An Urban Fairytale: YouTube Propels Arnel on his "Journey"

Once upon a time in Sampaloc, Manila, there lived a homeless 13 year old boy. Having just lost his mother and his home, his story was tragic, but not uncanny for the youth of his third-world nation. To be able to afford necessities, the boy had to drop out of school and work odd jobs like digging through garbage for recyclables. At nights, he slept on the cold, dangerous streets, and was often hungry.

But despite all his hardships, he remained unshattered. Like a protagonist from Mother Goose literature, he was strangely optimistic and very, very lucky. As a child, encouragement and support from his mother left him well-aware of his special gift: A talent which would influence his pursuits and successes, and ultimately lead to his wildest dreams coming true.

That boy's name was Arnel Pineda. And his gift was his voice. Now 41 years old, he is the current lead singer of the legendary 70's rock band, JOURNEY.

The story goes that videos from Arnel's band "The Zoo", performing oldschool rock covers (by Air Supply, Aerosmith, and The Eagles --to name a few), began to pop up on YouTube in early '07. Allegedly, Neal Schon (guitarist of Journey) saw these and personally contacted one of Arnel's fans who was posting the clips, looking for Arnel's contact information, and offering an audition. I bet you can guess how that went... and long story short, Arnel will probably live happily ever after.

Now, I am fully aware that Steve Perry is by far, the BEST singer Journey will ever have had. Pineda's skill versus Perry's is incomparable. But I still appreciate him as an entertainer, and I can't help but really dig his story. I'm a sucker for non-fiction dramatic scenarios where the good guy wins. The more odds against him, the better!

I don't know about you, but I find Arnel's story to be very inspiring.
In the chart-topping words of Journey, "Don't Stop Believing!" :)