Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

  Eurovision winner 2006 Lordi is losing another member of its winning formation. After Kita (2000-2010) and Awa (2005-2012) also Ox (2005-2019) is leaving the band after this summer's festivals. In the band's website he says there's no drama or major issues. He only has a strong urge to do something else in music and be available for new adventures. He thanks the band and the world's best fans for this 13 years long journey. Ox aka Samer El Nahhal is half Egyptian and he has studied in Los Angeles Musicians Institute. He spent part of his childhood in Libya and Irak wherefrom they fled when the war started. Kita or Sampsa Astala has been active after Lordi with his band Stala & So and they even participated in the Finnish national final back in 2010 - that got him fired from Lordi actually. He also plays in several other bands, plays drums and does backing vocals besides writing and producing songs for others. Awa aka Leena Paisa left Finland and moved to ...

Kita or Sampsa Astala turns 43 today. Congratulations! Kita is a Eurovision song contest winner as a member of Lordi. He left the band in October 2010 when his Stala & So band was taking off. With this band he took part in the Euroviisut 2011 with song Pamela and reached the final but not the top-3 . The band has released already three albums. 

Sorrow in the Lordi family. Tommi Lillman (38) aka Otus has died. Otus came to replace Kita (Sampsa Astala), who had to resign from the band when he wanted t take part in Euroviisut with his other band Stala & So.

Last but not least in Euroviisut 2011 Stala & So. will take the stage. Stala is of course Lordi's drummer Kita or Sampsa Astala who got himself fired from the band by accepting YLE's invitation. But for once Finland can boast having an Eurovision winner in its national final line up! So. has been playing together since 1997 and today known as Stala & So. it features Stala (vocals), Nick Gore (bass, backing vocals), Sami J (solo guitar, backing vocals), Pate Vaughn (rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Hank (drums). After several independent singles and EPs their first real album is ready and the first single off it is Everything is money but here's Shout & Bye bye and Spring romance . Stala & So. will end the Finnish semifinals on January 28, 2011 and their entry will be made public on November 29, 2010.

Lordi is about to hit the road in Europe and they have a new drummer, Otus (translates to something like Animal/Creature) who replaces Kita who left Lordi after his own band Stala & So got invited to take part in Euroviisut 2010. The tour kicks of November 5 from St.Petersburg in Russia and continues to Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, France, Spain, Austria and back to Germany. Total of 32 gigs until December 19.

Kita, Lordi's drummer has been kicked out of the band after his other band Stala & So participates in Euroviisut 2011. Stala & So is one of the four artists/songs YLE picked directly from the open internet selection to the in the semifinals line of up of 12. As he has sent in a song he must be eager to live the Eurovision experience again, this time without masks. He was part of the 2006 Eurovision winning Lordi line up but his coming out with his own face and name doesn't fit into Lordi's stragedy as the band states in its website: "Kita has made a decision to pursue his own career publicly as himself. T his is in direct conflict with one of the cornerstones of  Lordi’s image. Therefore it is not possible for him to continue as a member of the band anymore. Lordi will continue as always, masked and costumed, consisting of monster personas. Also, the upcoming tour will happen as planned.