Sometimes World, Art Imitates Life Imitates Art

i first heard about the new Filipino Journey vocalist in the news early this year. I thought it was just some tryout rockstar contest that landed our Pinoy brother the dream job, and I just shrugged it off as something cool but not spectacular. That was before I got the details.

Arnel Pineda, Journey’s new vocalist, was discovered thru Youtube. A lot of us would probably say “now what are the chances of that?” You think about the foreign bands you idolize, they seem so far away, almost as if existing in a different dimension, and then one day you receive an email from one of your gods asking if you’re for real and would you like to be their new vocalist. Insane!

Then I realized how big Journey was, that Steve Perry was the original vocalist, that they’re toe-to-toe with those other 80’s one-name bands like Chicago and Toto and so on. But the most amazing thing with the story is always Arnel Pineda. I watched selections from Journey’s Chile concert from Youtube, and Pineda is for real. Close your eyes and you can imagine it is Steve Perry singing “Faithfully” (the song that landed Pineda the job) but not quite. The range is a bit farther, a bit less restrained compared to the original, the way Filipinos sing and win all these singing contests all over the world. The performance can pass for “plakado,” but listen carefully and you’ll figure out how Pineda is adding his own vocal signature to the songs. Incredible. Journey has been Filipinized, haha.

I’m writing like a fan now. Fantastic. Imagine your favorite band, then imagine fronting that band. Brilliant.

Arnel Pineda sings “Don’t Stop Believing,” and somewhere Mark Wahlberg is smiling.