Chino Moreno (born Camilo Wong Moreno June 20, 1973) is a US musician, the lead singer and guitarist in Deftones and Team Sleep. Moreno was born in Sacramento, California to a Mexican father; his mother is part Irish, part Mexican, part Native American, and part Chinese; the latter being the origin of his Spanish nickname name Chino, which means "Chinese" in Spanish. He was the third of five children. He is married, and his wife's name is Celeste. They have two sons: Kristian and Jakobi.
Chino Moreno is well-known for his left-field and artistic lyrics, he quotes: "My lyrics don't deal with specific topics. I write down on paper the feelings of the moment, it's not easy to explain the contents of the lyrics or give a logical sense to the words. What I write is also a reaction to the music we make, so the Deftones' sound is not pop, it doesn't communicate happy feelings. Paradoxically my favorite songs of the album talk about love, in a clearly different view."
During the making of Deftones' White Pony, Chino began work on a side project, Team Sleep. Following "White Pony", The Deftones released a self-titled album in 2003 that the band claimed to be a return to the brutal sound that had seen the band gain so much of a following in their earlier years. It is known that the chemistry between the band members suffers in the studio due to the clash of a wide range of influences. Chino Moreno's influences spawn from such bands as The Cure, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode and Weezer and claims that Deftones upcoming album (2006) is more of a compromise between all of the members' influences, ranging from their brutal and brooding heavy signature seen on Adrenaline, Around the Fur and Deftones to the more melodic landscapes seen on White Pony.
Moreno also contributed to following songs:
"Wicked" - KoЯn, Life is Peachy "First Commandment" - Soulfly, Soulfly "Will to Die" - Strife, In This Defiance "Bender" - Sevendust, Home "(Rock) Superstar" - Cypress Hill, Skull and Bones "Pain" - Soulfly, Primitive "Things!" - Hesher, "Hesher" "Ashamed" - Tommy Lee, Never a Dull Moment "The Hours" - Handsome Boy Modeling School, White People Chino also featured in the low-budget video for the song 'Carpe Diem' by fellow Sacramento Noise act Will Haven. In the video, Chino is hilariously carjacked by lead singer Grady, who has had his vocal chords removed.
