Arnel Pineda is now on his 6th year as Lead Singer of the legendary rock band, Journey. It was on December 5, 2007 that Journey announced to the world, that they have their new frontman, Arnel Pineda, and it was the start of the band’s ‘resurrection.’
All the way from the other side of the world, the Philippines, Arnel Pineda traveled to Los Angeles to audition through an invitation by one of the founders and lead guitarist of Journey, Neal Schon. Neal saw Arnel Pineda through a YouTube video singing Journey’s own songs.
As revealed in Arnel Pineda’s documentary, he thought it was a hoax. It was too good to be true, and when he finally auditioned, he was thinking it was enough that he met his idols. The band members, Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory, and Deen Castronovo, however, liked what they heard that they finally accepted him as Journey’s lead vocalist.
To date, here are some of Arnel Pineda’s achievements as Journey’s lead singer:
- His first album with the group, “Revelation” has achieved platinum status, selling over a 1,000,000 copies, as certified by RIAA on December 18, 2008.
- “After All These Years” a single in the album peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks on September 20, 2008, giving the band their first top-ten hit in twelve years. It stayed on the Billboard charts for over 23 weeks, making it one of Journey’s most successful adult contemporary hits.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_All_These_Years_%28Journey_song%29)
- “Where Did I Lose Your Love”, another single in the “Revelation” album also peaked at No. 19 on Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks.
- “Revelation” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart, No. 2 on Billboard Rock Album chart, and No. 5 on the Billboard 200, where it remained for 42 weeks. The album was not only a huge success in the United States, but also reached the charts in 9 different countries. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation_%28Journey_album%29)
- “Revelation” was nominated for Album of the Year in Classic Rock Magazine‘s annual poll.
- The second album in 2011, “Eclipse” peaked at No. 13 on US Billboard 200 Chart making it the second Top 20 album with Lead Singer, Arnel Pineda. “Eclipse” also was ranked No. 4 among Independent Albums and Rock Albums in the US, and ranked Top 40 albums in several countries, outside of the US.
- An average of45-50 Journey Live Tours every year in the US and abroad, which are well-attended and applauded; the audience’s reactions were of admiration for the Filipino singer, who filled the big shoes left by original singer, Steve Perry. There are still some die-hard Perry fans but Arnel Pineda remains humble and tolerant of his detractors. (Learn more about Journey’s Live Tour Dates on Arnel Pineda’s website)
- A documentary Film was made by Ramona Diaz entitled “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey” that featured Arnel Pineda’s story and journey with the rock band. The film received various Audience Awards all over the world such as the Tribeca Film Festival. The film was one among the Top 5 finalist- together with the critically acclaimed Steve McQueen’s “12 years a Slave,” in the Gotham Independent Film Awards in New York City on December 2013. There were more than 50 films from all over the world that competed, and being in the Top 5 is already an honor. “12 years a Slave” eventually won the Gotham Awards.
(http://www.indiepixfilms.com/videocontest/IFP-AUDIENCE)
Arnel Pineda’s popularity in his home country Philippines had also significantly increased because of his inclusion in one of the legendary bands of rock history. This is a different story though because, most often, it’s his achievement as a solo artist. Incidentally, “Revelation” was No.1 in the Philippines.
From Arnel Pineda’s official Twitter account, he expressed his gratitude.
Arnel Pineda @arnelpineda 13h
“And oh by the way, thank you all so much for greeting me of my 6th year with your favorite iconic band Journey…im just too blessed.”
With Arnel Pineda’s optimism, humility and talent, Journey would still go a long, long way beyond its contemporaries.
