Music is a universal language, and the best way to understand a language is to learn more about its creators and immerse yourself in the culture.
Local emerging artists Patrick Watkins, singer and music producer, and Michael Reich, lyricist, met about a year ago through a promoter Watkins previously worked with at Superstar Productions. They soon started collaborating on music, with Reich writing the lyrics and Watkins singing and producing the songs.
Watkins performs around South Florida and has opened for numerous artists, including American Authors, Nico & Vinz, Christina Perri, Gavin DeGraw and the Plain White T’s. He’s also performed at a local Relay for Life, Crafti Bar, Stache and the Vanilla Ice Block Party.
Reich and Watkins offered some insight into what it means to be emerging artists.
What made you want to pursue a career in music?
Reich: “Originally, I wanted to be a performer when I was a little kid, but I realized I couldn’t be a performer because I wasn’t that good at singing. I looked up to musicians like the Beach Boys, Backstreet Boys and N’Sync. I got my inspiration to become a songwriter through all these musicians and groups.”
Watkins: “I started when I was really young, actually. My mom was putting me in commercials and stuff when I was 5 years old. I was going down to Miami all the time, doing commercials and whatnot. And then I started taking voice lessons when I was probably 8 and started performing. I got a scholarship to the University of Miami for musical theater, and I actually turned it down because I wanted to start a group with Cohen Robinson [actor, songwriter, music producer and singer] and his brother Miles. We were signed to a company, but they went bankrupt. So we kind of had to start all over. Right now, I’m finishing a degree at Broward College for music technology.”
Is there a particular genre you identify with?
Reich: “I pretty much identify with rock and ballads. I like all music though.”
Watkins: “I’d have to agree. I love all music. I think if you’re a true artist you will really appreciate all types of music, except, I really can’t get into screamo or heavy metal.”
Do you have a favorite song you’ve written/performed?
Reich: “‘We Belong Together’ is probably in my top three. I have a couple of other ones that I actually haven’t released yet that I really like, too, but ‘We Belong Together’ is top-three, for sure.”
Watkins: “When I have a show, there’s one song I always come back to. I remade the track — I like to remake tracks whenever I do covers so it’s my style and more original — but I remade Michael Buble’s ‘Feeling Good.’ I just really like that song.”
Do you play any instruments?
Reich: “I don’t play any instruments, unfortunately.”
Watkins: “I play the keyboard and piano, and that’s how I make most of the tracks. I also play guitar and, actually, recently wanted to pick up bass. There’s not really an instrument that I can’t learn — it just takes a lot of time to practice. I’ve been picking up the harmonica, lately, as well.”
What’s the most difficult aspect of being a rising songwriter or a producer and performer?
Reich: “Writer’s block, and it happens all the time. I’ll have a melody in my head, and I’ll have everything down that I want, but I just can’t get the lyrics out. But when I do, it usually comes out pretty good, I think. Sometimes, it takes a few days or even a few months [to overcome writer’s block], but I just keep pushing on and pushing on, and, eventually, I get it done.”
Watkins: “Being a performer and a producer is the hardest part about being a performer and a producer. You judge yourself a little more harshly than another producer would if you were working with somebody. I’m a perfectionist. In my last album, it probably took three years for me to put together. Just making sure I’m not my own worst enemy and just making sure I’m consistent are the hardest things.”
Where do you draw inspiration from to come up with your lyrics?
Reich: “Pretty much everyday events, other peoples’ lives. I have songs sometimes that are more depressed; sometimes they focus on relationships. I use other peoples’ [life events] and just draw inspiration from that.”
Is there anything you do before going on stage to ease any anxiety or tension?
Watkins: “For me, it’s important to warm up vocally and physically. If I have a performance, I definitely try to work out that day. If I have a show, I try to do between a 20- and 30-minute workout just to kind of get the blood flowing and get everything loose. And then, vocally, I warm up going through ranges for 15- to 30-minutes. Besides that I just like to prepare ahead of time. There’s nothing worse than being unprepared for something. My goal is to be so prepared that, if I get on stage and I get nervous, I’ll be so prepared that my instincts take over so I don’t have to worry about anything, and it just kind of happens.”
Have any of the songs you’ve written or produced been performed in front of a large crowd?
Reich: “Unfortunately, not yet, but, hopefully, one day they will be. That’s my dream.”
Watkins: “Hopefully, the next big show I have, I’ll [perform one of Michael’s songs] so he can mark that one off his list. Yeah, a bunch of times. There’s a few songs off my last album that are kind of my go-to’s for when I perform — ‘Slowly Falling,’ ‘Infinity,’ ‘What You Do,’ — those are kind of my three that [are go-to’s].”
What are your future goals?
Reich: “My dream has always been to have one of my songs play on national radio and to be successful in the music industry.”
Watkins: “Same thing for me. I plan on continuing my education as well. My goal is to create a large online fan base through YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. I feel like I’m going to gain some momentum in the next few years. Just keep making music, keep collaborating.”
Do you have any advice for people interested in pursuing a musical career?
Reich: “I just have to say to just never give up and keep pushing. Even when you get down and feel like you can’t do it, there’s always tomorrow. Keep fighting.”
Watkins: “Pursue your music, but also look for other avenues in the industry so that you can work and continue to work in an industry that you love. It’s hard to make full-time income from [writing, performing or producing]. You can’t do it unless you’re involved in multiple things. Artists have to think of it as their own business. You gotta build it yourself.”
Reich and Watkins’s latest single “We Belong Together” can be found at soundcloud.com/patrickwatkinsj/we-belong-together. Watkins’s first album, “Subconscious State,” is available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and SoundCloud. He’s currently working on his second album, which will feature music written by Reich, and he hopes to release it within the next year. To stay updated on Watkins’s and Reich’s music, follow them on Twitter @Mreich1979 and @PatrickWatkinsJ.
Photo Credit: PRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM P. WATKINS.
