Sonny Sandoval is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the nu-metal band P.O.D. (Payable on Death). The band was formed in 1992 in a garage in San Diego, California but soon upgraded to stadiums and some of the biggest stages around the world.
P.O.D. currently has 12 studio albums in their discography, many of which have gained them their dozen GRAMMY and MTV Award nominations over the years, and made them certified platinum by the year 2000. Their most recent album is Veritas, released in 2024 and features guest artists including Randy Blythe and Tatiana Shmayluk. In February, they released a new high-energy single titled “I Won’t Bow Down” with Andrés Giménez from Argentinian band A.N.I.M.A.L..
P.O.D. will be doing a tour run across the U.S. with Seether and Daughtry starting October 1st. Lead vocalist Sandoval’s new memoir Son of Southtown: My Life Between Two Worlds came out in February and tells the story of him growing up in Southtown, Texas, where he found his faith and overcame adversity. His first run of talking book tours ended in the middle of March, but he plans to continue the book tour throughout 2025.
We chatted with Sonny Sandoval on ShipRocked where we touched on a few of his favorite songs from Veritas, his new book, and his must-have items on tour.
Tell me your favorite song from the Veritas album.
That’s a tough one. I really loved “DROP” with Randy on it from Lamb of God. Then there’s a song on there called “BREAKING” that I really love because of the breakdown in it. It’s just got an old school P.O.D. feeling. It’s very emotional. I also like “LAY ME DOWN” because it’s dedicated to my buddy Roo, who passed away. I just love that record. Roo had a bunch of different transplants and he’s been fighting for so long. He was huge amongst the P.O.D. community. Everybody knew who he was.
I think he’d probably seen more P.O.D. shows than anyone else. We met him on the road when he was just a kid. We became family and he survived all through COVID and stuff. Then one morning he just didn’t wake up. That’s why the song is called “LAY ME DOWN.” It’s that old Catholic prayer ‘now he lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.’ So that song is for him.
Are there any locations in Europe that you love visiting on tour?
I think we’ll be going to Bulgaria for the first time. I’ve never been to Budapest before, but we have played Hungary and driven through it. I’m looking forward to Budapest because we’ve got a lot of friends out there.
Tell me about your new book Son of Southtown.
My book Son of Southtown came out February 25th. I’ll be doing some speaking engagements on the weekends, fly outs and stuff like that throughout the year. Just promoting it and getting it ready. I’ll set up some more dates around the States after we get back from Europe. I spent about two years doing it, so I’m really proud of it. I want everybody to read it.
I’ve talked to a lot of musicians who have written books. Was it hard to relive some of the memories you wrote about?
You know what, it was kind of. I won’t say hard to relive, but trying to dig back and just remember the details and how far life goes back and the memories. Then I realize that there’s probably a lot of stuff that I’ve blocked out. I was sitting there thinking, ‘Why don’t I remember that?’ or ‘Did this really happen?’ It’s kind of a traumatic experience for the greater good. It’s cool. It’s like a fast-forward look at my life.
What do you hope people get out of it?
I hope people get out of my book that I’ve always been a man of faith. I do rock n’ roll for a living, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t love God and you can’t have God in your life, no matter who you are, where you go, what you do. You don’t have to be perfect to come to God. You don’t have to have it all figured out, or never make mistakes; it’s just loving God in the process. Like I said, it’s a fast forward look through my life.
There’s a point in the end of my book where I’m with my son over in Europe, and I just want my son to be free. I tell him, ‘Son, you’re free. I know you know who God is. I know you love God and you’re going to make mistakes in your life, but don’t let anybody but God tell you how to live. You know your life.’ That’s what I want for people. I just want them to know that they’re loved and that God isn’t this religious hang up. God is awesome. He loves us. He’s for us. He’s not against us. I wouldn’t change it for anything else. As much as I love rock n’ roll, there’s nothing in this world that I would trade for my peace of mind in my heart for the Lord.
P.O.D. toured South America last year. Were there any hidden gems you would tell people about?
We toured a little bit in South America. We went to Medellin, Colombia, which is absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful mountains. Chile is always amazing. While here on the ship, I got an email that said we got a bunch more offers for another tour in South America, so hopefully we’ll be going back again this year.
What are the items you can’t live without on tour?
Anything that has to do with teas, finding special honeys. I even have one of those little humidifiers that have the essential oils. Not because I’m a diva or anything, it just smells and feels good, especially when you’ve got a bunch of sweaty guys on the bus. It’s always nice to have in the back lounge area.
What are your favorite ShipRocked memories? You’ve been on so many.
I would have to say my favorite ShipRocked memory is every time we’ve been able to play on the beach. Back in the day, the private island had a pirate ship. When you’re on stage and you’re facing the crowd, you’re actually facing the water. I have pictures of us on stage and there’s people that are in the sand, people floating out in the ocean. It was like, ‘now that’s how I want to view a concert. I wish I wasn’t on stage. I wish I was watching a band I want to see floating out in the water.’ That was probably one of the best memories.