Fresh from his back-to-back performance with the Black Eyed Peas at the closing ceremony of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games at New Clark City in Carpas, Tarlac, Arnel Pineda is all set for a post-Valentine concert alongside pop rock royalty Yeng Constantino.
Dubbed Let It Love, Let It Rock, the concert will be held on February 16 at the New Frontier Theater (formerly KIA Theater), Quezon City.
“I’m so excited to sing again for the Filipino fans. I’ve been performing in different places, but nothing beats performing in front of your very own kababayans, who love you dearly and who you know will always root for your success,” said Arnel.
His SEA Games performance may have drawn mixed reactions from fans but the Journey frontman is leaving no stone unturned for his upcoming concert. “Let this concert be one of my ways to thank my Filipino fans for always being there for me, cheering me on as I fulfill my passion of performing while showing the world the immense talent of the Filipinos,” he declared.
Arnel sang the Philippine National Anthem and in his production number, the 52-year-old singer sang his band’s classic hit “Don’t Stop Believing” as well as popular rock songs like Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer,” Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child of Mine” and Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.”
That day, his performance trended on Twitter after netizens noticed that the singer was having a hard time reaching high notes.
Unknown to many, Arnel literally lost his voice last November and was given advice by doctors to refrain even from talking. But professional as he is, the popular rocker agreed to perform for the biennial sports event.
True to form, Arnel has always encouraged those seeking his advice to always be passionate about their craft and to stay professional. “Dito sa showbiz, maraming nakasunod sayo, sa likod mo. If you quit, madali kang kalimutan, madali kang palitan. Hangga’t mainit ka, you just have to do everything you can,” he said during an earlier interview.
Arnel is taking this advice from his own personal journey. Although he found success in the national stage as frontman of several bands like Ijos, Amo, New Age and The Zoo, his biggest breakthrough came when he was discovered on YouTube by Journey guitarist Neal Schon. 13 years since the legendary American band announced him as its new lead singer, Arnel continues to be the voice of Journey.
He said his first-ever gig with Journey in Chile back in 2008 will always be a favorite memory: “With 19,000 people (in attendance) and 30 million on the internet watching it live, it was quite scary, one of the most terrifying feelings that I’ve had in my life! You’re going to represent the band and at the back of my head (was) ‘Steve Perry, he is the voice of Journey and here I am the replacement and going to try to please 19,000 people.”
“Neal Schon told me three minutes before we started, ‘Do you know that Chile is a solid Steve Perry fan?’ That added to the chills I was feeling already. Pero dahil may dugong Pinoy tayo, sige laban … bahala na! I believe ito ang trait nating mga Pinoy eh, we’re so gutsy. That’s why we have millions of OFWs. To not to see your family for a long time, that’s guts! So, it was the same for me: it’s now or never.”
So how long does Arnel see himself singing for Journey? “It’s up to them. As long as they need me, I’m going to be there. If the time comes that they don’t need me anymore, they can always tell me. You know, from the very beginning, I told myself, I’m already good with doing one or two concerts with them. But what happened was, we already did almost 700 shows in 12 years and they’re still keeping me,” he enthused.
Arnel continues his journey being part of an iconic rock group with lots of hard work: “It’s serving and representing a legacy like this in America, it’s part of American history, so it’s just hard, it takes a lot of discipline and self-control and focus, which is one thing I’ve really learned. Like before Journey, I was just trying to have fun and survive and float, and it was enough for me that I was able to feed my family. Now, much as you’re blessed with monetary gain, the responsibility is just heavy, you really have to work hard. Yung work ethic mo talaga, mag-i-improve. And you really have to improve.”
Among today’s local acts, Arnel says Ben&Ben and IV of Spades have impressed him the most. “I’m just so surprised how intelligent these boys are at a young age, because I just started to mature when I turned 40. Then I wrote more music. But for them, at an early age, they’ve been writing meaningful songs, good for them.”
Arnel said the Philippines is teeming with so much talent and if he had his way, “we should focus more on the talent, not the looks and the height. We have so much here. It’s part of our natural resources, the talent of Pinoys especially when it comes to music.”
As a way of paying it forward, the singer maintains his advocacy on education for the youth. The Arnel Pineda Foundation aims to help underprivileged children in the Philippines obtain quality education, health services and medical attention. He also advocates the use of talent in order to overcome poverty just like he did.
Image credits: Stephen Lavoie for iRocktography, Leony Garcia