Sami Vänskä facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sami Vänskä
Background information
Born	(1976-09-26) 26 September 1976 (age 48)
Origin	Finland
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Bass, drums
Years active	1994–2008, 2016

Sami Vänskä is a talented musician from Finland, born on September 26, 1976. He is best known as the former bass player for the famous Finnish band Nightwish. Nightwish plays a type of music called symphonic metal, which mixes heavy rock sounds with grand orchestral music, like what you hear in movies.

Sami's Musical Journey

Sami Vänskä began his musical adventure at a young age. He started playing the bass guitar when he was just nine years old, attending music school to learn the instrument.

Early Inspirations

When Sami was learning to play, he looked up to many great bands. Some of his biggest inspirations for bass playing included Rush, Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Metallica. These bands helped shape his unique style. Besides music, Sami also studied computer science at university.

Joining Nightwish

Before joining Nightwish, Sami played in a band called Nattvindens Gråt. The members of Nightwish, including Emppu Vuorinen, Tuomas Holopainen, and Jukka Nevalainen, remembered Sami from his previous band. They invited him to join Nightwish as their bass player.

Sami first appeared on Nightwish's second studio album, Oceanborn, which was released in 1998. He then joined the band for their tours, traveling and performing their music for fans around the world.

Working on New Albums

Sami continued to play bass on Nightwish's third studio album, Wishmaster, which came out in 2000. He also toured to support this album. In 2001, he played on the band's EP (a shorter album) called Over the Hills and Far Away.

After the tour for the EP, Sami left Nightwish. Sometimes, musicians have different ideas about how the music should sound. This can lead to changes in a band.

Life After Nightwish

After leaving Nightwish, Sami Vänskä continued to make music. He played in a blues band called Root Remedy.

Years later, in April 2016, Tuomas Holopainen from Nightwish asked Sami if he would like to perform with them again for one song. Sami agreed, and on August 20, 2016, he joined his former bandmates on stage. He played bass for the song "Stargazers," which was a special moment for both the band and their fans.

Music Albums

Sami Vänskä has played on several albums throughout his career.

With Nightwish

• Studio albums:

* Oceanborn (1998) * Wishmaster (2000)

• Live albums and EPs:

* From Wishes to Eternity (2001) * Over the Hills and Far Away (2001)

With Nattvindens Gråt

• Studio albums:

* A Bard's Tale (1995) * Chaos Without Theory (1997)

See also

In Spanish: Sami Vänskä para niños