Patrina Morris: The heady rise of a Romantic.

PM: I wouldn’t say “exiled”, I just chose to try something different, which I have truly come to love … to be at one with nature and breathe the fresh air everyday,  it’s simple but it’s never boring!

I was quite tired of city life and thought “If you never try…. you’ll never know” ….and I’ve  never looked back.

Musically, it has been an inspiration, I learnt to play and have the freedom to write in peace and quiet amongst all that I love …. there is nothing like sitting outside on a summers or winters day amongst the olives and lemons with guitar, glass of wine and a wandering mind!

SCV: You recently released an EP that has gotten airplay in Japan and the States. How did that do and why have the Japanese being insistent about you singing pop and glamorizing your image?

PM: I’ve released 2 EP’s in the USA (digital only), and slowly but surely the fan base is growing , but it hasn’t been easy… there’s  no promotion…… just my myspace!

The Japanese (EMI) helped me to make my first album which is basically the two EP’s but with an extra bonus track, and it’s been going well there so far,  I have had a lot of radio play and a couple of the songs have been used on,Jazz, Brazillian , Singer/songwriter compilations ,so I am  thankful to be included with great artist’s and people who I respect and admire musically.

Japan is a very specialized market and it is very difficult to break a new artist these days, with little or no budget ….and they had the right to use the photos they felt were most appropriate for the Japanese market as part of the deal , and they also asked me to record a’cover’ of an old pop song……which at first I wasn’t too keen on doing , but I was able to do it in my own style and I think it fits well on the album. As a new artist,being flexible with their terms it has put me on the map in Japan, so I think EMI  did a great job.

SCV: How much do an artist’s looks/presentation affect the way he/she is received? That said why has someone who is exotically beautiful as you chosen to downplay herself- or is that more to do more with the type of music you sing?

PM: I think that presentation is always important in music, because you see someone before you hear them start to sing. If people are interested in the way you look you’ve captured their attention to listen.

Perhaps ……personally …I believe… “a little less is maybe a little more” …. because in the scheme of things today, there seems to be so much emphasis on women being  glamorous and ‘ hot’ but maybe it’s just the fashion?

 I personally like classic simple  style rather than fashion , or “THE  LATEST “fashion’ ……….. I mean I try to be real, I don’t think I downplay myself, it’s just how I am. 

SCV: How did the band begin and what can we expect going forward?

PM: The band started with Ze Francisco (guitar) and Paulo Machado (Bass and keys) who helped me make my first demos and eventually the album, I met Ze (a music veteran)  at guitar school and he introduced me to everyone else. After I joined myspace I was asked by several people to play “live” which  was something we had planned to do anyway, it just happened sooner than we thought so we then brought in Janaca aka “Jesus” (drums and percussion) and Joao (Rhodes and piano) ,we rehearsed and played at some hotels and bars here for about a year and finally we went on to play in Rome and Germany!

At the moment I don’t have a promoter and basically since the last album I just started writing again for the new EP which has taken a lot of time . I have been recording in London this time so there was alot of coming and going ,waiting for studio time , having to learn protools, etc etc… so that I could work from home with my friend Ze along with my friends in London.

So I am hoping for some gigs in the future and then plan to put an appropriate band together, with a mixture of the old and new … I love to play live, because I enjoy the freedom you have with the songs and I feel that the audience can get to feel the true spirit of my music and me ……

SCV: You were in part discovered on my space. How did this come about and what has happened since you first posted there? Can one still be discovered on my space or is it just an issue of being too overcrowded?

PM: I was TOTALLY discovered on Myspace and will always be grateful for the Love and support everyone has shown me there from day one… it’s been  unbelievable!

In 2007 I finally got a computer  here in the hills and a friend of mine from London ( Mr Leo T who plays bass on the new record) came to visit and help me set it up, while he was here teaching me how to use it we talked about music and I played him a few of my demos that I had recorded here, it was then that he said ‘Oh MIss P in London everyone has a myspace…lol!” So he helped me to set up a page and it just seemed to “roll” …….everything I have done since then has spiralled from Myspace…… EMI licensing deal, digital USA deal, an advisor ..gigs etc.

I’m not sure if one can still be discovered there as since they made the changes to the site last year a lot of people have left and don’t use it anymore. Now other sites such as Facebook and Twitter seem to be far more popular..

SCV: You were in NYC this year procuring production deals. Tell me about that?