Patria's Exotic Mix Of R&b/pop Breaks "rules'

TORONTO-There's nothing in Canada's musical heritage quite comparable to "My Rules," the pop/R&B debut album by 23-year-old Patria, released July 13 by Canadian indie Black Market. The singer, who has a five-octave vocal range, has lived in Toronto since the age of 2 but brings a touch of Asian allure to her work, having been born in the Philippines.
"My Rules," which is also getting a Japanese launch this month, was co-produced over three years by Domenic Troiano, who owns Black Market, and Howard Ayee. They also contributed guitar and bass and programmed and arranged the set. "My Rules" was largely co-written by Patria with both Troiano and Ayee and features such steamy tracks as "Passion," "Heart To Heart," "Addicted," and the leadoff single, "Baby Feel Me . . ."
To launch "My Rules" in Canada, Troiano has hired former Mercury-Polydor president Doug Chappell to supervise promotion and marketing; Toronto-based Music Solutions for national radio promotion; and Joanne Smale Productions in Toronto to handle publicity. Troiano has linked with Popular Records for national distribution of the album.
"It was perfect for us," says Awesome Awan, A&R consultant for Popular, "because Patria has a unique voice and the material is so strong. Once [the single] is on the air, people will react. She has an exotic look, and her music has a strong female statement. There's also a sector of the Asian community that can be immediately tapped into."
Patria has a simple explanation for her explicit subject matter. "When you're dealing with love, you have passion [in lyrics]," she says.
It's quite a contrast to the formal upbringing experienced by Patria, the youngest of nine children. "Being Filipino, my parents are very strict, and [growing up] I wasn't allowed to go out," she says. "There was no chance to be chaperoned [on dates] because I was always home. I was even driven home from high school."
"Baby Feel Me . . ." shipped to Canadian stations June 21 and has been added by top 40 stations CING Burlington, Ontario; CKKL Ottawa, Ontario; CKMM Winnipeg, Manitoba; and CIHI Fredericton, New Brunswick. Its exotic video, filmed in Mexico and directed by Jeremy Hood of Hoodoo Films, is being played on national video channel MuchMusic and its Quebec counterpart, MusiquePlus.
"As much as I like "Baby Feel Me . . . ,' I'm also excited about some of the other tracks on the album," says Scot Turner, music director of CING. "There's more strong material, which is nice to see. It's great to find another great Canadian pop artist."
Daniel Caudeiron, coordinator of the 55-member Cheer Dance Pool in Toronto, says "Baby" is perhaps better suited for radio than club play. "Our DJs tested the album and felt while ["Baby Feel Me . . .'] introduces a quirky voice in a pop female style which is happening right now, "My Flow' has more attitude for club airplay."
Troiano, best known as a member of the James Gang and then the Guess Who, had not intended for Patria's debut to be on his label. "I was initially looking to make a label deal," he admits. "However, after talking to [Canadian and American] A&R guys, nothing panned out. Eight months ago, I also realized that with so many acts being dropped and records coming out where nothing was happening, I was in better shape being on my own."
A meeting at Cannes' MIDEM music fair earlier this year between Troiano and Nobuhiro Nakajima, GM for international business affairs at Japanese indie label Sun Brain, led to the Tokyo-based company releasing the album July 20. Sun Brain has put together a thorough eight-day promotional launch for Patria this month, hoping to tap via FM radio a market in which local soul-influenced female singer Hikaru Utada has been propelled to the top of the charts.
The tour is due to start Monday (19) in western Japan, with a guest spot on the NHK-FM nationwide program "Evening Music Line." Patria is also scheduled to do guest spots for FM stations in Kobe, Kyoto, and Kumamoto. On July 22, she'll be in Nagoya to do a guest spot on ZIP FM's "Zip Urban Cruising" program and will do a live show at Nagoya's Club Text.
The following day, Patria will be interviewed by nationwide FM network JFN in Tokyo. Other duties include a "mini-live" concert at HMV's Yokohama store. HMV has put the album in the "recommended" section in all 22 of its Japanese stores. "She'll have no time for shopping," jokes Nakajima.
Troiano met Patria three years ago when he began auditioning singers for an intended recording project. Local singer Wayne St. John told him about Patria, who was then performing with his vocal choir group. "I like her singing, her attitude, her vibe, and her songwriting talent," says Troiano. "So we got more serious [about her career]."
Recalls Patria, "I initially wrote lyrics to what became "My Wish.' While there are so many songs on the album I like, I hold that song close to my heart because it's the first song we [she and Troiano] wrote. It was such an amazing feeling writing and then recording it."
Troiano's immediate goal upon returning from Japan will be to secure U.S. distribution of the album.

Assistance in preparing this story was provided by Steve McClure in Tokyo.