Fear of poverty makes me work harder – Patoranking

Nigerian Singer and songwriter, Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie, popular known by his stage name Patoranking, has revealed that the fear of the poverty he experienced in his past makes him work harder.

The Nigerian singer was speaking of his outset in the music space during a HipTV show hosted by Nancy Isime.

“Knowing where I’m coming from is important. I don’t want to go back there,” Patoranking said when the host asked him what drove him to carve out a niche in music.

“When I say that I don’t mean the hood. I mean I don’t want to go back to suffering, poverty, times when I could only eat once a day or go two, days without eating.

“I don’t want that life anymore. Me trying to run away from that life makes me work harder. The higher you go; the more difficult it becomes. Once you’re able to understand that, you won’t have any problem. You just keep working.

“I got to understand that those times are a part of the plan. Failure is part of success. I’ve been able to understand that these things would come. Am I ready when they do? Yes.”

Patoranking started his career collaborating with artists such as X-Project, Konga, Slam, and Reggie Rockstone. He signed a record deal with K-Solo’s Igberaga Records in 2010, releasing ‘Up in D Club’ under the outfit.

The singer soon became a protégé of Dem Mama Records after collaborating with Timaya on his song ‘Alubarika’.In February 2014, he signed a deal with Foston Musik and released ‘Girlie O’, a single that put him in the limelight.

In 2015, Patoranking landed a distribution deal with VP Records, a Caribbean-owned label in Queens, New York. He would later release the song ‘Abule’ ahead of his third studio album ‘Three’ which came through in late 2020.