Many fans of the group HIM are still listening to the songs of Ville Valo. And although this creative team broke up, the 40-year-old singer successfully recorded several very successful compositions in a solo setting, as well as in collaboration with other famous performers. The Finnish fashionista, as they used to call him before, still does not betray himself and continues to shock the public. This article is dedicated to those who love Ville Valo in Russia or are simply interested in his life. After all, as you know, success stories allow us to get at least a small grain of inspiration to accomplish everyday feats.
Poetic gift and romantic soul allow Ville Valo (photo of the singer in the article) to continue social life, meet the most beautiful women and at the same time create.
Family and musical inspiration
Little Ville was born in 1976 in a working-class area of Helsinki. His parents came from simple families. Kari, the boy's father, was a taxi driver, and his mother, Anita, looked after the house. Only later did their family begin to receive more significant income, when father Ville Valo, whose personal life is like a hurricane, began to engage (and quite successfully) in the sale of intimate toys.
After 8 years, there was an addition to the family - the singer’s brother Jesse was born. As the parents say, the boys were simply uncontrollable and difficult to educate. And although Ville Valo’s ancestors cannot be called creative personalities, since childhood he listened to the works of domestic performers, and when he first heard the group Kiss, he immediately ran around the nearest stores selling music CDs and purchased all their albums.
In elementary school, the boy was given a guitar for the first time, and then he began to compose music in the style of pop and rock. However, in addition to his musical hobbies, the boy passionately loved judo and even participated in regional competitions. As a teenager, the receptive Ville Valo read the serious works of Edgar Allan Poe and loved to skate.
The guy also studied at the conservatory in Helsinki, but not very successfully. Then he worked in his father's store and left the family at the age of 18. Fortunately, his parents gave him an apartment in the center using savings received from store sales. And so began the independent life of a teenage rebel.
HIM: interview with Ville Valo
At their concerts in Finland, the HIM group attracts audiences from all over Europe. Every day, journalists from all over the world try to interview the idol of women's hearts, Ville Valo from HIM. However, the record company protects him from unnecessary worry, trying to maintain the image of the inaccessibility of His Infernal Majesty. Recently an article was even published in Finland about how difficult it is to interview Ville.
Razor striping of Ville Valo's heart turned out to be a very profitable occupation. The Finns tasted the real bitterness of life. Having found the gold mine of children's wallets, gullible newcomers to the show industry (in naivety surpassing even their fans) were doomed to endlessly exploit the theme of the last kiss, raw the same teenage wounds, burst into tears of blood and diligently spread the “chemical” disease across all continents. The opuses of the last album, churned out between TV shows, exclude any innovations and bring to perfection primitive arrangements, obsessive guitar creaking, masochistic moans of the crippled Majesty, no longer in need of fame, money, love and other services of possessed schoolgirls. How long will the group with the strange name HER last? The price for freedom is too high. Memorized interview answers are unlikely to reveal the truth. My interview took place on the third attempt, over the phone. In life, Ville is modest and friendly - an ordinary Finnish guy; in his face one can hardly detect any resemblance to the portraits on the posters. The band's musicians are not going to write their names into the history of rock music and create a new direction in it, and they themselves are surprised by their success. According to Ville Valo, HIM's music is a kind of hymn to love. The vocalist's heartbreaking voice accompanied by heavy guitar riffs makes even hardened rockers listen to HIM's music and feel the bitter taste of love. The formula for their success: frankness, the appearance of a frontman and a commercial approach to their music.
- Hi, how are you?
Ville Valo: I have a high temperature. I'm a little sick, but that's okay!
—Aren’t you tired of fame and journalists yet?
Ville: No, no. I'm already used to my job, I even like talking about myself with journalists.
— How do you feel about fans?
Ville: I love them very much, whether they are rappers, rockers, teenagers or adults. And I always play a little in front of them.
“But lately you’ve been in a constant bad mood.” They say this is due to the fact that you are going to change the record company.
Ville: I love being in a bad mood. Life is varied, and that’s what makes it attractive: it’s bad now, which means something good is waiting for me soon. This is cool. Life is unpredictable... At least until the release of the new album everything will remain the same. But if in the future changing companies will be useful for the group, we will do so.
— What do you think about the future of your group?
Ville: I have some guesses... In general, I don’t like to think about the future. Everything changes. I don't even know what will happen to me the next morning. All plans usually fall apart. This happens especially often with politicians.
— What about the future of music?
Ville: I never seriously thought about it. In my opinion, almost all modern music is crap! But it is very popular, they pay a lot of money for it. Sometimes this makes me very sad! When teenagers watch MTV, first of all they pay attention to the attractive appearance of the musician, to the beautiful picture, and not to the music. But we also have to use this method, because we are in show business. I watch Swedish MTV, which only shows rock, mostly hits from the 80s and 90s. That's when real music was created. I never turn on the radio or regular MTV.
—What do you think is the secret of fame?
Ville: It depends on many things: a good manager, a recording studio, luck...
- Maybe they degenerated under a lucky star? Do you believe in fate?
Ville: I don’t understand anything about this. It's more like luck. I try not to focus on fame, but to be myself. And it touches people, no matter what age or what country.
— Do you consider yourself pioneers in rock music?
Ville: Of course not! I admire Elvis Presley, AC/DC, BLACK SABBATH and am glad if our music is at least a little like them.
— Tell us about your new album. Has the music changed?
Ville: It's still a secret. We can say that it is again about girls and boys. In fact, it will be much heavier than the previous one, and somewhat reminiscent of our first album. 8 tracks have already been recorded.
— You’ve gotten older, and perhaps the music has become wiser?
Ville: Yes, but it’s not about age. I'm still quite young. It's more of an experience.
— On posters and in TV shows you are always alone. Many people generally believe that HIM is just you. Are you going to release a solo album?
Ville: No, no, solo activities do not interest me at all. This is a very strange idea, because we are a team where everyone contributes to the music. Guys just don't like to be photographed. And I'm glad if someone buys our album because of my attractive appearance.
— What are the relationships in the group? What do you value in guys?
Ville: Recording an album is always like a battle. And the main quality that I value in all people is patience. I try not to deal with people I don't like.
— It’s no secret that HIM has recently become a commercial project...
Ville: We were initially a commercial project. We become a product from the moment the songs are recorded, the album is designed, booklets are released, and so on. After all this, we become a plastic product that can be bought in a store. This is important to understand: we are who we are, we are what we represent as a product, we are a product of ourselves (laughs). We make ourselves a product, but that's not why we write music.
— How did you even decide to become a musician, why didn’t you choose a different path, like all ordinary people?
Ville: Because of laziness. I've never worked properly. Rather, it's entertainment. Since childhood, I only dreamed of music, I studied it at the University of Finland - by the way, it is very good for the brain, especially listening and studying music of different styles; I really love the classics. But the fact is, we're just shaking our asses on stage and getting paid for it! In general, I am interested in psychology - I like to console people who feel bad, trying to understand other people’s problems - and politics, since I always have my own opinion on everything. It's great to be, say, a seller... Although it depends on what you are selling - for example, your music!
— As far as I understand, you are not going to change your profession in the near future and become a politician or a salesman at McDonald's?
Ville: It would be very stupid to miss the chance and direct our energy to something else after we have achieved such success in music. You need to give yourself completely to what you do best and see where it leads. We are still so young!.. It would be funny to imagine: I’m about fifty, I’m sitting in an old chair and saying to myself: “I was so lucky in music, but I wasted myself on nonsense and became one of the losers. At twenty-five I should have studied music!!!”
— What do you think talent is? After all, many of your fans understand the feelings you sing about, but cannot write songs.
Ville: All people have talent, and everyone expresses it in different ways: in sports, raising children, singing...
— Do you have many friends?
Ville: Yes, very much. Every country has a few close friends. I like to spend time with them. But sometimes I isolate myself from everyone. For example, when I'm working on a new song, I lock myself away from everyone at home, take out a notepad and immerse myself in my thoughts.
— How do you feel at concerts?
Ville: I focus on what inspired me to write the song. The rest doesn't exist for me.
— It’s probably very difficult for you to perform old songs. After all, you can’t sing about something you lived a long time ago with the same feeling?
Ville: Every time I try to put new emotions into them. The same song never sounds the same. “Join Me In Death,” which started our success, is still one of my favorites. It seems to me that only now have I begun to understand its full depth.
— Which country do you like to perform in most?
Ville: In Finland... In general, I like to travel, I love all countries.
— How do you like St. Petersburg? Did you manage to see anything?
Ville: We almost never got off the bus. Next time we'll try to see more.
— They say you were dissatisfied with the organization of the concert and the sound quality on stage?
Ville: No... There were problems with our equipment, and they constantly arise not only in Russia, but mainly when we have to perform at new venues.
Daria GEORGI FUZZ #11, 2002
Development and career growth of Ville Valo
In the fifth grade of high school, Ville organized his first group under the symbolic name BLOOD (“blood”). They were quite popular among their circle and managed to win the hearts of more than one girl at local parties.
As teenagers, Ville Valo and his friends formed their next band called Aurora. Thanks to the boys' savings from selling donuts, they were able to perform on stage in schools in nearby countries: Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Holland. You cannot deny the entrepreneurial spirit and ambition of these young talents.
In 1991, the legendary group HIM, known to every rocker, appeared, or HIS INFERNAL MAJESTY (in Russian words “his pitch-black/infernal majesty”).
About the horoscope of Ville Valo (HIM)
On November 22, 1976, in the city of Helsinki, the working-class district of Vallila, Finnish musician, poet, singer, composer, frontman of the band HIM Ville Hermanni Valo was born.
The ascending zodiac sign at birth, Scorpio, gives Ville sexual attractiveness, a desire for mysticism, and a love of freedom in everything. He needs to control his environment.
The constellation Scorpio has a special influence on the appearance of the owner of the horoscope: expressive bright eyes, an attractive gaze, a mocking smile, thin long fingers, fair skin, a quiet gait, a calm voice, they like to wear black, a penchant for mysticism, tattoos are protective in nature, the whole image is thought out : we see all this in Ville Valo’s appearance.
People of the ascendant sign of Scorpio need a partner who will bring them back to earth and will be a reliable support for them, they want to see next to them those who are loyal to their views and who are ready to make commitments in the long term, they want love for life , and if they are betrayed, they take it very seriously and are vindictive. Their personality is attractive.
Scorpio Risings do not like to make decisions unless they have confirmed facts. They won't let you get close to them until you've earned their trust. But when you have proven that you can be trusted, they will become your true friends who will be with you no matter what happens. In society they are polite and calm. However, they perk up when they meet old friends. They are passionate and creative.
Ville Valo is purposeful, persistent, and it is difficult to convince him of anything. He is emotional, reveals his feelings through creativity, his music represents the full range of human feelings and emotions. Venus in Capricorn in the 2nd house of the natal chart gives the musician energy and ambition. Since childhood, Ville has been looking for the opportunity to earn his own money through creativity. But his Jupiter is in the 7th house of the chart in Taurus, Priapus is in conjunction with Lilith in Taurus in a square to Saturn in the 9th house in Leo = earnings through the sex industry, matter - Ville’s father is the owner of a sex shop in Helsinki, and Ville worked in his youth in his store as a salesman. The square indicates the need to go through a similar experience and learn to appreciate any work; the aspect also helped to realize the ability to trade. In parallel with his work in the sex shop, Ville was successfully involved in the implementation of creative projects. In difficult moments, he is able to maintain composure, be courageous and persistent. He is used to finishing what he starts.
Ville began his musical career as a teenager: in the late 80s he played drums and keyboards in little-known bands BLOOD, Eloveena Boys, Kemoterapia, etc. In 1991, Valo founded his own group His Infernal Majesty, which initially performed cover versions of Black Sabbath songs. The name was dictated by the (false) legend that Kiss supposedly stood for Knights In Satan Service. The group was subsequently renamed HIM and began releasing their own material. Feeling that music could generate income, Valo quit his job in his father's sex shop and became a professional musician.
Ville's singing voice is baritone.
At the moment, HIM is one of the most successful world-class music groups.
Various critics and music publications classify the group in the following styles: gothic rock, gothic metal, dark rock and melodic metal. The band's genre has been described as a "mixture of vintage glam, old-school goth and classic rock with a little bit of modern music thrown in", but at the same time it is often classified as goth solely due to its image, which corresponds to goth fashion, although HIM's sound is quite far from the classical understanding of this genre. The band is described as a mixture of '80s glam and '70s guitar rock, representing a "revival of stadium hard rock." Ville Valo himself, in order not to enter into disputes, came up with the definition “love metal” for his style.
The symbol of the group is the heartagram. It was invented by the team leader Ville Valo on his twentieth birthday. The hartagram is an inverted pentagram, the upper ends of which are rounded, as in the image of a heart. The musician interprets this sign as “a modern yin and yang, where the heart is yin and the inverted pentagram is yang” (Mercury in conjunction with the Sun, Moon and Mars in Sagittarius gives rise to the creation of their own meanings, projects that people follow). At the same time, the heartagram for Valo symbolizes the unity of his group and Love Metal as a whole. The symbol is a trademark of HIM and has been used on the albums Razorblade Romance, Love Metal, Dark Light, Screamworks and Tears on Tape. The leader of the group also has several tattoos with this symbol.
People of the Ascendant sign Scorpio have very strong intuition, they often know a lot in advance. Ville can be noisy or calm, he always creates positivity around himself, and is careful to let you get close. People of this ascendant sign prefer to keep their personal lives secret. Fans of the HIM lead singer did not know about his novels for a long time. Ville Valo's Venus is sextile to Uranus - he loves to speak emotional language, he does it brilliantly and pleasantly, the public loves him. This aspect endows him with special artistic and musical talent, a penchant for experimentation, and enables the HIM Frontman to retain the love of the public.
Venus in Capricorn gives secrecy in love, looks closely at women for a long time, is responsible in relationships, educated, mature, self-sufficient women attract the attention. Ville is faithful in love, a romantic. Venus squared with Pluto gives a tendency to self-sacrifice in relationships, is prone to depression, burns bridges behind itself, and is reborn from the ashes.
Ville’s horoscope contains several formulas for success in his career; he will delight us with his creativity for a long time. His music has already gone down in history.
Between 1997 and 2013, the group released eight studio albums. HIM is the first Finnish band in the world to have an album (Dark Light) certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. In Finland, the albums Greatest Lovesongs vol. 666, Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights, Love Metal and Dark Light received platinum status, Razorblade Romance - 2× platinum.
How the HIM group came to be
The little geniuses' path to fame began with signing a contract with one of the largest labels in Finland. At first they covered famous songs of the group Black Sabbath, and later came to compose their own music. At that time, the group consisted of three people: Ville Valo, bassist Mikko Paananen and guitarist Mikko Lindström. And although the guys’ first performance in a Helsinki club was not successful, in 1997 the group released their first album called Greatest Lovesongs vol.666.
As soon as HIM released their second album, Razorblade Romance, the guys' lives changed dramatically. Thanks to their hard work, they have received recognition even abroad. Their world famous hit Join me in death rose to the top of all charts. Over the course of their entire musical career, the band members managed to release 8 studio albums, the discs of which sold like pies at the market. But as it turned out in the spring of 2020, the group ceased to exist, shocking its ardent fans.
Therefore, the band members decided to hold a farewell tour until the end of the previous year. That is, the box office was replenished and the fans were pleased.
The HIM group and the musical career of Ville Valo
In 1991, a rock band was created, which initially received a long and complex name - His Infernal Majesty. However, the band's full name was eventually shortened to HIM. Ville Valo became the permanent frontman of this band. It was his work in the HIM group that brought fame to the Finnish musician and vocalist.
The young group quickly signed a contract with one of the leading music studios in Helsinki. But at first the guys did not create their own tracks, thinking about the further concept of the group. They played mostly covers of cult rock compositions by various famous bands. At the same time, Ville Valo finally abandoned work in his father’s store, deciding to devote himself entirely to creativity. In addition, at that time music was already bringing him a good income.
In 1997, the band released their first album, 'Graetest Lovesongs vol. 666'. This record did not become a global breakthrough in the musicians’ careers, but gradually the group attracted more and more attention from the common public and music critics.
In 1999, the single in support of the second album, 'Join me (in death)', entered the German and European charts. A little later, he soared to the top of the world charts. In Germany and Finland, the track was at the top of the charts for a long time. As a result, the song, for which two versions of the video were shot, became the soundtrack to two films: “The Thirteenth Floor” and “Resident Evil 2.”
Despite the fact that during the existence of the HIM group the composition has changed, the guys managed to release 8 studio records. The peak of popularity of Ville Valo and his team came in the 2000s.
In 2020, it was announced that the group would cease to exist. They went on a final world tour and gave farewell performances in Russia together with another Finnish group, The Rasmus.
Since 2020, the already famous Ville Valo has been busy with his solo career and working on other projects. Despite his health condition - the singer has asthma - he is not going to give up performing on stage.
What are the prospects for a solo career?
As Ville Valo himself says, whose photo can be seen in the article, he is full of enthusiasm and does not intend to give up his position: the singer plans to continue pursuing a solo career, and besides, it is not difficult for him to collaborate with other performers and come up with new exciting ideas. Therefore, the permanent frontman of the group HIM remains full of hope for the fruitful development of his creative path.
In 2020, he is working on creating a new album and may soon announce the creation of a musical group.
Frontman's style and tattoos
The shy young guy did not immediately reveal his true style. At first, he adhered to rock attributes, believing that such a choice undoubtedly reflected the essence of his rocker activity. Then, from a photo of previous years, a guy with long hair (or a “noble hairdresser,” as they say at parties) looks at us, who is dressed in a somewhat strange outfit: he could put on wide long pants, shoes with a huge platform and spice up this crazy onion with a fur coat. The image was invariably complemented by a bottle of wine and a cigarette. Wherever they rehearsed, every place, as the garage owners said, was “ungodly filthy.”
The guy didn’t bother about hygiene: long hair fits well when greasy, he said in an interview. Maybe that’s why the hat appeared in his surroundings and for some reason lingered for many years. In the 2000s, the guy collected “laurel wreaths”, so he decided to show himself in all his glory, stripping to the waist, using stage makeup and bright shadows. Over the years, he abandoned bright shadows and began to prefer things in dark shades.
Drastic changes
When the band's fifth studio album was released, the singer cut off his long locks and dyed his hair black. Then he grew his hair back and got a musketeer mustache. Since he had health problems, the singer lost a lot of weight, but did not lose his attractiveness. In 2013, Ville Valo wanted to relive his rebellious teenage years, and he again began to wear eyeliner, long hair and dark clothes. It was this image that created his fame as a “Gothic prince.” For those who are interested in his external data: the singer’s height is 188 centimeters, and his weight is about 68 kilograms.
It's no secret that Ville has a passion for tattoos. There are about twenty of them on his body, no less! All of them, as the HIM frontman himself claims, are voices from the past and are of great importance to him. The heart on his wrist in the form of a pentagram is a distinctive sign of his style of music (love metal or “love metal”).
Former passions
Love has always been the guiding star in Ville Valo's life. Therefore, it is not surprising that the romantic soul tossed him from one girl to another. But all his attempts to create strong relationships were interrupted by breakups. At the age of 27, he first entered into a long-term union with a girl named Jonna Nygren (model and TV presenter). But, as it turned out, she did not become his wife. Ville Valo and his girlfriend broke up after 4 years of relationship.
Later in the life of the lighter guy, the Frenchwoman Sandra Mittika appeared, who was also a model. But due to constant touring, Ville was unable to maintain strong relationships with women: one after another, his unions collapsed, ending all hopes of creating a happy family. The musician still has no children.
Personal life[ | ]
Ville became engaged to model and TV presenter Jonna Nygren in 2006. Ville and Jonna got tattoos in honor of each other, but the couple separated in 2007. Jonna still has the “V” tattoo (for Ville), while Ville has removed his “J” tattoo (for Jonna). There were rumors that Ville removed the tattoo himself with a cigarette. The reason for the breakup remains unknown.
Ville is an old friend of director and showman Bam Margera, he often took part in his show Viva la Bam on MTV. Despite being diagnosed with asthma, Ville smoked a lot (he quit in February 2010). In 2012 he started smoking again.
