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Sonny Sandoval | |
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 Sandoval performing in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Paul Joshua Sandoval |
| Born | May 16, 1974 San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | |
Paul Joshua "Sonny" Sandoval (born May 16, 1974) [1] is an American musician, rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the co-founder and lead vocalist of nu metal band P.O.D.
Sandoval was born in San Diego, California. [1] to a Chamorro-Hawaiian mother and a Mexican-Italian father. [2] He grew up in the Otay Mesa neighborhood of South San Diego which was a Chicano barrio.[ citation needed ] When he was eighteen, Sandoval's mother was diagnosed with leukemia. [3] During her illness, Sandoval was greatly influenced by his mother's faith as a devout Christian. [4] [5] He pursued a career as an MC and later joined the band Enoch, a group started by Wuv Bernardo, Gabe Portillo and Marcos Curiel, which, with the addition of Sandoval, later became P.O.D. (initialism for "Payable On Death"). Sandoval states his musical roots as reggae, rock, and rap, all of which are apparent in P.O.D.[ citation needed ]
Sandoval is best known as co-founder and the lead vocalist of the metal band P.O.D. Over the course of their career, the band has received three Grammy Award nominations, contributed to numerous motion picture soundtracks and toured internationally. They have sold over 12 million records worldwide. [3] With their third studio album, The Fundamental Elements of Southtown , P.O.D. achieved their initial mainstream success; the album was certified platinum by the RIAA in 2000. [6] [7]
Since 2008, Sandoval has been part of an outreach group, The Whosoevers, with Ryan Ries, Lacey Sturm, of Flyleaf, and Brian Welch, guitarist for the nu metal band Korn.
Sandoval appeared in Project 86's self-titled album in the song "Six Sirens". In 2004, he contributed to two tracks on Anastacia's self titled album, "Seasons Change" and "I Do". He has been named number 63 in Hit Parader's Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time in 2006.
In 2009, Sandoval appeared on Tribal Seeds' new album The Harvest, in the song "Warning". In 2010, Sandoval appeared on War of Ages' fourth album release Eternal , in the song "Eternal". In 2010, Sandoval appeared on Lecrae's fourth album release Rehab , in the song "Children of the Light". In 2011, Sandoval appeared on Dominic Balli's single, "American Dream". In 2012, Sandoval appeared on For Today's fourth album release Immortal , in the song "The Only Name". Also in 2013, Sandoval appeared on the track "Something Better" released on Flyleaf's EP Who We Are .[ citation needed ] He appeared on Islander's album, Violence & Destruction on the track, "Criminals".
Sandoval will publish his autobiography Son of Southtown on February 25th, 2025. [8]
He and his wife Shannon married in 1996, and have two daughters, Nevaeh and Marley, and a son, Justice. Sandoval is widely credited with the sudden popularity of the name Nevaeh, which, as he revealed on MTV Cribs , is "heaven" spelled backwards. [9] [10]
For most of P.O.D.'s career, Sandoval was well known for his dreadlocks (which, by the release of the video for "Going in Blind", reached his waist). At the time of the release of P.O.D.'s seventh studio album, When Angels & Serpents Dance , he cut them off, but has since regrown them. [11]
P.O.D. is an American Christian nu metal band formed in 1992 and based in San Diego, California. The band's line-up consists of vocalist Paul Joshua "Sonny" Sandoval, bassist Mark "Traa" Daniels, lead guitarist Marcos Curiel, and drummer Noah "Wuv" Bernardo. They have sold over 12 million records worldwide.
The Fundamental Elements of Southtown is the third studio album and major label debut of Christian nu metal band P.O.D., released on August 24, 1999. It went on to become the band's first platinum album, peaking at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 chart in April 2000. It was the 143rd best-selling album of 2000 in the United States. "Southtown" and "Rock the Party " became the album's singles, both of which were accompanied by music videos. The album also includes a cover of U2's "Bullet the Blue Sky".
Payable on Death is the self-titled fifth studio album by Christian nu metal band P.O.D. It is the group's first album to feature guitarist Jason Truby following the controversial departure of Marcos Curiel, and their last album produced by Howard Benson. Payable on Death was released on November 4, 2003, through Atlantic and marks a notable de-emphasizing of the band's distinctive rap metal style. While a commercial disappointment compared to Satellite, it still managed to sell over 1,300,000 copies worldwide.
Snuff the Punk is the debut studio album by Christian nu metal band P.O.D. The album was released on January 25, 1994, on Rescue Records, which was owned by Noah Bernardo, Sr. It was remixed, remastered and re-released with new artwork by indie label Diamante in 1999. The original cover showed a cartoon character with a gun, but the re-released album cover issued a censored cover art with this illustration removed.
Jason Truby is an American guitarist. He began his career in 1989 with Living Sacrifice as lead guitarist. He was also a member of P.O.D., but has also performed with Phil Keaggy, David Beegle, Ashley Cleveland and her husband Kenny Greenberg, and was a guest performer with Phil Keaggy's band Glass Harp at the First Annual Denver Guitar Festival.
Mark "Traa" Daniels is the bass guitarist of the San Diego rock band P.O.D. He has been a member since 1993 and has performed on all of the band's official records. The band has released thirteen albums – Snuff the Punk, Brown, Payable on Death Live, The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, Satellite, Payable on Death, Testify, Greatest Hits: The Atlantic Years, When Angels & Serpents Dance, Murdered Love, SoCal Sessions, The Awakening, and Circles. Traa is married and has two children, and as a bassist, has a jazz and funk background.
Flyleaf is an American rock band formed in Belton, Texas, in 2002. The band has charted on mainstream rock, Christian pop, and Christian metal charts. They performed around the US in 2003 before releasing their eponymous debut album, Flyleaf, in 2005. The album went platinum after selling more than one million copies. Flyleaf released their second album, Memento Mori, in 2009, which debuted and peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard charts.
Marcos Curiel is the lead guitarist of rock bands P.O.D., The Accident Experiment and Daylight Division. Curiel was born in San Diego, California, in 1974 and is of Mexican descent. He grew up in the neighboring city of Chula Vista, where he graduated from Bonita Vista High School in 1992. Curiel started P.O.D. that year, along with friend Noah "Wuv" Bernardo. The band started building a strong local fanbase, releasing several albums independently. In 1998, they were signed to a record deal and released their hit albums The Fundamental Elements of Southtown (1999) and Satellite (2001) including hit singles, "Alive" and "Youth of the Nation". Both albums have had mainstream success, gaining multi Platinum certifications by the RIAA and three Grammy Award nominations. P.O.D. has also contributed to numerous motion picture soundtracks and toured internationally. Marcos has attended the Howard Fine Acting Studio. Curiel is the youngest member of P.O.D.
Noah "Wuv" Bernardo Jr. is an American musician, most notably the guitarist and drummer for Christian nu metal band P.O.D.
Lacey Nicole Sturm is an American singer and songwriter, known for being lead vocalist of the alternative rock band Flyleaf. In February 2016, Sturm became the first solo female artist to top the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart with her debut release Life Screams.
"Alive" is a song by American Christian metal band P.O.D. It was released on July 31, 2001, as the lead single from their second major-label studio album, Satellite (2001). It is one of the band's most popular songs. The "Alive" CD single was first released in 2001 and then again in 2002 with alternative cover art and tracks. A semi-acoustic remix was included as a bonus track on the special edition re-release of Satellite available August 27, 2002.
When Angels & Serpents Dance is the seventh studio album by Christian metal band P.O.D., released in 2008. It is the first album to include Marcos Curiel since Satellite and the only P.O.D. album released on Columbia. It also includes Mike Muir from Suicidal Tendencies, Helmet guitarist/vocalist Page Hamilton, guest Gospel Choir, and the Marley Sisters. The album debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200, selling over 34,000 copies in its first week. It has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide so far. A remixed and remastered version of the album, relabeled under Mascot Records, was released on October 14, 2022.
"Sleeping Awake" is the lead single by P.O.D. from The Matrix Reloaded: The Album. The film soundtrack was released on May 6, 2003 by Warner Bros. Records/Maverick Records with the single itself available May 26. The US edition only includes the title track while the UK/Australia edition, released June 3, includes the video and two more songs.
"Boom" is a song by American Christian metal band P.O.D. It was released in April 2002 as the third single from their second major label studio album Satellite. While it did not chart as well as the album's previous singles, the song has appeared significantly in film and television. "Boom " was included on the remix album Community Service and as a bonus track on the special edition re-release of Satellite available August 27, 2002. A limited edition, gatefold picture disc of the single was also available in the UK.
Change the World is a song by American Christian metal band P.O.D. It was released in February 2004 as the second single from their third major label studio album, Payable on Death. Vocalist Sonny Sandoval described the track as a "good-feeling song" and explained simply that "the song says you can change the world with love. It speaks for itself."
Who We Are is an EP by American rock band Flyleaf and released on July 9, 2013. Who We Are is the first Flyleaf release to feature lead vocalist, Kristen May. "Something Better" is the band's first new song with May.
Islander is an American rock band from Greenville, South Carolina, founded in 2011. Their releases include numerous singles as well as two EPs, Side Effects of Youth (2012) and Pains. (2013), and four studio albums, Violence & Destruction (2014), Power Under Control (2016), It's Not Easy Being Human (2022), and Grammy Nominated (2024). The band is known for its uniquely dynamic and interactive live performances, as noted in various concert review publications.
The Awakening is the ninth studio album by American Christian metal band P.O.D. It was released on August 21, 2015. The album is unique in that it is the band's only concept album of their career, complete with skits and voiceovers before and after each song.
SoCal Sessions is an acoustic album by P.O.D. It was released on November 12, 2014. The album contains 12 acoustic tracks from their previous studio albums: The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, Satellite, Payable on Death, Testify, When Angels & Serpents Dance, and Murdered Love.
Veritas is the eleventh studio album by American Christian nu metal band P.O.D. It was released on May 3, 2024, via Mascot Records, and is the first album by the band not to feature drummer Wuv Bernardo after he went on hiatus in 2021. It was produced by production duo Heavy, who had previously produced Circles (2018), and features guest appearances from Randy Blythe, Tatiana Shmayluk, and Cove Reber.
P.O.D. was with Atlantic for four albums and two EPs. The band signed with Atlantic in 1998, after selling more than 40,000 copies of its independently released EPs. The group's Atlantic debut, "The Fundamental Elements of Southtown", came out in 1999 and went platinum, while 2001's "Satellite" was a multi-platinum success. But the group felt that personnel changes at Atlantic were responsible for recent sales dips — more than 500,000 copies of 2003's "Payable On Death" were sold, but less than 250,000 copies of the recent "Testify".
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