Nightwish and ReVamp singer Floor Jansen has hit back at criticism of how she deals with fans, insisting: “I am not an arrogant bitch.”
Jansen – currently on tour in South America with ReVamp – has come in for stick from some fans who say she is a diva and that she refuses to engage with them on official ‘meet and greet’ appointments.
The online abuse has prompted Jansen to take to Facebook and write an open letter to fans, in which she explains that she does not like to be touched by strangers.
She says: “When I have the opportunity to meet fans that support me, I always try to do so. However sometimes it’s not possible to meet, this is not because I don’t want to, but more because time or energy doesn’t allow it. It’s nothing personal.
“If I meet people and I ask not to touch me, this again is nothing personal. I don’t like it. Some people are more physical than others and I am not comfortable with touching strangers or being grabbed.
“There are dozens of people every day who want this and I try to politely tell people not to touch. It’s a personal boundary I ask people to respect. If you’re a fan you should be able to respect this.”
Jansen has also come under fire for her attitude to fans using mobile phones or cameras during shows.
In the letter, she says: “During the first show in Brazil I almost tumbled over on stage because I lost my balance at the moment more than a 100 people at the same time used their flash on their photo cameras. I asked people to stop using flash because of that, in a nice way… I had to repeat this request a few times. I’m sad that some people got mad and called me a diva for it.”
Last week, Jansen recalled how a nervous breakdown inspired some of ReVamp’s material and added that is doesn’t always feel up to meeting fans.
