After being scouted by Atlantic Records to join pop group The Click Five, lead singer Kyle Patrick went on to produce a KP, 6-track solo album online in 2010, notching his first milestone as a solo artiste.
Having experienced life as both a solo artiste and as part of a band, Patrick said on Fanbridge that, “They both have pros and cons, and both are expressions of creation.” He added, “I appreciate all mediums of creation, whether it be solo or with a band. They’re different, but both very enlightening.”
His journey as a music artiste
In the music business, and in just about every industry, setbacks are a part of life. For the 25-year-old musician, the biggest challenge is being told “no”. Which is not to say that it stops him. He says, “If I’ve learned anything, it’s to keep trying even when you’ve been told no.”
Getting a few gold records, selling out at Singapore Indoor Stadium and performing at Angkor Wat Temple in Cambodia were the highlights of Patrick’s career. However, the self-proclaimed Robert Pattinson and Andrew Garfield lookalike has moved on to the next chapter of his career since then. Going in a completely new direction, Patrick’s is in the process of making a 5-track solo album, which includes a 3D music video, set to release in May 2012.
While preparing for the 2011 New York City Marathon, Patrick wrote most of the lyrics for one of the songs from the new album, “Go for Gold!”, during marathon training, with the idea that he “needed something uplifting going on in [his] head”. On Fanbridge, he describes the new album as “pop, anthemic, uplifting, fun, dream and Olympic”.
For a good cause
Apart from his career, the family-influenced man has also partaken in a lot of charity work. In 2010, he ran the New York City Marathon to raise funds for Team for Kids, he ran for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation in 2011 and is currently working with MTV EXIT – which stands for End Exploitation and Trafficking – to help raise awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking.
Besides performing for concerts for MTV EXIT, Patrick also works with PledgeMusic, which helps artistes to raise money for their next release by encouraging participation from their fans. He mentions, “I’m currently raising the funds to record my new solo album and a portion of this money has already been donated to Transitions, a shelter in Cambodia for trafficking survivors.”
Going above and beyond, the closet artist comes up with various pledge exclusives, ranging from Polaroid art to cosmic artwork.
“I like doing creative things that not everyone does, so working with PledgeMusic was really cool because we came up with some items that are really unique and definitely resonated with people. I’m motivated to do so much because I really believe that people are evolving every second of every day, so it’s all about staying ahead of the curve, as much as possible,” Patrick explained.
The charitable musician still feels that he can do more. He says, “I am fortunate to have grown up in a wonderful family – and I can’t imagine what the victims of human trafficking have gone through. As soon as I think I’m doing enough that thought pops in my head.”
On top of that, Patrick listed other artistes involved in supporting these good causes and who he’d like to work with for the project. “There have been many people involved, including Jared Leto and Angelina Jolie, to name a few, so yes I think anyone who’s willing to collaborate on raising awareness about human trafficking is welcome,” he says.
Music and more
Photos courtesy of Michael Craegh & Kyle Patrick.
Even though he’ll always do music, the talented multi-instrumentalist says that he wants to expand into the entertainment industry in the future, which in this case, acting. However, his focus remains with “finishing this album, and then getting out to promote it, all while spreading the word about human trafficking”.
So, if you’re interested to get into the mood of the holiday season while listening to some classic Christmas songs, your favourite Click Five songs, catch Kyle Patrick at TAB in Singapore on Dec 20!
For more details on the concert, log to TAB’s official website here.