Journey's Special Guest Singer: Who Is Hugo Valenti?

Longtime Steve Perry impersonator Hugo Valenti had been preparing his whole life before joining Journey for two 2026 shows in Japan during the Final Frontier Tour.

Originally, lone remaining original Journey member Neal Schon was the one who stood in Valenti's way – back in the late '90s. Decades later, Schon's longtime bandmate Jonathan Cain appeared to finally open the door for Valenti's special moment.

Perry was simply his guiding light. "Early on, I was in junior high school, and I started taking voice lessons," Valenti told MassLive in 2024. "Journey had just hit the scene, and I heard him sing and it was just one of those things."

How Did Hugo Valenti Get His Start?

Journey's classic-era frontman was different from "a lot of singers" like "Steven Tyler, Lou Gramm and a lot of these guys," Valenti argued. "Perry was powerful but without that rasp. It was so intriguing. I wanted to know how he did what he did, so I started taking lessons."

Valenti, a Long Island native, would model his vocal approach after the ex-Journey singer – and eventually even mimicked Steve Perry's outfits and stage manner. But perhaps-inevitable work with Journey tribute bands only happened much later.

Valenti landed his first record deal with the band Valentine in the late-'80s, signing on with a Warner Bros. subsidiary label and Michael Bolton's manager. Their self-titled debut, produced by Neil Kernon (Kansas, Hall and Oates, Dokken), didn't arrive until 1990.

By then, the music scene was changing as the pop-rock superstars of Journey's era were giving way to edgier fare from acts that specialized in hard rock, grunge and hip hop. Valenti initially remained undaunted, saying he was still "doing the whole '80s thing" as Valentine morphed into Open Skyz in 1992.

Listen to Hugo Valenti’s Version of ‘Lights’

Open Skyz released their own self-titled album in 1993 and opened for Kiss and Mr. Big, but never really broke out either. "You get signed, you get dropped; you get signed, you get dropped," Valenti lamented to the Long-Islander News in 2017. "It's just up and down too much."

By the '00s, Valenti began to consider other options: "All along the way, I was always compared to Steve Perry. The music was compared to Journey," Valenti told MassLive. "So, I said 'You know what, tribute bands are kind of happening now. Maybe I'll just start a tribute band and see what happens.'"

Hugo Valenti Moves Into Journey's Orbit

Hugo Valenti's initial brush with Journey happened when they split with Perry following the 1996 reunion album Trial by Fire. Journey's A&R rep reached out to gauge Valenti's interest in joining.

"I had gotten a phone call from John Kalodner at Sony saying that Perry was out of the band and it was time for me to get my Journey records out!" Valenti told Kaj Roth of Melodic.net in 2003. "After the holiday season, I was to fly out to L.A. to meet and rehearse with the band." Neal Schon knew him from the Valentine era but quickly decided to pass on inviting Valenti to an audition.

Journey hired Steve Augeri after briefly considering Hugo Valenti in the late-'90s. (Michel Boutefeu, Getty Images)

"I remember seeing him in a video and he looked exactly like Perry, which I thought was really weird," Schon told Melodic Rock in 1998. Journey ultimately hired Steve Augeri. "I said if we are going to get somebody with him looking exactly like Perry," Schon added, "I thought that was a little too weird."

Instead, Valenti started the Journey tribute band Voyage in 2005. "As it happens, people in the Journey organization decided too many similarities may have been a detriment to the continuation of the band," Valenti told Melodic.net. "It was a hard one to swallow, but hearing Steve Augeri fit so well, it was the right decision for the band."

Boasting an uncanny soundalike in a period when Steve Perry was off the road dealing with a chronic hip issue, Voyage quickly found an audience of loyal Journey fans. "It went from just doing clubs, to then clubs and theaters," Valenti told MassLive, "and then from theaters to casinos and private [shows]."

Listen to the Title Track from the Debut Album by Hugo’s Voyage

How the Pandemic Impacted Hugo Valenti's Career

He remained with Voyage for some 20 years, with occasional detours into studio work like 2008's The Dream with Josh Ramos as Ramos-Hugo, the Valentine reunion project Soul Salvation, and 2023's Inception with the newly rechristened Hugo's Voyage.

"In honesty, what makes Voyage so inviting and exciting is the fact that people miss Steve Perry," Valenti told Rock Pages in 2023. "No matter who sings that stuff, people miss Steve – that's the truth. The fact that I could get people close to that experience, it's exciting for them and for us, as a band."

Inception grew out of down time during the pandemic era. Valenti completed a batch of original material that led to a new deal with Frontiers Music. Soon, however, he was back on stage singing Journey songs. In late 2024, he left Voyage and then launched Hugo: The Ultimate Journey Tribute. There was a full-circle moment, as Valenti's group included drummer Adam Augeri – the son of Perry's initial replacement Steve Augeri.

"With Journey in particular, they're one of the bands where when you hear it, you want to hear it again, and again, and again," Valenti told MassLive. "It's not like they're old and 'God, I can't hear that song again' – well, probably with the exception of 'Don't Stop Believin," because everyone's heard it a thousand times," he added with a laugh.

Hugo Valenti Makes a Surprise Appearance With Journey

So, how did Journey shift from Neal Schon describing Valenti's obvious Perry affectations as "really weird" to appearing on stage together? It seems to be connected to President Donald Trump's relationship with Cain, who would later introduce Valenti in Japan as "a dear friend."

Cain's wife serves as the president's spiritual advisor, while Cain has participated in a number of Trump-related events. (Much to Schon's very public consternation.) One of them was the May 2025 announcement party for Trump Tower Dubai, where Cain first appeared with a band including Valenti. Perhaps inevitably, the evening featured a performance of "Don't Stop Believin'."

Cain and Valenti apparently hit it off. Valenti returned to perform "Faithfully" – a six-times-platinum Cain-written power ballad that hit No. 12 for Journey in 1983 – during Journey's Aug. 29 stop at the Greatest Rock Fukuoka Festival at Mizuho PayPay Dome and then again on Sept. 1 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Valenti also sang the Escape deep cut "Keep on Runnin'" during the second show.

What's next for Valenti? He's set to appear with Hugo: The Ultimate Journey Tribute again on Sept. 11 at the decidedly smaller Hoboken Italian Festival in New Jersey. The show happens just one day before Journey plays the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Nick DeRiso is author of the Amazon best-selling rock band bio 'Journey: Worlds Apart,' available now at all major bookseller websites.