Biography
Who is Marco Hietala?
Early life and real name
Marko Tapani Hietala was born in Tervo, Finland, on January 14, 1966. He was the youngest child of the Hietala family and spent his early years in Tervo until the age of 15. Afterward, he moved to Kuopio to study classical guitar, vocals, and musical theory in high school.
Before starting his full-time career in music, he worked as a live and studio sound engineer. His brother is Zachary Hietala, with whom he later formed a heavy metal band.
Tarot and early musical projects
In 1984, Marco Hietala and his brother Zachary formed the heavy metal band Tarot under the initial name Purgatory. Two years later, in 1986, the band secured a record deal for their first album and went on tour.
As a member of Tarot, he contributed as the vocalist, bass player, composer, and lyricist. While on tour with Tarot in 1998, he first met the members of the band Nightwish in Siilinjärvi, where they served as an opening act.
Joining Nightwish and career highlights
Marco Hietala joined Nightwish in 2001 after receiving a call from Tuomas Holopainen and the band's manager offering him a place as a vocalist and bass player. His first album with the group was Century Child, which followed the departure of previous bassist Sami Vänskä.
He added a new dimension to the band with his distinctive raucous voice, performing duets with vocalist Tarja Turunen and taking over lead vocal duties during mid-show breaks. Following Turunen's departure, he took on a much larger role in the production of the 2007 album Dark Passion Play and co-wrote songs such as The Islander and The Crow, the Owl and the Dove.
Solo work and recent activities
Marco Hietala released his first solo album, Mustan sydämen rovio, in May 2019 under his birth name Marko Hietala, describing the style as hard prog. An English version titled Pyre of the Black Heart followed in January 2020.
He participated in and won the Finnish edition of Masked Singer in 2020. In subsequent years, he reunited with Northern Kings for a festival performance and collaborated again with former bandmate Tarja Turunen on tour and on the single Left on Mars, before releasing his second solo album Roses from the Deep in February 2025.
Birthday and age
Marco Hietala was born on January 14, 1966, which makes Marco 60 years old today. That birthday falls under the Capricorn sign. Marco shares the date with 28 other famous people.
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