Ville Valo

Background

Valo was born in Helsinki, Finland, to a Hungarian mother and a Finnish father. Valo’s love for music began when his parents played music for him as an infant. When he was eight, Valo bought his first album, “Animalize” by Kiss, which only deepened his interest in music. He picked up the bass guitar and drums after second grade and played them for several bands, eventually dropping out of school to focus on his music career.

In 1991, Vale and Mikkio “Mige” Paananen founded a band called “His Infernal Majesty” or H.I.M., but the band broke up two years later when Paananen left for his national military service. The band was reformed in 1995 by Valo and Mikko “Linde” Lindestom. Soon after, Paananen rejoined the duo, along with Antto Melasniemi and Juhana “Patka” Rantala. The band’s name was shortened to H.I.M., and they released their debut album, “Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666,” in 1997. Over the years, H.I.M. changed members and released several albums, including “Razorblade Romance,” “Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights,” “Love Metal,” “Dark Light,” “Venus Doom, “Tears on Tape,” and “Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice.” The band briefly went on hiatus and returned in 2013 with their final album “Tear on Tape.” While they worked on a follow-up, they felt they had “nothing left to give collectively” and broke up after a farewell tour.

In 2020, Valo began a solo career under the moniker V.V. with a surprise E.P. “Gothica Fennica Vol. 1.” In 2022, he also released the first single from his upcoming album “Neon Noir” titled “Loveletting.” Valo has also made a few appearances on film and television, including “Asphalto,” the Finnish dub of “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa,” and “Viva La Bam.”