Arnel Pineda is perhaps most recognized for his role as the new lead singer for the rock band Journey.

Who Is Arnel Pineda?

Arnel Pineda’s upbringing was marred by a string of terrible occurrences, but he went on to become the front man for the band The Zoo and achieve success in Asia. After a series of YouTube videos were uploaded in which he recreated American songs, including the well-known classic “Don’t Stop Believin’,” he was spotted by the guitarist for the band Journey, Neal Schon, in the year 2007. Pineda was officially brought on as Journey’s new lead singer in December of 2007. His sound has been compared to that of the previous lead singer for Journey, Steve Perry, and found to be quite similar.

Troubled Childhood

Arnel Pineda was born on September 5, 1967 in the neighborhood of Sampaloc, which is located within the city of Manila, in the Philippines. Pineda was plagued with terrible adversity throughout his formative years. His mother, who had been battling heart disease for a long time, passed away when he was just 13 years old. At the time of her passing, she was 35 years old. Due to the high cost of her medical care, the family was forced into significant debt, and Pineda’s father was no longer able to pay for Pineda and his three younger brothers, Russmon, Roderick, and Joselito.

Pineda, on the other hand, was forced to fend for himself while his brothers were taken in by relatives. He lived on the streets for the subsequent few years, frequently sleeping in public parks and scrounging for any scraps of food or water he could get. He eventually became homeless. He would, whenever it was possible, stay at the home of a friend who had offered him a cot in the backyard. In order to provide for his family, Pineda was ultimately compelled to abandon his education and accept odd jobs such as collecting scrap metal and bottles at the shore and selling newspapers.

Early Career

Pineda’s love of music began when he was still very young. He began singing when he was only five years old and competed in a number of singing contests during his childhood. In 1982, when Pineda was 15 years old, he was introduced to a local band called Ijos by some of his friends, and he was persuaded to try out as the band’s new lead singer by those same friends. The Beatles’ “Help” and Air Supply’s “Making Love Out of Nothing at All” were among the songs he performed. Ijos members were impressed by Pineda’s powerful voice, and as a result, they decided to hire him as the band’s new front man despite their reservations over his lack of prior musical experience. Pineda was offered a teeny, little room to sleep in under the guitarist’s front stairs, and one of the band member’s buddies even offered to pay Pineda’s nightly payment of 35 pesos out of his own pocket. Pineda was also promised a job with the band.

In 1986, several members of the band Ijos decided to start a new band called Amo, which was more in the pop-rock genre. Cover versions of songs by popular bands such as Heart, Queen, and Journey brought the band much acclaim and success. In 1988, they won the Philippine portion of the Yamaha World Band Explosion Contest, which catapulted them to the forefront of the music scene. Despite the fact that they were kicked out of the competition in the finals because of a technicality, the event was shown on TV in Asia, which helped them get more followers. The band carried on with their performances at well-known clubs and arenas all throughout the Philippines.

The band members got back together once more in 1990, this time going by the moniker Intensity Five, and they competed in the competition once more. Pineda took home the award for best vocalist, and the band finished in second place overall. Pineda made his comeback in the music industry in 1999 with a brand new solo album that was distributed by Warner Brothers. This followed a string of unfavorable health issues that he experienced in the early 1990s, one of which was a temporary loss of his voice. The record that just bore the artist’s name was successful in several Asian countries.

Pineda gained success once more in 2006 with The Zoo, a band that he founded with Monet Cajipe, a guitarist and songwriter who had been in all of Pineda’s bands for the previous 20 years. After brief runs with a few different bands, Pineda found success in 2006 with The Zoo. In addition to releasing an album in 2007, named Zoology, which was distributed by MCA Universal, The Zoo played at a number of well-known local venues. Soon after, the band began performing cover versions of songs originally performed by other bands, including Journey, Survivor, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, and more; more than 200 of these performances were uploaded to YouTube.

Journey

On June 28, 2007, guitarist and member of the band Journey Neal Schon noticed a video of Pineda on YouTube and instantly contacted him. Pineda went on to play with Journey. Pineda’s voice was auditioned for the role of lead singer for the band, and it was immediately apparent that he had a strong resemblance to Steve Perry, the iconic former front man for Journey. After having a phone conversation with Schon, Pineda made the necessary preparations to travel to the United States in order to participate in an audition with the band in San Francisco. Pineda was officially welcomed into his new role as the band’s main singer on December 5, 2007.

Almost immediately, Pineda joined the band on tour and played four gigs overall, two in Las Vegas, Nevada, and two in Chile. Both were a tremendous amount of success. Pineda rose to prominence in the eyes of the American public following a string of guest appearances on various television shows and magazine features. The reformed version of Journey released their debut studio album, Revelation, on June 3, 2008, and it debuted at position No. 5 on the album charts in the United States. The album gained platinum status by October 2008 and became their biggest charting album since Trial by Fire (with Steve Perry), who was their previous album collaborator.

As soon as the CD was made available to the public, the band continued their tour with Pineda all over the world. Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey is a documentary that is scheduled to be released in the year 2012, and it will capture the band’s “Revelation Tour,” as well as Pineda’s early years with the band.

Personal Life

Pineda lives in the Philippines with his family, which consists of his wife Cherry and their daughters Cherub and Thea, while he is not on tour. Matthew, who is 19, and Angelo, who is 13, are his two additional boys from previous marriages.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Arnel Pineda
• Birth Year: 1967
• Birth date: September 5, 1967
• Birth City: Sampaloc, Manila
• Birth Country: Philippines
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Arnel Pineda is best known as the new lead singer for the rock group Journey.
• Industries
  • Rock
• Astrological Sign: Virgo
• Nacionalities
  • Filipino

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