Word: pineda
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...Born in Manila, Pineda, 40, started singing as a child, quickly learning his parents' favorite songs - among them hits by the Jackson Five and the Carpenters. His parents struggled to raise their four sons by running a corner shop and tailoring clothes. Pineda performed in local singing competitions until the age of 13, when his mother died from an extended illness. Medical bills had drained their savings, leaving the family homeless and living with relatives. Not wanting to burden his father, Pineda struck out on his own, collecting newspapers and bottles, and living on the street for nearly two years...
...first half of Pineda's story isn't unique. Filipino cover bands are common in the hotels, lounges and bars of many Asian cities - a phenomenon Manila-based PhilMusic.com founder Jim Ayson attributes to simple oversupply. "There are more musicians in the Philippines than there are opportunities," says Ayson, himself a drummer and an acquaintance of Pineda in the 1980s. But Pineda's rags-to-riches story is giving new and singular hope to Filipino singers. "A lot of singers here tried to make it in the States and they couldn't," he says. "[Pineda] made...
...Filipino media have predictably lit up with Pineda coverage. The largest broadcaster in the Philippines, ABS-CBN, has called Pineda "the country's pride," and documents everything from the singer's visits home to the health of his voice. Pineda's compatriots are also delighted. "Everyone's talking about it," says Marilyn Deleon, 44, a Filipino-American Journey fan in New York City who helped create animated videos of Pineda and other Journey members and posted them online. At Pineda's first U.S. performance with Journey in Las Vegas in March, Schon estimates Filipino-Americans made up around half...
...Journey's die-hard fans - and there are plenty - have embraced Pineda with open arms. When Nell, who did not want to reveal her real name, started an Arnel Pineda fan site in December, the Florida-based Web developer says angry Journey fans left death threats on her answering machine. The band's traditional fan base is mostly white and American, and some are upset that Pineda is neither. "Journey is supposed to be an all-American band," one fan complained in an online forum...
...more people hear Pineda's truly stunning voice, the number of critics is likely to be drowned out by a roar of support. The number of rock stars discovered online could also skyrocket. "If you want to get discovered, you don't need a demo anymore," says Ayson. "Everyone's putting their stuff on YouTube now." And the mantra many of them are taking to heart is "Don't stop believing...