After hearing Pats newest single “PARANOID” I couldn’t wait to talk to him and get the lowdown on everything you need to know about Pats and what he has coming up!
To get started, can you tell us a bit about you and your journey as an artist?
Pats: “Of course, “embrace the journey” is my motto after all. I started dabbling in hip-hop & songwriting when I was 17-18, still in high school. Funny enough, I found this passion of mine in tech class. We had a studio in the back room and I asked my teacher if I could record a mixtape instead of the regular project requirements – think I got a B+ on that assignment, ha. From there I was doing amateur recordings out of my basement with little knowledge of what I was actually doing. I had a YouTube channel and I was releasing mixtape-type tracks for awhile. I had a buddy who did some filming so I had a few music videos too. Life was good! Unfortunately life got real though and I had to move away for school, get a job and eventually ended up in a 5-year relationship – so I lost the artist side of music for awhile. I never fully lost it though; I was writing still and once in awhile I would show people my demos. Eventually (just before Covid end of 2019) someone made me feel really dumb for not keeping up with my passions so I jumped back into the scene. I grabbed some gear off Amazon and got to work. Dropped a self produced mixtape in April 2020 to let people know I was back. Since then I’ve got three albums under my belt and I’m rolling out the fourth (in a 2 year span). ALL IN. Anyway, I’ve been consistently grinding, networking, working social media, performing when I can and running my own business ever since that mixtape dropped. I moved to Vancouver in the fall of 2020 and that changed my life so much… which leads us to our next topic!”
I’d love it if you could share a little about the hip hop scene in Canada.
Pats: “Simply put – UNDERRATED. Speaking of my experience in Vancouver, I cannot believe the talent in this city. I’ve been out to support multiple shows since arriving here and the level of artistry is immense! The studios I’ve been to are professional with engineers and producers who just love music. Everything to do with it. I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with a handful of people in the city and I hope to keep adding to the list for as long as I’m here.”
How did your latest album PK ALL DAY come about?
Pats: “Great question. So my homie Shane (The KYD) started rapping around the same time as me. We didn’t hangout much back in the day but were around similar circles. I think he noticed I was getting back into music then we started chopping it up about our plans, what we were working on, just lots of hip-hop discussion in general. I got him on a couple songs while I was home in Ontario for a bit in summer of 2020 and everything stemmed from there. We wanted to make a joint project with a classic hip-hop feel for the city we were raised in and did just that. It was a very fun process and a special moment in both of our careers.”
Who would you say influences your music the most?
Pats: “Mac Miller was/is my biggest influence in life, not just in music. The way he came up, what he represented, how he developed and grew as an artist was truly admirable to me. I want to be that versatile artist who isn’t known for any one thing. If it’s one thing, I hope it’s the way I carry myself and what I fight for – to be yourself and follow your heart no matter what others think.”
How does “PARANOID” differ from your past releases?
Pats: “Ah man. Paranoid is one of my favourite songs – top 3 in my catalogue so far along with OCD and That Old Chevelle, I think. Paranoid is just so “in your face” I love it because it’s such a massive fuck you to people who doubt me. Doubters in general. Like people are always surprised I’m good at what I do when they hear me – looking at me like the water boy – but then I get on the mic and people quickly understand. I put real time and effort into this craft.”
What do we have to look forward to in the future from Pats??
Pats: “A LOT. Right now I’m focused on releasing a single per month for the foreseeable future. I’m going to crack that damn TikTok app too and get people to start believing over there. I’m performing at my first festival soon which is gonna be wild. I’m just trying to level up constantly.”
Embrace the journey with Pats on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter.
Interview by Rob Bos.
Thanks for your time Rob!! Great questions. Loved breaking these down 🤙🏼