Sonny Sandoval

Paul Joshua "Sonny" Sandoval (born May 16, 1974) 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. to a Chamorro-Hawaiian mother and a Mexican-Italian father. He grew up in the Otay Mesa neighborhood of South San Diego which was a Chicano barrio. When he was eighteen, Sandoval's mother was diagnosed with leukemia. During her illness, Sandoval was greatly influenced by his mother's faith as a devout Christian. 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.