Arnel Pineda, born Arnel Campaner Pineda on September 5, 1967, in Tondo, Manila, Philippines, is a Filipino singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist of the American rock band Journey. Encouraged by his mother, he began singing in local contests as a child, becoming the lead singer of the group Ijos at age 15 in 1982. He later fronted Amo, winning the Rock Wars contest in 1986 and the Philippine leg of the Yamaha World Band Explosion in 1988. In 1999, he released his self-titled debut solo studio album, Arnel Pineda, and in 2007 released the studio album Zoology with the band The Zoo through MCA Universal. After guitarist Neal Schon discovered video clips of his performances online, Pineda auditioned for Journey in 2007 and was announced as the band's new lead singer in December 2007. He made his live debut with Journey at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in February 2008. Journey's first studio album with Pineda, Revelation, released in June 2008, debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and achieved RIAA platinum certification. In 2009, he performed with Journey at the Super Bowl XLIII pregame show.
