Ville Valo
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ville Hermanni Valo |
| Also known as | Don Vittu[1], Valo, Rakohammas |
| Born | November 22, 1976 Helsinki, Finland |
| Origin | Finland |
| Genre(s) | Alternative Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, piano, bass, drums |
| Years active | 1991 - Present |
| Associated acts | HIM Daniel Lioneye |
| Website | Official website |
Ville Hermanni Valo (pronunciation ) (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.
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[edit] 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.[2] 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. [2]Valo's first musical step was as a three year old drummer.[2]
[edit] 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 (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)
[edit] Tattoos
Ville has several tattoos including a sleeve on his left arm, a heartagram on the back of his neck, he used to have an "S" on the left side of his chest, which he got tattooed in honor of his girlfriend, Susanna. However, it is now covered with a heartagram, along his hip line is a vinal heartagram, the eyes of Edgar Allan Poe on his back with heartagrams in the pupils, portraits of Charles Bukowski, Timo Mukka and Charles Baudelaire on his right arm, Venus Doom inside his right arm, the letter "J" on his ring finger for former fiance Jonna Nygren which he is getting removed, and a heart, the letters "D.I.L.L.I.G.A.F., and words "When I love..I love" on his wrist. Close friend Bam Margera shares many of these. MAY written on the right side of his chest, and a couple on his legs from the folder to Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights. Some of Ville's tattoo work has been done by Kat Von D of LA Ink.
[edit] Trivia
- Valo lives in a supposedly haunted neogothic tower in Helsinki. [3],
- He got out of rehab on May 2007 and since then he hasn't drunk any alcohol. [4]
- He suffers from asthma.
- He used to smoke over a hundred cigarettes a day. [5]
- He is a vegetarian. [6]
- He invented the symbol called a heartagram one day after his 20th birthday. Valo:"It was my first and last Einstein-moment." [7]
[edit] References
- ^ Slessor, D, "Random Question Generator", pg 44. Kerrang!, 21 May 2008
- ^ a b c [1]. Heartagram.org. Retrieved November 21, 2007.
- ^ Slessor, D, "Random Question Generator", pg 44. Kerrang!, 21 May 2008
- ^ Slitz magazine [2][3], 22 May 2008
- ^ Slessor, D, "Random Question Generator", pg 44. Kerrang!, 21 May 2008
- ^ Slitz magazine [4][5], 22 May 2008
- ^ Slitz magazine [6][7], 22 May 2008
[edit] 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
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