Michael Monroe

Born in Helsinki as Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm, Michael Monroe emerged at the turn of the 1980s with Hanoi Rocks, a Finnish band he formed with Andy McCoy and which was quickly associated with an aesthetic blending glam rock, glam punk, hard rock and an energy inherited from proto‑punk. A singer who also played saxophone and harmonica, Monroe developed a direct, nervous and melodic style shaped as much by 1970s rock’n’roll as by the London scene. After Hanoi Rocks split in 1985, he pursued a solo career between Europe and New York, notably with Nights Are So Long (1987) and Not Fakin’ It (1989), and in projects such as Jerusalem Slim with Steve Stevens and Demolition 23 with Sami Yaffa. Over the years he also collaborated with several musicians from the international rock sphere, including Steven Van Zandt and Guns N’ Roses. Hanoi Rocks reformed in the 2000s before ending again in 2009; Monroe then relaunched a band under his own name with Sami Yaffa, Steve Conte and Karl Rockfist. That period produced Sensory Overdrive (2011), Horns and Halos (2013), Blackout States (2015), One Man Gang (2019) and I Live Too Fast to Die Young! (2022).