Why Ville Valo Won't Use Social Media + Handed Over His Passwords

In a new interview, Ville Valo of HIM discusses why he doesn’t use social media.

The performer explained that he handed over his official social media passwords to someone else. So he doesn’t use such online platforms personally.

Today, five years after the dissolution of HIM, Valo is finally releasing his debut solo LP, Neon Noir. It arrives Jan. 13, 2023. In the meantime, he told interviewer Gustavo Maiato why he stays off social networks, where his Heartagram outlets reside on Facebook and Instagram.

Watch the full interview near the bottom of this post.

“I’m so old school that I still believe in imagination,” Valo explains. “I believe in stuff that is left for the imagination. Especially in my world of music, I think there’s too much info.” (via Blabbermouth)

He continues, “People let people know too much about them, and all the info is very fragmented, like little tidbits. I’m not interested in telling people once again that I didn’t have a breakfast. … It’s not a way of communicating I feel comfortable with. The record company is communicating through Heartagram, the Facebook and Instagram. And Twitter, I guess.”

Valo adds, “I’ve always liked artists that are a bit mysterious, and I like that there’s a sense of detachment. That also gives the people, and me as a listener — that makes my imagination to do more work. I think that when you really start imagining things and you start building ideas about an artist. That’s way more powerful and special and unique than the little info, the constant bombardment of info, on social media.”

This doesn’t mean he can’t grasp the power of social media, however. Quite the contrary, as the singer’s currently hands-off approach comes from realizing social media’s big sway.

“I understand its power,” Valo says. ”I do understand the fact that it’s so easy for people to communicate, especially if they’re far away from each other; it’s a great way of doing so. But I just don’t feel comfortable.”

He underscores, “I think that it easily becomes this game that you start it and you can’t stop. And I think that it’s better that I keep myself out of it. I don’t have any passwords or anything like that for Heartagram. I gave ’em all away. I said, ‘I don’t wanna know.’ ‘Cause I don’t wanna wake up in the middle of the night and start all of a sudden writing some truth down in all caps. ‘Cause that’s exactly what I’d probably do.”