Arnel Pineda

Arnel Campaner Pineda is a Filipino singer and songwriter who first achieved prominence in the Philippines during the 1980s. He gained international recognition in 2007 when he became the lead vocalist for the American rock band Journey.

Born on September 5, 1967, in Manila, Philippines, Pineda was raised by his parents, Restituto Lising Pineda and Josefina Manansala Campaner. His mother encouraged his musical talent at an early age, prompting him to enter local singing competitions. Following his mother's death from heart disease when he was 13 years old, his family faced severe medical debt. To relieve his father's financial hardship, Pineda left school to work and experienced approximately two years of homelessness. During this time, he supported himself by collecting recyclables and taking on odd jobs at the local pier.

In 1982, Pineda became the lead singer of the group Ijos. Members of the band later established Amo, winning the Philippine leg of the Yamaha World Band Explosion in 1988. In 1990, Pineda won Best Vocalist at the same competition with the group Intensity Five. He subsequently fronted the band New Age, relocating to Hong Kong in 1991 for a multi-year residency at an entertainment venue. Despite experiencing health issues in 1994 that endangered his voice, he recovered after six months and resumed singing. He recorded a self-titled solo album with Warner Bros. in 1999, which generated popular tracks such as "Sayang" and "Iiyak Ka Rin." He later performed with groups including 9mm and Most W@nted, and sang the theme for the radio show Dayo.

Pineda returned to the Philippines in 2006 and formed The Zoo, releasing the album Zoology in September 2007. Performance videos of the group posted on YouTube in early 2007 caught the attention of Journey guitarist Neal Schon. Schon invited Pineda to audition in California in August 2007, and Pineda was officially announced as Journey's new lead vocalist on December 5, 2007.

Pineda made his live debut with Journey in February 2008 at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Chile. In June 2008, the band released Revelation, an album containing new compositions and re-recorded hit songs. The album debuted at number five on the Billboard Top 200 chart and earned gold and platinum certifications from the RIAA. Pineda toured extensively across Europe, North America, and Asia during the 2008 Journey World Tour and sang at the Super Bowl XLIII pregame show in February 2009.

Pineda married Cherry Pineda in 2001, and the couple has a son and a daughter; Pineda also has two older sons. He divides his living arrangements between the Philippines and the United States, and he has publicly noted that he maintains no religious or political affiliations.