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]
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'sEPWho We Are.[citation needed] He appeared on Islander's album, Violence & Destruction on the track, "Criminals".
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.[8][9]
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), but since the release of P.O.D.'s seventh studio album, When Angels & Serpents Dance, he has cut them off.[10]
^"P.O.D. leaves Atlantic Records and Curiel returns". Blabbermouth. Roadrunner Records. December 20, 2006. Retrieved December 4, 2007. 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".
