Sampsa Astala, (born 23 January 1974), known by stage names Stala and Kita, is the lead singer of the Finnish

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

band Stala & SO. and the former and original drummer for the

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

band

Lordi Lordi () is a Finnish hard rock/ heavy metal band, formed in 1992 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume maker, Mr Lordi (Tomi Petteri Putaansuu). In addition to their melodic metal music, Lordi are also known for wearing monster ma ...

. His current stage name, Stala, comes from his own surname, Astala. His other stage name, which he used during his time in Lordi and whenever appearing as drummer, Kita, comes from the Finnish word meaning "jaws", "gap", or "maw".

Career

Sampsa Astala created Stala & SO. as SO, back in 1997. The band recorded a few albums and toured in Finland but Astala didn't have much time for Stala & SO anymore since he joined

in 2000 as drummer. He arranged and performed all backing vocals on the Lordi albums, but could not sing live due to his massive mask. With the band Lordi he went on to win the

2006 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Athens, Greece, following the country's victory at the with the song "My Number One" by Helena Paparizou. Organised by the European Broadca ...

. In recognition, the city of

Karkkila Karkkila (; sv, Högfors) is a town and a municipality of Finland. Neighboring municipalities are Lohja, Loppi, Tammela and Vihti. Geography Karkkila is located in the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of () and it covers an ar ...

, where he spent his teenage years, named its youth facilities after him. Despite many critics wrongly accusing Lordi of being a satanic band, on the "Thank you to..." list on the Lordi albums, Kita thanks "Almighty God". On 4 October 2010 there was an announcement from Lordi, saying that Kita no longer was a member. Further explanation told that his leaving was a joint decision between him and his bandmates, as Kita's increasing exposure as himself with Stala & So., rather than in costume as Kita, was "breaking the rules" of Lordi. In end of 2010 it was announced that Stala & SO. would participate in

Eurovision Song Contest 2011 The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, following the country's victory at the with the song "Satellite" by Lena. Organised by the European Broadcasting Uni ...

. On 23 November, the first promosingle of the new album was released, ''"Everything For Money"''. On 29 November, ''"Pamela"'', the song with which he would play in Eurovision stage was revealed through the YLE channel. On 28 January, they passed the semi final and they got "the card" for the final on 12 February. On 16 February their debut album, ''"It Is So."'', was released.

Discography

Stala & SO.

* ''It Is So.'' (2011) * ''Gimme Five'' (2012) * ''Play Another Round'' (2013) * ''Stala & So.'' (2015)

Lordi

* ''

Get Heavy ''Get Heavy'' is the debut album by Finnish hard rock band Lordi, released in 2002. Although the bass guitarist Kalma appears on the cover artwork, all bass guitars were played by the former bass guitarist Magnum, who left after the recording an ...

'' (2002) * ''

The Monsterican Dream ''The Monsterican Dream'' is the second studio album by Finnish metal band Lordi, released in 2004. It features an overall heavier sound with a more grim look to the band than Lordi's first album. The album was re-released in Finland as a "Limit ...

'' (2004) * ''

The Arockalypse ''The Arockalypse'' is the third studio album by Finnish heavy metal band Lordi. It includes the hit single "Hard Rock Hallelujah", which won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 for Finland. The album has sold triple platinum in Finland and gold in ...

'' (2006) * ''

Deadache ''Deadache'' is the fourth studio album by Finnish hard rock band Lordi, released in Finland on 29 October 2008. For the release of the album the band renewed their monster outfits. ''Deadache'' was released during the same week in about thirty ...

'' (2008) * ''

Babez for Breakfast ''Babez for Breakfast'' is the fifth studio album by Finnish hard rock band Lordi, released on 10 September 2010. As is traditional for the band, their costumes were renewed for the release of this album. The album was produced by Michael Wage ...

'' (2010)

Solo

* ''Se ihan kiva jäbä'' (2022)

Other releases

* Apulanta: ''Hiekka'' (2002) (backing vocals) *

Järjestyshäiriö Järjestyshäiriö was a Finnish pop rock band, founded in 1997 in the town of Jyväskylä by members Juho Markkanen, Mikko Manninen, and Juha Ryhänen, with Matti Keränen and Sirja Minkovitsch joining later on in the groups lifetime. Their infl ...

: ''Levoton'' (EP) (2004) (producer, recorder, backing vocals) * Hanna Pakarinen: ''Lovers'' (2007) (backing vocals) * Pete Parkkonen : First Album (2009) (song writing) * Naked Idol: ''Boys of Summer'' (2013) (drums) * Naked Idol: ''Shattered'' (2013) (drums) * Naked Idol: ''Filthy Fairies'' EP (2013) (drums on "Shattered" and "Filthy Fairies")

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Astala, Sampsa Lordi members Finnish rock drummers Finnish heavy metal drummers 1974 births Living people Finnish Lutherans People from Vantaa Eurovision Song Contest winners Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2006 Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Finland 21st-century drummers