Arnel Pineda said he was ‘devastated’ to ask the group’s fans to decide on his fate after the frontman received backlash over a recently criticised performance.
Journey performed at the Rock In Rio festival in Brazil earlier in September, but Pineda, 57, suffered technical issues with an earpiece, impacting his vocals.
After receiving negative feedback from fans over the performance, the Don’t Stop Believin’ singer shared a heartbreaking post on Facebook asking them to vote on whether he should stay or go.
He began: ‘Once again,thank u so much everyone who came to @journeyofficial show since #february this year ..i appreciate you all do much..and not only that,everytime that I’m on stage w/ the band, i feel this immense gratitude,humility and honor.’
Pineda then stated, ‘I am very aware of this,’ and shared a link to video footage of him appearing to struggle with his vocals while singing Don’t Stop Believin’ in the middle of a crowd during the panned concert.
‘No one more than me in this world feels so devastated about this,’ he said.
‘It’s 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.’
Putting his future directly in the hands of his fans, Pineda said: ‘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…I’m stepping out for good..are you game folks? God bless all of you and thank you once again to all of the fans and friends who believed in me dince Day1.’
Many fans were devastated by the announcement and rushed to offer support to Pineda.
Alessandro Del Vecchio wrote under the post: ‘STAY, million times STAY!!! You’re a monster singer and amazing person. Period.’
Michael Sweet agreed and said: ‘You’re one of my favorite singers and people. STAY!’
Bevelyn Glenn added: ‘STAY Arnel! Haters are always there no matter what you do cos they are envious & jealous. But you have more people & fans that love you & want to hear & see you singing. “Journey” is your journey in life.’
Offering encouragement, Skip Stone wrote: ‘All entertainers have their haters. There’s a lot of people who love to live in the past. Those people can stay home and you can STAY with Journey.’
The Facebook post currently has just under 7,000 comments so Pineda is a long way off from the million votes he proposed.
Pineda joined Journey in 2007 several years after original lead singer Steve Perry quit, and also after Steve Augeri who replaced him.
American rock band Journey was formed in 1973 comprising of former members of the groups Santana, the Steve Miller Band and Frumious Bandersnatch. They went to enjoy success with hits such as Open Arms, Faithfully and Wheel in the Sky, while their 1981 album Escape went to number one in the US.
It’s been a rough summer for the band as a lawsuit between members Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon threatened to jeopardise their 50th anniversary tour.