Journey Welcomes Arnel Pineda With Open Arms

Filipinos are hopeless romantics who love music. That's why ballads are big hits in the Philippines. Journey is one of the biggest bands in the Philippines when I was growing up. I remember listening to Journey songs on the radio, in restaurants, in buses, tricycles, and jeepneys. I bet people could still hear Journey songs playing in the background if they take a bus from Alabang to Lawton. Journey songs are that ubiquitous.

That's why when I've heard that Journey's new lead singer is a Filipino, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to give it a shout out. Hataw!

Here's the inspiring background story: Arnel Pineda is the lead singer of the band called THE ZOO. They do Journey cover songs in their gigs and have their videos posted on Youtube. One day Journey's guitarist Neal Schon was on the look out for a new lead singer. In a Blabbermouth article, Schon said:

"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. After watching the videos over and over again, I had to walk away from the computer and let what I 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."

Stereogum calls it as "the cheapest audition ever." I call it serendipity.

For those of you who are too young to know Journey, here's the Wikipedia entry:

"Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco, California. The band has gone through several phases since its inception by former members of Santana. The band's greatest commercial success came in the late 1970s through the early 1980s with a series of power ballads and songs such as "Don't Stop Believing", "Any Way You Want It", "Faithfully", "Open Arms", "Separate Ways" and "Wheel in the Sky"."

To all teenagers out there, "Open Arms" is not a Mariah Carey original :) It's my favorite Journey song.

Here is Arnel Pineda doing a cover.

Expect more Filipinos posting their karaoke sessions on YouTube.

Congratulations to Arnel for a well-deserved gig. Can't wait for the new album.

Kick ass on stage, tsong. You've got a fan here.