About Me
HIM - "Killing Lonleliness"
HIM's MySpace PageVille Hermanni Valo (born November 22, 1976) is the vocalist, songwriter and frontman of the Finnish "Love Metal" band HIM. Valo was born at 8:28 a.m. to a Finnish father Kari and a Hungarian descent mother Anita in a small wood-house suburb of Helsinki called Vallila. Valo is one of the founding members of HIM, a band that have gone on to enjoy success across Europe and the US. He currently lives in Finland and is known to be friends with skateboarder and 'Jackass', Bam Margera. Valo also appeared in Bam's MTV show Viva la Bam.Ville Valo's first musical step was as a three year old bongo drummer. Aged nine, Valo attended the Pop and Jazz Conservatory in Helsinki, where he studied several different musical genres. Soon after his birth his family moved to the riverside community of Oulunkylä, where his father eventually opened a sex shop; during his late teens Ville spent a period working in the shop before launching his career in music.As a child he 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. His interests gradually expanded to include reggae, early blues and country-oriented material such as Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and Neil Young. From a young age, Valo's enthusiasm for music also took a more active form of expression, and he participated in a large number of different Helsinki-based bands: B.L.O.O.D. (1986-89), Eloveena Boys (1987-88), Kemoterapia (1989-97) and numerous other, more obscure projects.He started out by playing bass for his band HIM, however he had to sing for their first demo as they couldn't find a vocalist. He then became full-time vocalist for them. He also plays drums and guitar on some of HIM's songs.The 2006 No Sleep 'Til Halloween tour, whose lineup the band was a major part of, was completely cancelled in late September. The lineup also included Kill Hannah, Papa Roach and Lostprophets. The official reason for cancelling the tour is for HIM to work on new material.Ville's latest public appearance was at the Presidential Ball in Helsinki , Finland on December 6, 2006. He was quoted that night by Finnish news sources as having confirmed that he is still together with on-again, off-again girlfriend, Jonna Nygren. Tabloids report that Valo responded, "We are still together, and still sleep in the same bed." Some speculate that Jonna's absence from the Ball has to do with her improper public behaviour of late.
