Ville Valo

Ville Valo

Ville Hermanni Valo () (born November 22, 1976), is a Finnish singer, songwriter, and frontman of the Finnish rock band HIM. They have released six studio albums and four compilation albums. They became the first Finnish rock band to achieve a gold record in the United States. Valo was also the drummer for the spin-off rock band Daniel Lioneye which featured their guitarist on vocals. Valo is friends with American actor/pro-skateboarder Bam Margera, and HIM's music has been featured in Margera's projects. He is a vegetarian.

Early life

Ville Hermanni Valo was born in a small wooden house in a suburb of Helsinki, Finland called Vallila. His father, Kari, is Finnish and his mother is of Hungarian descent named Anita. Soon after his birth, the family moved to the riverside community of Oulunkylä, where they lived throughout his teenage years. In his late teens, he worked at his father's sex shop and later moved out on his own when he was 18. As a child, Valo was influenced by his music-loving parents who exposed him to the songs of popular Finnish performers such as Tapio Rautavaara and Rauli Badding Somerjoki, while an older cousin introduced him to the heavier sounds of bands like Kiss, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. Valo's first musical step was as a three year old bongo drummer.

HIM and other side projects

Main articles: HIM (Finnish band) and HIM discography

• Skreppers & Ville Valo (1995)
• Apocalyptica & Ville Valo (1996)
• The 69 Eyes & Ville Valo (1997)
• Tehosekoitin & Ville Valo (1999)
• The 69 Eyes & Ville Valo (1999)
• Neljä Ruusua & HIM (1999)
• Agents & Ville Valo - Paratiisi, Jykevää On Rakkaus, Ikkunaprinsessa, Valo Yössä (Tuomari Nurmio Cover) (1999)
• Tributti Tuomari Nurmio: Ville Valo & Others (2000)
• The 69 Eyes & Ville Valo (2000)
• Musta Paraati, Ville Valo, Gas Lipstick & Others (2001)
• Daniel Lioneye And The Rollers/Daniel Lioneye And The Blues Explosion (2001)
• The 69 Eyes & Thulsa Doom (2001)
• Five Fifteen & Ville Valo - The Prostitute & Season Of The Witch (2001)
• The 69 Eyes & Ville Valo (2002)
• The Skreppers, Ville Valo, Migé Amour & Lily Lazer (2002)
• The Mission & Ville Valo (2002)
• Lowemotor Corporation & Ville Valo - Love Me (2003/2004)
• The Skreppers & Ville Valo (2004)
• The 69 Eyes & Ville Valo - Beneath the Blue (2004)
• Apocalyptica feat. Ville Valo & Lauri Ylönen - Bittersweet (2004) (FIN: #1, D: #6)
• Two Witches & Ville Valo - Dracula Rising (2005)
• Bloodhound Gang feat. Ville Valo - Something Diabolical (2005)
• Isabelle´s Gift feat. Ville Valo - If I Die Tonight (2006)
• Cradle of Filth feat. Ville Valo - The Byronic Man, Sweet Dreams (2006)
• Ville Valo & Tommi Viksten - Kun Minä Kotoani Läksin (2006)
• Kari Tapio & Ville Valo - Täällä Pohjantähden Alla (2006)
• Ville Valo & Natalia Avelon - Summer Wine (2007) (FIN: #1, D: #2, AU: #4, CH: #2, GR: #1)
• Ville Valo & Mariam "Manna" Jäntti - Just for Tonight (2007)

External links

• Official website of HIM
• UK HIM website of HIM
• Ville Valo at Notable Names Database
• Ville Valo at Internet Movie Database
• Ville Valo interview on SuicideGirls 2007