Jonathan Cain believes Arnel Pineda is now the keeper of Journey’s legacy.
In a new interview with Classic Rock, the interviewer mentioned it’s hard to believe Pineda has been Journey’s singer since 2007. The keyboardist replied by saying:
“After sixteen years Arnel is no longer the new guy. I call him The Crusher because every time we throw him a challenge he crushes it. I still remember when we played with Def Leppard and it was the first time Joey [Elliott] had heard him. Joey looked at me, raised an eyebrow, and said: ‘Woah, that kid can sing.’ Steve Perry will always be recognized as the architect and the voice, but Arnel is the keeper of our legacy. We’re awfully proud of him.”
Cain Thinks Pineda Is An Amazing Singer
In an April interview, Cain again talked about the band’s long-term work with Pineda. Cain said they are very happy with him and plan to keep working together for more years:
“Yeah, Arnel’s 16 years celebrating — this is his 16th year. [It’s] probably the longest tenure of any lead singer for the band. So, he’s been crushing it for us. He’s got his kids on the road with him this time, and he seems really content and happy. And we’re really proud of everything he’s done up to this point. And we see some years left. There’s definitely still some gas in the tank. But we’re very happy with Arnel. He’s amazing.”
Cain Doesn’t Have Contact With Perry
Cain previously confirmed he hasn’t had much contact with Perry since their Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction. Perry has shown little interest in reconnecting. The rocker said:
“That’s his loss — whatever. I don’t live like that. Your decisions and your relationships are what you make them. If he chooses not to have one with myself or Neal, that’s not my wish. But I’m understanding of his space, and I’ll leave it at that. To me, Journey just sold a million tickets on this last tour — our most successful one ever with Arnel [Pineda, current Journey singer] — and I choose to be grateful for that. We have Arnel and that voice.”
Journey is currently touring the US with Def Leppard and will have an 11-date arena tour in the UK and Ireland later this year.