy with a gothic twist.
The single was also part of a much bigger visual project connected to “Dark Christmas” which included 12 music videos and a full-length feature film mix in Dolby Atmos.
Christmas Doesn’t Always Have to Be Cheerful
What makes Tarja’s version of “Frosty the Snowman” interesting is how much she changes the feeling of a song without losing its identity. You still recognize the Christmas classic but the familiar melody now lives in a completely different world.
Releasing it on Halloween was a clever way to introduce an album that doesn’t follow the usual holiday rules. And for anyone who enjoys gothic atmospheres, orchestral music and Tarja unique voice, this version offers something different from the Christmas songs that fill the radio every December.
So, would you put Tarja’s “Frosty the Snowman” on your Christmas playlist or is this a little too dark for the holiday season?
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