Sonny Sandoval Biography

Paul Joshua "Sonny" Sandoval (born May 16, 1974) is an American Christian singer and rapper. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the Christian rock band P.O.D.

Sandoval was born in San Diego, California to a Guamanian-Hawaiian mother and a Mexican-Italian father. He identifies himself as Pacific Islander and Italian/Mexican-American, he is usually seen as being a Chicano by most. He grew up in a Chicano barrio of San Diego, and joined a gang by the early age of 13. Sonny was a heavy drinker and smoker by the age of 13.

However, in 1992, when he was eighteen, Sandoval's mother died of leukemia at the age of 37. Sonny was greatly influenced by the death of his mother, who was a devout Christian. Turning his life around, he pursued a career as a Christian emcee. He 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. (acronym for "Payable On Death"). Sandoval states his musical roots as reggae, rock, and rap, all of which are apparent in P.O.D.

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.

For most of P.O.D.'s career, Sandoval was well known for his dreadlocks, but since the release of P.O.D.'s seventh studio album, When Angels & Serpents Dance, he has no longer worn them.

He has been named number 63 in Hit Parader's Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time in 2006. Most Christian Emcees note Sonny Sandoval as being one of their influences.

Sonny Sandoval is very close to God. as u may have read, he turned to Our Lord. I LOVE P.O.D.!!!!!!!!!! BEST BAND EVER!!!! and sonny is THE BEST SINGER EVER!!! (and a total hottie!) hahaha i love POD!