WHO? The Rasmus front-man Lauri Ylönen
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Lauri Ylönen was born in Helsinki on April 23rd, 1979.
He lives in Helsinki with his partner Paula Vesala and their son Julius, born earlier this year. Vesala is a vocalist with Finnish pop-rock band PMMP.
In 2005 and 2006, Ylönen was the biggest-earning Finnish cultural personality, largely on the strength of sales of the band The Rasmus, for which he writes and composes as well as serving as front-man and vocalist.
Rasmus came to the surface when Ylönen was a 16-year-old studying at the Sibelius High School. The band's first album was Peep (1996).
After their third album release, the band joined a Swedish recording label and changed their name from Rasmus to The Rasmus to avoid conflicts and confusion with the Swedish DJ Rasmus. The 2001 album Into contained F-F-F-Falling, a massive hit locally, which also gained considerable airplay outside Finland.
The 2003 release Dead Letters shipped 1.6 million copies and is the biggest-selling Finnish album worldwide. It contained an international hit in In the Shadows, which was at #1 in several European charts in the spring and summer of that year.
Sales of the 2005 CD Hide From The Sun were something of a disappointment for the band. It shipped "only" 400,000 copies.
A change of direction comes with the band's seventh studio album release. A more poppy, electric, and dark sound is in evidence on Black Roses, which will be released on September 24th. It was recorded in Helsinki and Nashville. The first single from the CD, Livin' in a World Without You, is set to be released on September 10th.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 6.9.2008
More on this subject:
 The Lauri
Links:
Lauri Ylönen (Wikipedia)
Helsingin Sanomat
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