Ville Hermanni Valo Finnish musician, singer, composer Date of Birth: 22.11.1976 Country: Finland

Ville Valo Biography

Ville Valo is a Finnish musician, singer, composer, and the frontman of the band HIM. He was born in Vallila, a suburb of Helsinki, Finland. His father, Kari Valo, was a taxi driver and later owned a sex shop. His mother, Anita, is of Hungarian descent. Ville is the older of the two sons, with his brother Jesse being six years younger.

From a young age, Valo had a passion for music and was introduced by his parents to Finnish artists such as Tapio Rautavaara and Rauli Somerjoki. As a teenager, he became a fan of hard rock bands like Kiss and Black Sabbath. Valo is also a lover of literature, particularly the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

Valo initially studied at a conservatory in Helsinki but later worked as a salesman in his father's sex shop. He began his music career as a teenager, playing drums and keyboards in little-known bands such as B.L.O.O.D., Eloveena Boys, Kemoterapia, and others during the late 80s.

In 1991, Valo founded his own band called His Infernal Majesty, initially performing cover versions of Black Sabbath songs. The name was inspired by a false legend claiming that Kiss stands for "Knights In Satan Service." The band was later renamed HIM and started releasing their own material.

Realizing that music could be a profitable career, Valo quit his job at his father's sex shop and became a professional musician. He has also collaborated with other bands and artists, including The 69 Eyes, Apocalyptica, Cradle of Filth, Bloodhound Gang, and Agents. In addition to vocals, Valo is skilled in playing drums. He recorded the drums for HIM's demo album "This is Only the Beginning" and also played drums on HIM guitarist Linde's solo album "King of Rock'n'Roll."

In 2006, Valo got engaged to model and TV presenter Jonna Nygren. The couple got matching tattoos in honor of each other. However, they broke up in 2007, and the reason for their split remains unknown. Currently, Valo is single and content with his solitude. He continues to write songs about love and is only infatuated with his music.

Valo is an old friend of director and TV personality Bam Margera and frequently appeared on his show "Viva la Bam" on MTV. Despite being diagnosed with asthma, Valo used to smoke a lot but quit in February 2010. He is known for his provocative image and has a considerable number of tattoos, currently totaling 16.

At different times, Valo has been compared to other musicians. Initially, he was likened to the legendary singer Jim Morrison of The Doors. However, later on, Valo was compared to a contemporary Ziggy Stardust. He has also been compared to Brian Molko of Placebo, although Valo himself denies having any similarities with Molko.