Arnel Pineda

BRET LOVE TALKS TO THE PINOY ROCKER ABOUT HIS EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY TO INTERNATIONAL STARDOM

IF YOU DIDN’T know Arnel Pineda’s story was true, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was some sort of Slumdog Millionaire-style Hollywood fantasy.

His mother died of heart disease when he was 13, and as her illness left the family impoverished, young Arnel spent two years sleeping on the streets, taking odd jobs to survive. But music was Pineda’s first love and he played in various bands in the Philippines for 25 years. In 2007, he was became the frontman for Journey, after being asked to fly to the US to audition for the band.

Today, on the heels of a platinum album (Revelation), Journey is topping the charts once more with a DVD concert recorded live In Manila. We caught up with the 42-year-old singer to talk about his childhood, how YouTube helped him get discovered, and what it’s like to perform for 30,000 Filipinos with one of the world’s most beloved bands.  

How has the adversity you endured as a child impacted the man you are today?

I think it helped me be more thankful for what I have. It made me realize that if you stick with your dreams, something will be waiting for you. My humble beginnings, the hunger, pain and deprivation — these were not a hindrance. If anything, they’ve given me a deeper well to draw from.

We know you were discovered by Journey on YouTube. But what exactly happened?

It was my friend Noel Gomez’s fault, actually! (Laughs) He kept putting live videos of my band, The Zoo, up on YouTube. I was embarrassed and asked him to keep them to himself, but he spent weeks uploading 64 songs because he was such a hardcore fan. He believed someone would see it and change my life forever.

And Neal Schon saw them?

Yeah, he sent an email to Noel and explained that Journey was looking for their next frontman and asked if I wanted to audition. I didn’t believe it at first — it was too weird– but soon they were flying me and my manager to San Francisco.

What was the audition process like?

It was very scary. I didn’t think I was doing very well and I had a bad case of jetlag. The pressure was high — it seemed to me they were looking for an invincible singer. Then they asked me to record a few of their hits and two newly-written songs in the studio. To my surprise, they thought I had that magical voice they were looking for.

It seems like Journey is having a great renaissance right now.

In 2008 we started touring, and I think we’ve broken down the generation gap.

We get people from eight years old on up to those in their 60s, with whole families coming together to see our show. It’s amazing for me because I was always one of the band’s greatest fans.

The recording of the Journey Live in Manila DVD must have been an amazing homecoming for you.

It was surreal! I was closing my eyes because I could hardly believe it. My adrenaline was so high. I was really nervous, but I was able to overcome it and I think we put on a really good show.

Tell us about the Arnel Pineda Foundation and its work for the Ketsana typhoon victims?

I know how hard it is when you don’t have food, clothes or shelter.

So it was important to me to be able to help the underprivileged, with children being the focus. We started the foundation right after the 2008 American tour and got tax-exempt charity status, so we’re taking in more donations now.

We’ll be doing a children’s medical mission for typhoon victims this month, with a big rocker-themed fundraising party on January 15 at St Francis Shangri-La Place. I’m very excited about it!