Michael Monroe

Finnish rock musician Michael Monroe is best known for his work with Hanoi Rocks, the influential glam metal band whose style and sound helped spark the American hair metal scene of the 1980s. He was born as "Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm" on June 17, 1962, in Helsinki, Finland. Inspired by Alice Cooper and The New York Dolls, he formed Hanoi Rocks in 1979, adopting a flashy, androgynous look as the band's larger-than-life frontman. The group broke up in 1985, following the death of its drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley, and Monroe launched a solo career two years later with 1987's Nights Are So Long. Like its 1989 follow-up, Not Fakin' It, Nights Are So Long enjoyed a warm reception from critics but failed to rival the commercial success of the American bands that Monroe had helped inspire during his time with Hanoi Rocks. Nonetheless, Michael Monroe remained a rockstar in Scandinavia and a cult figure elsewhere. After spending the early 1990s performing with short-lived bands like Jerusalem Slim and Demolition 23, he returned to his solo career, releasing albums like 1996's Peace of Mind and 1999's Life Gets You Dirty during the decade's latter half. He reformed Hanoi Rocks in 2001 and released three additional albums with the band between 2002 and 2007, all while continuing to record and tour as a solo act. Solo albums like 2013's Horns and Halos, 2019's One Man Gang, and 2022's I Live Too Fast to Die Young! maintained his popularity not only in Scandinavian countries, but also in Japan, where the latter record reached Number 46 on the Oricon Albums Chart.