Patrice Wilson
Encyclopedia
Patrice Wilson is a Nigeria
n singer and songwriter and co-founder of ARK Music Factory
with Clarence Jey
. He also adopted the name Pato as a stage name
for his various performances.
. He is also known as Pato for his various performances as a rap
per. He toured in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland and many other Eastern European countries.
Wilson moved to the United States
in 2001, where he took his flavor of Nigerian music, along with his style of music he had performed in Eastern Europe and combined it with new age hip-hop. He studied at Whitworth University
in Spokane, Washington
, before moving to Los Angeles
in 2007 convinced that it was the place to be for music business. Under the name Pato, he also did modeling posing for various brands. Patrice was also given the nickname 'Fat Usher' for his resemblance to the artist Usher
.
In 2010 he co-founded ARK Music Factory in partnership with Clarence Jey
, an Australian record producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist musician. Jey left ARK Music Factory in May 2011. Wilson remains the CEO of the company. He is famous for co-authoring and co-producing alongside Clarence Jey
of "Friday
" sung by Rebecca Black
. He is also responsible for launching a number of young artists and writing and producing songs for them.
Recently, following the popularity of Rebecca Black's "Friday" video in which he stars in, there has been speculation that he may be exploiting young aspiring singers. Patrice Wilson has rebuffed such claims, saying that the label provides a relatively inexpensive entry into the pop market for artists:
Patrice Wilson went public in a promotional interview tape explaining what was behind the company he founded. He also put two music responses about "Friday" and the controversy it created. The first was posted on March 13, 2011 entitled "Friday (Rap Remix)" written and produced by Wilson and Clarence Jey, the second on April 4, 2011 entitled "Say What You Wanna Say" written by Wilson and Kustom. Both songs address some of the most common grievances against the song and in the way ARK runs its business. Both these postings have received negative attraction as well.
Patrice Wilson appeared in One Week to Hit It Big: Pop Star the ABC (American Broadcasting Company
) show Good Morning America
(GMA) one-week special feature. After auditions of tens of candidates, the final line-up of candidates were Linnea Sult, Lexi St. George, Madeline Ralston, all 14, and Samantha Ramirez, 12. Wilson chose Lexi St. George for the ABC GMA challenge of trying to make a viral star in one week. She recorded the song "Dancing to the Rhythm" co-written for the show by Patrice Wilson and Steve Sulikowski and produced by Wilson himself. A music video
was made in one day and was launched on the GMA program on June 30, 2011.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n singer and songwriter and co-founder of ARK Music Factory
ARK Music Factory
Ark Music Factory is a record label based in Los Angeles, California. The label was co-founded in 2010 by Patrice Wilson, who partnered up with producer/composer and multi-instrumentalist Clarence Jey. In May 2011, Clarence Jey left Ark Music Factory to focus on his own production company Music...
with Clarence Jey
Clarence Jey
Clarence Jey is an Australian record producer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter of Sri Lankan origin now established in the United States...
. He also adopted the name Pato as a stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
for his various performances.
Career
Patrice Wilson's father was a chemical engineer and his mother a church minister. He studied at Zamani College, Wilson Prep. School, and Essence International School in Nigeria. Wilson's musical beginnings were when he sang in his mother's church and helped out with youth programs at the local Christian school. Later, he attended school in Europe and trained in track and field events. But he dropped it all in pursuit of his music, touring as a backup singer with Malian-Slovak pop star Ibrahim MaigaIbrahim Maiga
Ibrahim Maiga, also known as Ibi Maiga, born in Mali in 1963 or 1964, is a non-ethnic Slovak singer, actor, comedian and politician. The BBC describes him as "celebrity in Slovakia"....
. He is also known as Pato for his various performances as a rap
Rap
Rap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music...
per. He toured in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland and many other Eastern European countries.
Wilson moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 2001, where he took his flavor of Nigerian music, along with his style of music he had performed in Eastern Europe and combined it with new age hip-hop. He studied at Whitworth University
Whitworth University
Whitworth University is a private Christian liberal arts college located in Spokane, Washington, United States, that offers Bachelor's and Master's degrees in a variety of academic disciplines. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church...
in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
, before moving to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 2007 convinced that it was the place to be for music business. Under the name Pato, he also did modeling posing for various brands. Patrice was also given the nickname 'Fat Usher' for his resemblance to the artist Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
.
In 2010 he co-founded ARK Music Factory in partnership with Clarence Jey
Clarence Jey
Clarence Jey is an Australian record producer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter of Sri Lankan origin now established in the United States...
, an Australian record producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist musician. Jey left ARK Music Factory in May 2011. Wilson remains the CEO of the company. He is famous for co-authoring and co-producing alongside Clarence Jey
Clarence Jey
Clarence Jey is an Australian record producer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter of Sri Lankan origin now established in the United States...
of "Friday
Friday (Rebecca Black song)
"Friday" is a song by American recording artist Rebecca Black, written and produced by Clarence Jey and Patrice Wilson. It was released as a single on March 14, 2011, by Ark Music Factory as Black's debut single. The music video for the song became a viral hit due to criticism of the song's lyrics,...
" sung by Rebecca Black
Rebecca Black
Rebecca Renee Black is an American pop singer who gained extensive media attention with the 2011 single "Friday". Her mother paid $4,000 to have the single and an accompanying music video put out as a vanity release through the record label ARK Music Factory. The song was co-written and produced...
. He is also responsible for launching a number of young artists and writing and producing songs for them.
Recently, following the popularity of Rebecca Black's "Friday" video in which he stars in, there has been speculation that he may be exploiting young aspiring singers. Patrice Wilson has rebuffed such claims, saying that the label provides a relatively inexpensive entry into the pop market for artists:
"I'm getting a lot of criticism saying I'm exploiting rich kids and their parents," says Wilson, "but find me another company that would do all this at a cost this low. I don't promise anyone fame. In fact, if someone approaches me with their only goal to ‘get famous,' I tell them they're not in this for the right reasons."
Patrice Wilson went public in a promotional interview tape explaining what was behind the company he founded. He also put two music responses about "Friday" and the controversy it created. The first was posted on March 13, 2011 entitled "Friday (Rap Remix)" written and produced by Wilson and Clarence Jey, the second on April 4, 2011 entitled "Say What You Wanna Say" written by Wilson and Kustom. Both songs address some of the most common grievances against the song and in the way ARK runs its business. Both these postings have received negative attraction as well.
Patrice Wilson appeared in One Week to Hit It Big: Pop Star the ABC (American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
) show Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
(GMA) one-week special feature. After auditions of tens of candidates, the final line-up of candidates were Linnea Sult, Lexi St. George, Madeline Ralston, all 14, and Samantha Ramirez, 12. Wilson chose Lexi St. George for the ABC GMA challenge of trying to make a viral star in one week. She recorded the song "Dancing to the Rhythm" co-written for the show by Patrice Wilson and Steve Sulikowski and produced by Wilson himself. A music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was made in one day and was launched on the GMA program on June 30, 2011.