Journey's Rolling Stone 'Sad' Singer Controversy

Journey frontman Arnel Pineda discredited the latest Rolling Stone feature, in which he was described as unhappy and disillusioned with his newfound fortune. "It's quite a curse but then it's a blessing because I was very, very lucky na ako ang napili nila to carry the torch," Pineda said when he was interviewed by the local press last October 8 at the Centennial 2 Airport of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Filipino singer Arnel Pineda arrived here in Manila last October 8 for a short respite following a grueling tour with American rock band Journey.

Immediately upon arrival, Arnel once again answered questions pertaining to the article that came out in the October 2008 issue of the US-based magazine Rolling Stone. Pineda was profiled by Andy Greene, in which the rock journalist painted the singer as feeling all stressed out brought by the demands of the massive tour in support of the band's latest album titled, Revelation.

"There are days I just break down and cry. This is a job I'm doing for my family. That's all the consolation I'm getting," Arnel reportedly told Rolling Stone.

The article was bannered bearing the headline: "Sad ‘Journey' for New Singer."

TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT. "I was taken out of context dun sa Rolling Stone, for the record talaga," Arnel told the local press who waited for his arrival at the Centennial 2 Airport of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Part of Arnel's interview was aired last Saturday, October 11, at Entertainment Live!

Even before his return, Arnel along with his bandmates criticized the published feature—accusing the popular magazine of intentionally misplacing and chopping off quotes so as to come up with an attention grabbing piece.

Journey guitarist Neal Schon, who is well familiar on how rock n' roll journalism works in the international circuit, stated in an interview with CBS5: "They took a segment of what he [Arnel] said in the interview and erased all the good stuff he said in between. It has happened to me a million times in my career."

Arnel, for his part, admitted feeling homesick and tired, but completely ruled out that he is feeling despondent.

"As far as I am concerned, I am having a blast onstage, but I can't deny it. I miss home, I'm homesick, but I got the best gig in the world. How can I be miserable?" he told CBS5.

The veteran Schon was kind enough to understand Arnel's plight, saying that he, along with the others, expected their rookie frontman to end up exhausted since it was his first time to embark on a full-scale concert tour covering different cities staged in giant arenas.

"It's his first tour," Schon candidly offered. "None of us knew what it would be like. We didn't know what kind of strength he had in a long duration like he's been. We've been out here for a solid four months with no breaks in between."

Talking to the Filipino reporters, Arnel shared how taxing the tour indeed was. "My health was compromised a lot. I have to take medicines so I could just go on and go on and go on until I finish the tour," he confessed.

STILL LIVING A DREAM. The Rolling Stone write-up also highlighted Arnel reportedly saying that the tour, along with the entire Journey experience, as a "curse."

Arnel did not brushed off the "curse" reference but pointed out: "It's quite a curse but then it's a blessing because I was very, very lucky na ako ang napili nila to carry the torch and first time that a Filipino with a very famous band na magkaroon ng platinum album."

Pineda used to front the Manila-based band Zoo before he was discovered by Schon through YouTube belting out Journey classics, "Don't Stop Believing" and "Faithfully."

Formed in 1973 in San Francisco, California, Journey gained popularity during the late 1970s extending to the early ‘80s after releasing a string of power ballads like "Any Way You Want It," "Faithfully," "Separate Ways," "Wheel in the Sky" and "Open Arms."

Prior to Arnel bagging the coveted spot, Journey was fronted by a handful of singers such Gregg Rolie (1973-1980), Robert Fleischman (1977), Steve Perry (1977-1998), Steve Augeri (1998-2006), and Jeff Scott Sotto (2006-2007).

• Arnel Pineda on "Rolling Stone" article: "I was taken out of context" October 13, 2008 10:39 AM

Marian Rivera, Dingdong Dantes, Love Affair?

Dyesebel and Fredo will bid farewell as Dyesebel ends next week.

Marian and Dingdong: "Kay Dong po ninyo itanong ‘yan. Basta ako, ganito na po ako noon pa, lagi akong masaya. Mahilig lang kaming mag-asaran ni Dong kaya nagkakapikunan, pero hindi naman po natatapos ang araw na hindi kami okey. Kung iba po ang pakahulugan nila, nasa kanila na ‘yon. Hindi ko po babaguhin ang sarili ko," replies Marian Rivera when asked if there is something special going on between her and Dingdong Dantes.

"Ngayon pa lang, nakaka-miss na kasi noong ending, exciting na lahat ng nangyayari. So, naging very active ang character ng lahat ng tao. Like ngayon, may mga eksenang ganito, di ba? So, ito ang mga things na mami-miss ko, like yung pagte-taping namin sa Palawan kung saan una naming kinuhanan ang mga underwater scenes," says Dingdong Dantes about what he'll miss about Dyesebel.

Ellen Degeneres praises Filipino singers

Ellen DeGeneres recently featured Journey lead singer Arnel Pineda on her program, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show". The popular American comedienne and TV host shared some details on how Pineda turned out to be the newest vocalist of the band.

Charice Pempengco guest starred on the Paul O'Grady Show in Britain on April 8 and blew the audience away.

DeGeneres said: "This guy, this is not lipsinging he's actually singing. His name is Arnel Pineda, (shows clip of Pineda while singing) anyways he is incredible! So the guitarist from journey Neal Schon saw this video and he sent email to Arnel and Arnel emailed back and now Arnel is in the studio recording the Journey album. He is gonna be the lead singer of "Journey" how cool is that. Let that be a lesson to you don't stop believing. And i think i want him on the show I think we were talking to him about he maybe on the show -- I think the whole band."

Ellen also said that there are lots of talented singers from the Philippines and mentioned Charice Pempengco, who guested on her show and drew a lot of attention from viewers around the world. Ellen said she would like Arnel and Journey to guest star on her show.

I've been a fan of Ellen Degeneres practically my entire life, since I was a little kid and used to watch her great and funny TV sitcom, all the way til her talk show, and it's just so wonderful to have the support from someone that you grew up with and looked up to since you were a kid. God bless Ellen, we love you!

Arnel Pineda: Journey's New Frontman

Arnel Pineda: Journey's New Frontman
Arnel Pineda of Quezon City has made it big time. After being discovered by guitarist Neal Schon, Pineda catapulted his singing career by becoming Journey's new lead singer. A press conference was held at Hard Rock Makati. The only song I remember from the legendary band is Open Arms, which was a great song.
Watch the Arnel Pineda, Journey Press Conference at Hard Rock Makati

JOURNEY WELCOMES ARNEL PINEDA WITH “OPEN ARMS” TO THEIR FAMILY AS THE BAND’S NEW LEAD SINGER
After much speculation…the wait is finally over.

JOURNEY--Neal Schon (guitar), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Ross Valory (bass), Deen Castronovo (drums)--is proud to introduce fans all over the world to their new lead singer, Arnel Pineda (“pin-eh-da”). He replaces Jeff Scott Soto, who parted ways with the band earlier this year after stepping in for Steve Augeri, who had to leave the band in 2006 for medical reasons.

Arnel hails from Quezon City in the Philippines and has been singing Journey songs--in addition to original material--with his band, The Zoo, for the past couple of years in clubs all over his homeland. Joining the legendary band is a dream come true for him.
“It’s so exciting to sing with one of the best bands in the world. It’ll be a lot of hard work on my part and I’m actually looking forward to the scrutiny I’ll get from the hardcore JOURNEY fans. I know they’ll expect me to sound exactly like ‘the voice’ (Steve Perry), but that will never happen. I know there's only one Steve Perry in this world.”

When it was time for JOURNEY to look for a new lead singer, the internet came to their rescue. Guitarist Neal Schon wanted someone new to the music business, so he turned to YouTube. After finding Arnel singing “Faithfully,” he knew he had found the perfect frontman.

“I was frustrated about not having a singer,” explains guitarist Neal Schon, “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.”

Arnel Pineda picks up the story: “My friend Noel picked up the message on YouTube and told me it was from Neal. I thought it was a hoax so I ignored it. Noel said, ‘what if it really was Neal and he wanted to offer you the chance of a lifetime?’ So I e-mailed Neal back and the rest is history.”

“Arnel brings a soulful and passionate voice to JOURNEY,” continues keyboardist Jonathan Cain. “His personality is very well-suited to our music. He’s a sincere, authentic person with a great smile and a big heart. I think fans are really going to love him. With Arnel’s soaring tenor, Journey returns to our heritage sound.”

Schon agrees, “We feel reborn. I think there’s a lot of chemistry between the five of us. At first we were going to go into the studio and just write 4 songs, but now it’s escalated to a lot of great new and diverse material. The stuff sounds tremendous. Everyone’s so stoked about it. We feel very fortunate to have found Arnel.”

JOURNEY is currently working on a new album with legendary producer Kevin Shirley, which they hope to release by spring/summer 2008.

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