Arnel Pineda
Journey's new lead singer is Filipino
By DAVID DIZON
abs-cbnNEWS.com
Here's one for the books. Popular American rock band Journey, who popularized the radio hits "Open Arms" and "Faithfully", has a new lead singer and he's proudly Filipino.
Arnel Pineda, lead singer of local band The Zoo, was chosen by Journey guitarist Neal Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, bassist Ross Valory and drummer Deen Castronovo to replace Journey vocalist Jeff Scott Soto who left the band last June.
In a statement, Pineda said joining the legendary rock band after years of covering their radio hits is a dream come true. “It’s so exciting to sing with one of the best bands in the world. It’ll be a lot of hard work on my part and I’m actually looking forward to the scrutiny I’ll get from the hardcore Journey fans," he said.
He also said he is not out to emulate Journey's most famous lead singer Steve Perry. "I know they’ll expect me to sound exactly like ‘the voice’ (Steve Perry), but that will never happen. I know there's only one Steve Perry in this world," Pineda said.
Pineda's success is no accident. He joined his first band at age 15 and has been singing professionally for the past 25 years. His phenomenal voice also won him the Best Vocalist award at the World Band Explosion in 1987 -- a feat that he repeated the following year.
Pineda has been a veteran of several bands and is a regular in clubs in Makati, Olongapo and Quezon City. His latest band, The Zoo, released its first album "Zoology" under MCA Universal Records last September.
It is Pineda's stint in The Zoo that got him noticed by Journey axeman Schon.
Schon said he was looking for a replacement singer on popular video-sharing site YouTube.com when he discovered videos of Pineda and The Zoo covering Journey songs.
“I was frustrated about not having a singer. So I went on YouTube for a couple of days and just sat on it for hours. I was starting to think I was never going to find anybody. But then I found The Zoo and I watched a bunch of different video clips that they had posted," Schon revealed.
After watching the videos of Pineda covering Open Arms, Faithfully and Don't Stop Believing, Schon said he had to walk away from the computer to let what he heard sink in "because it sounded too good to be true."
"I thought, ‘He can’t be that good.’ But he is that good, he’s the real deal and so tremendously talented. Arnel doesn’t sound synthetic and he’s not emulating anyone. I tried to get a hold of him through YouTube and I finally heard from him that night, but it took some convincing to get him to believe that it really was me and not an imposter," he added.
Pineda, who hails from Quezon City, said a friend told him about Schon's message but he had initially dismissed it, thinking it was a hoax. He said he was persuaded to e-mail back Schon who then asked the Filipino singer to go to the United States for an audition.
Accompanied by Zoo manager Bert de Leon, Pineda left for the US last August to audition for the famed rock band. Four months later, Journey revealed that they had accepted the Filipino as their new lead singer.
“Arnel brings a soulful and passionate voice to Journey,†says keyboardist Cain. “His personality is very well-suited to our music. He’s a sincere, authentic person with a great smile and a big heart. I think fans are really going to love him. With Arnel’s soaring tenor, Journey returns to our heritage sound.â€
Schon agrees. “We feel reborn. I think there’s a lot of chemistry between the five of us. At first we were going to go into the studio and just write four songs, but now it’s escalated to a lot of great new and diverse material. The stuff sounds tremendous. Everyone’s so stoked about it. We feel very fortunate to have found Arnel.â€
De Leon revealed that Pineda is back in the Philippines and spending the holidays with his family.
"He was away for two months and got back last Sunday (December 23). A press conference is in the works early next year," he told abs-cbnNEWS.com.
Before the holiday break, band members did several test recordings for a new album with legendary producer Kevin Shirley.
In his blog, Shirley said he had just mixed seven "oustanding" new Journey songs with Pineda on vocals. "For the record, I think Arnel is 'the business!' The guy can really sing! He handles the ballads with SO much heart, and belts the rockers as hard, and melodically, as anyone I have heard. The songs are sensational - wonderfully crafted and deep, and so focused, you may wonder where they all came from. And I'm being serious," he reveals.
The new Journey album is scheduled for release next year.
Talent will out
Pineda's story echoes other similar finds of local and foreign talent hitting it big because of YouTube.
Just this month, ABS-CBN talent Charice Pempengco was invited to sing at the Ellen Degeneres Show after the popular comedian saw Pempengco's videos in YouTube. Pempengco's rendition of the diva-making Dreamgirls song "And I am Telling You I'm Not Going" so wowed the studio audience that they gave the 15-year-old a standing ovation.
Another unlikely success story made possible by YouTube is the dancing inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center. Their dance video of Michael Jackson “Thriller†has been downloaded at least nine million times and was identified as one of the 10 most popular viral videos of the year, according to Time magazine.
Other dance numbers performed by the 1,500 inmates include the songs "I Will Follow You" from the movie Sister Act, Queen's "Radio Gaga" and the Algorithm march.
Some foreign talents that hit it big through YouTube include Dutch vocalist/songwriter Esmée Denters and alternative artist Terra Naomi.
De Leon says that aside from a video-sharing site, YouTube could be viewed as an online talent search of both famous and unheard of artists. "It's like an international talent search done online," he explains.
And, in the case of Arnel Pineda, the time for his talent to shine has come.
Arnel Pineda and The Zoo cover "Faithfully"
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