Journey's New Lead Singer: Bringing up Filipino Pride

Journey was the 80s legendary American rock band who made it big worldwide. It was formed in 1973 in San Fransisco but its strongest commercial success occurred between 1978 and 1987. During that period, the band released a series of hit songs, including 1981's "Don't Stop Believin'", the top-selling catalog track in iTunes history and most successful that reached #1 on the Billboard 200. Next to that yielded another of their most popular singles, "Open Arms".

The band has gone through several phases. It was temporarily disbanded after the success soared high in billboards between 1978-1987. However, Journey enjoyed a successful reunion in the mid 1990s, and later regrouped with a series of lead singers.

In late 1977, Journey hired Steve Perry as their new lead singer. Perry added a clean, tenor sound and the band became a true pop act. But he injured his hip in 1996 and the band Journey has not been the same. Many tried to fill his shoes but the band's success never reached its previous heights again.

Thirty-three years after its birth, Journey is getting a second wind from an unexpected place. In December, the band signed on new lead vocalist Arnel Pineda, a Filipino singer who they found leading a Manila cover band on YouTube. Six months later, the band has kicked off a tour of Europe and the U.S. and released Revelation, a new album featuring original songs and re-recorded classics that has already shot up to the fifth highest-selling album in the U.S.

How Journey found Pineda is a Cinderella tale of the Internet era. After the band dismissed Soto (lead) for unspecified reasons, guitarist Neal Schon turned to the Web in search of talent. After two days of surfing on YouTube, he came upon clips of Pineda singing with his band, The Zoo, and nailing all the right notes in the toughest Survivor, Queen and Journey power ballads. Four months later, Pineda signed on as Journey's new lead singer.