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Arnel Pineda performing in Macau in 2009 Photo by Phey Palma

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Arnel Pineda

Arnel Campaner Pineda who was born September 5, 1967 is a Filipino singer and songwriter.He is famously known as just Arnel Pineda and he came to prominence in the Philippines during the 1980s and internationally in 2007 as the lead singer of the American rock band Journey.

Arnel Pineda was born on September 5, 1967, at St. Jude Thaddeus Diagnostic Clinic in Tondo, Manila, Philippines to Restituto Lising Pineda and Josefina Manansala Campaner.Let’s take a look at some of the most amazing facts about him;

1.His mother who instilled his love for singing died when he was young

Pineda was born on September 5, 1967, at St. Jude Thaddeus Diagnostic Clinic in Tondo, Manila, Philippines to Restituto Lising Pineda and Josefina Manansala Campaner. His mother instilled his love for singing at an early age, encouraging him to sing along to her favorite singers like Karen Carpenter and Barbra Streisand.

Growing up, his parents entered him in many singing contests.His mother, who had been suffering from heart disease, died when he was 13 years old. Her illness had left their family deep in debt. 

2.He quit school and started working to ease his father’s burden after the death of his mom

Arnel_Pineda in 2019 at the sea_games Photo sourced from

After the death of his mom the family was in depts and being more than six months behind on their apartment rent and unable to sufficiently provide for the family, his father decided to move out and ask relatives to take in Pineda’s siblings. To ease his father’s burden, Pineda quit school and started working.

He spent about two years on the streets, sleeping wherever he could: in public parks, or on a narrow bench outside a friend’s crowded house. He earned meager money by collecting glass bottles, newspapers, and scrap metal and selling them to recyclers. He would also go to the pier with his friends and take on odd jobs like cleaning scrap metal and docked ships. He didn’t have much to eat, sometimes rationing a small package of Marie biscuit as food for two days. 

3.He started his singing career in 1982, when he was just 15 years old

He started his singing career in 1982, when he was just 15 years old.He became the lead singer of the Filipino group Ijos. He used to sing in a Shakey’s Pizza Parlor on Taft Street in Manila. In 1986, some members of Ijos formed a group called Amo.

Amo entered and won the Rock Wars contest in the Philippines. He has since joined several other bands and has released several songs and albums together with his bands over the years.

4.He has been a member of several bands 

He has been a member of several bands and working with several musicians and released several albums and songs together including; Filipino group Ijos, Amo, Intensity Five, New Age, Band South Border, Most W@nted.

Other bands he worked with include; The Zoo with Emil Bondoc on bass, Edgar Mendoza on keyboards, and Mckoy Alcantara on drums, Journey with Neal Schon, His bands released several songs and albums and grossed a huge some over the years. 

5.Pineda married Cherry Pineda in 2001 and they have two children

Arnel Pineda with the president Gloria Macapagal (Right) and his wife and son (left) Photo by Marcelino Pascua

Pineda married Cherry Pineda in 2001. They have a son named Cherub and daughter, Thea Chenelle Pineda, born June 15, 2012. Pineda also has two older sons, Matthew and Angelo. In 2013, Pineda told Rappler that he divides his time between the Philippines and the United States.

Arnel became a father at 20 but did not marry the girl. The relationship did not get to the marriage stage, but they raised the child together. He later had to forget about the failed relationship and start something new. He  also has two other sons, Matthew, and Angelo from his past relationship. 

6.His net worth is estimated to be around $20 million

with members of the Journey Band; Ross Valory, Jonathan Cain, Arnel Pineda, Neal Schon, Deen Castronovo Photo by Matt Becker

He has a net worth estimated to be around $20 million. Known as one of the most popular Filipino musicians of all time, Arnel Pineda has gained an impressive following around the world.He is currently among the richest people in the Philippines. 

Although he initially rose to prominence in the 80s within his home country of the Philippines, he later became more familiar with western audiences after becoming the new lead singer for the band Journey. He earned most of his wealth mostly from his career as a musician and commercials. 

7.He has also released several albums as a solo artist with Warner Bros 

Arnel Pineda was eventually noticed by Warner Bros. in 1999, and they helped him record his first solo album, Arnel Pineda. This album spawned a number of hits, and some of his songs became popular in the Karaoke community throughout Asia.

This album gave Pineda the opportunity to show off his songwriting and arranging skills. He then collaborated with the band South Border on their album The Way We Do before joining a new band. 

8.He started abusing drugs after the first relationship failed which wrecked his voice

When Arnel’s first relationship failed, he was hurt and saw life to be going on a downward spiral. To start healing from the heartache, he decided to do drugs and alcohol. The drugs were not suitable for him since they wrecked his voice. 

Consequently, the doctor warned him that he had to seek another profession if he was to continue using drugs. He finally went home to meet his father, who assisted him to recover, and he finally sang well again. 

9.He was criticized for meeting then US president at white house

He was criticized for meeting then US president at white house.Pineda met Donald Trump at the White House in 2017 with two other members of Journey, Jonathan Cain and Ross Valory.

The move was strongly criticised by the group’s guitarist Neal Schon. Pineda later explained that he does not belong to any political group, nor does he follow any religion. 

10.He has a foundation named after him to assist children in the Philippines

Arnel understands what poverty means and does not wish to see children going through what he went through in his childhood. According to Filipino Times, Arnel wanted to see all children happy.

He started a foundation named after him to assist children in the Philippines who are facing challenges in accessing education and other basic needs. He also makes donations to the World Food Program that helps people who are starving in other parts of the world.

He is one of the most loved celebrities in the Philippines and he has a huge following.