Biography
Ville Valo earned widespread recognition as the unpredictable and magnetic leader of Finland’s leading goth rock outfit H.I.M., becoming the sole artist from his nation to earn a gold certification stateside. Following the release of six studio albums with that group, he issued the standalone track “Summer Wine” alongside Natalia Avelon in 2007. Over subsequent years he maintained an active release schedule that included joint projects with Agents, the 69 Eyes, and Apocalyptica. H.I.M. produced two additional full-length records prior to their formal dissolution in 2017, after which Valo delivered his debut solo album, the dark, synthesizer-driven Neon Noir, in 2023 under the alias VV.
He entered the world in Helsinki and grew up in the Oulunkylä district, raised by a Hungarian mother and a Finnish father whose early employment as a taxi driver preceded the opening of an adult boutique that employed Ville during his teenage years. Drawing inspiration from Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, Valo began on bass before shifting to drums, performing both roles across several ensembles throughout his lower and secondary schooling. After leaving education to pursue music full time, he joined childhood companion Mikko Paananen, known as Mige, to establish His Infernal Majesty in 1991. By 1995 the lineup had stabilized around Valo, guitarist Mikko “Linde” Lindström, bassist Paananen, keyboardist Antto Melasniemi, and drummer Juhana Rantala, at which point the band adopted the abbreviated name H.I.M. Their brooding yet instantly memorable strain of melodic goth-metal, self-described as “love metal,” propelled the group to become one of Finland’s biggest commercial successes. Starting with the 1997 album Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666, H.I.M. moved more than ten million units worldwide before entering a hiatus in 2010.
Valo has maintained an extensive list of guest appearances on recordings by the 69 Eyes, Anathema, Andy McCoy, Bloodhound Gang, Cradle of Filth, Jeff Walker, Lullacry, MGT, The Mission, and Tehosekoitin. Alongside fellow H.I.M. members Linde Lindström and Mige he played drums in the alternative-metal side project Daniel Lioneye. In 2007 he partnered with German actress and singer Natalia Avelon for a version of Lee Hazlewood’s “Summer Wine” that featured in the film Eight Miles High and later received platinum certification in both Finland and Germany.
H.I.M. reconvened in 2013 to issue Tears on Tape, the final studio album of their career. Four years later they declared an end to operations following one last tour, culminating in a New Year’s Eve farewell performance in Helsinki. Valo resurfaced in 2020 with the three-song EP Gothica Fennica, Vol. 1 under the VV banner; every track subsequently appeared on his first proper solo album, Neon Noir, released in 2023.
He entered the world in Helsinki and grew up in the Oulunkylä district, raised by a Hungarian mother and a Finnish father whose early employment as a taxi driver preceded the opening of an adult boutique that employed Ville during his teenage years. Drawing inspiration from Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, Valo began on bass before shifting to drums, performing both roles across several ensembles throughout his lower and secondary schooling. After leaving education to pursue music full time, he joined childhood companion Mikko Paananen, known as Mige, to establish His Infernal Majesty in 1991. By 1995 the lineup had stabilized around Valo, guitarist Mikko “Linde” Lindström, bassist Paananen, keyboardist Antto Melasniemi, and drummer Juhana Rantala, at which point the band adopted the abbreviated name H.I.M. Their brooding yet instantly memorable strain of melodic goth-metal, self-described as “love metal,” propelled the group to become one of Finland’s biggest commercial successes. Starting with the 1997 album Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666, H.I.M. moved more than ten million units worldwide before entering a hiatus in 2010.
Valo has maintained an extensive list of guest appearances on recordings by the 69 Eyes, Anathema, Andy McCoy, Bloodhound Gang, Cradle of Filth, Jeff Walker, Lullacry, MGT, The Mission, and Tehosekoitin. Alongside fellow H.I.M. members Linde Lindström and Mige he played drums in the alternative-metal side project Daniel Lioneye. In 2007 he partnered with German actress and singer Natalia Avelon for a version of Lee Hazlewood’s “Summer Wine” that featured in the film Eight Miles High and later received platinum certification in both Finland and Germany.
H.I.M. reconvened in 2013 to issue Tears on Tape, the final studio album of their career. Four years later they declared an end to operations following one last tour, culminating in a New Year’s Eve farewell performance in Helsinki. Valo resurfaced in 2020 with the three-song EP Gothica Fennica, Vol. 1 under the VV banner; every track subsequently appeared on his first proper solo album, Neon Noir, released in 2023.
Singles
