ALYSON AVENUE will perform with former vocalist Anette Olzon at the Malmö Melodic festival in Malmö, Sweden, in 2027. The appearance will reunite Olzon with the Swedish melodic rock band more than two decades after she first joined its line-up.
The festival has also confirmed W.E.T., Paul Laine, Cassidy Paris, Newman, GRAND, Michael Catton, The Night Flight Orchestra, Crashdïet, Hartmann, The Mind Palace, Civil Daze, Stiletto and Care of Night. The announcement did not give a specific date for ALYSON AVENUE’s performance.
Olzon returns to the stage
Olzon initially joined ALYSON AVENUE as a studio vocalist before becoming the band’s primary female singer. She left in 2006, after appearing on the group’s first two albums, “Presence of Mind” and “Omega”. The band released its debut in November 2000 after a four-track demo helped secure a contract with AOR Heaven, while “Omega” followed in 2004.
Olzon went on to become the lead vocalist of NIGHTWISH in 2007, replacing Tarja Turunen. She was selected after the band considered around 2,000 candidates. Her original audition included a performance of NIGHTWISH’s 2002 song “Ever Dream”, and she later sent the band a live DVD showing her work with ALYSON AVENUE.
Arabella Vitanc leads today
Arabella Vitanc has been ALYSON AVENUE’s lead vocalist since joining the band in May 2009. She took over after Olzon’s departure and remained connected to the group through its later return to live performance. ALYSON AVENUE reformed in 2018 and played at Melodicrockfest Scandinavia in Malmö in early June that year.
The 2027 Malmö appearance will therefore bring Olzon back to the band’s home-country festival circuit, while Vitanc represents the line-up that has led ALYSON AVENUE since the late 2000s.
