JOURNEY's ARNEL PINEDA Reacts To Criticism Of His Vocal Performance At ROCK IN RIO, Says He Feels 'Devastated'

JOURNEY frontman Arnel Pineda says that he will "step out for good" if enough people on social media request for him to leave the band.

The 57-year-old singer, who has been fronting the legendary rockers since 2007 when JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon discovered him leading a Manila cover band on YouTube, was apparently reacting to a professionally filmed video of JOURNEY's performance at the 2024 edition of Rock In Rio festival in in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil which was posted on the Behind The Songs Facebook page along with a caption criticizing Arnel's "bad voice" and "severe vocal failure".

Earlier today (Sunday, September 21),Arnel posted the following message on his Facebook page: "once again,thank u so much everyone who came to @journeyofficial show since #february this year ..i appreciate uou all do kuch..anf not only that,everytime that im on stage w/ the band, i feel this immense gratitude,humility and honor.."

Sharing a link to the Rock In Rio clip on the Behind The Songs Facebook page, Pineda continued: "i am very aware of this. no one more than me in this world feels so devastated about this…

"its really amazing how 1 thousand right things you have done will be forgotten just cause of THIS..and of all the place , its in Rock In Rio…

"mentally and emotionally, ive suffered already,and im still sufferring..but i'll be ok..

"so here's the deal here now..i am offering you a chance now ( especially those who's hated me and never liked me from the very beginning) to simply text GO or STAY right here.. and if GO reaches 1million… im stepping out for good..

"are you game folks? let's start…

"God bless all of you and thank you once again to all of the fans and friends who believed in me [s]ince Day1".

Pineda was a bar and club singer working in Manila, Philippines when he got an e-mail from Schon who had seen videos of Pineda performing on YouTube and asked him to come to San Francisco and audition to become the band's new frontman.

Classic JOURNEY singer Steve Perry left the band in 1998 and was replaced by Steve Augeri. Jeff Scott Soto replaced Augeri in JOURNEY in December 2006 after Augeri began suffering throat problems on the road. But Soto lasted less than a year, and in December 2007, JOURNEY hired Pineda, who fronts the band to this day.

A vocal doppelganger for Perry, Arnel helped put JOURNEY back in arenas once again. But some fans were not happy about the addition of Pineda, complaining about his ethnicity and dismissing his voice as a "copycat" of Perry.

Pineda and Perry finally crossed paths when JOURNEY and its former singer shared the stage at their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April 2017. While accepting the award, Steve spoke warmly about his former bandmates, as well as the man who replaced him. "I must give a shout-out to a man who sings his heart out every night, Arnel Pineda," Perry said.

Although Pineda did not get inducted with his bandmates, he did get up and join them at the Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, singing "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Lights".

Six years ago, Perry told SiriusXM that he didn't perform with JOURNEY at the Rock Hall ceremony because he is "not in the band. I haven't been in the band for quite some time," he explained. "Arnel's been in the band for almost 10 years, I think. He's a sweet kid — he's a wonderful kid. He sings his heart out every night. It's his gig."

As for meeting Pineda before the induction, Perry said: "There was something endearing about the way he looked at me. He was meeting, like, a grandfather. [Laughs] He's got the gig. It's his gig. He's doing great."

Pineda has overcome a tremendous number of obstacles throughout his life, including the loss of his mother at a young age, homelessness and borderline starvation, making him an inspiration and providing hope for millions of people around the globe. Blessed with the ability to give back, Pineda mobilized his team to join the battle against poverty and its ensuing havoc on Philippine youth.