He was born in Poland, specifically in Piekary Śląskie, but has lived in the UK for over ten years. He’s currently the star of TikTok (boasting over a million followers there) and already has several tracks. Check out our interview with him!
In early August, he shared his latest song titled “Tyskie”. It is his most autobiographical composition, and the video was shot in Piekary Śląskie, where Pat spent the first seven years of his life. It was the first time the artist appeared in his hometown since he moved to the UK (previous article about Pat you can find here – Pat about differences between Poland and the UK)
Pat’s very first EP “No Ball Games” is out on September 5th!
The whole interview you can watch here ⤵️
You are a TikTok star and a rapper. And how do you recall your childhood in Poland?
Pat: My childhood in Poland is crazy because I was so young and people always go to me “Oh, you probably don’t remember much or you probably don’t remember what it’s like in Poland”. But the scary thing is I remember everything like from the times when I was like, what? I was one to six when I was in Poland. So, I moved when I was seven, just 10 and eight. So, I kind of like one to seven. And then I remember everything. I remember playing in the sandpit. I remember going to school, nursery. I remember crying in the nursery every single day because I didn’t want to be there. Yeah, just running around doing childhood stuff, to be honest. It’s crazy because, I used to run around the blocks just doing crazy, naughty things that kids do. I mean, rolling around with older kids. And I’m still like wondering how my mom let me do that because I was so young. I was literally, what, five, six? And I was just doing stupid things with people I probably shouldn’t have been doing. But yeah, it was good fun. I remember it being really fun and I have nothing but good memories from that place, which is why I wanted to come back. So yeah, I remember lots.
And was it difficult for you, you know, to acclimate to the UK because I think it was quite a big change for you?
Pat: A hundred percent. It was a big change, but I don’t think I’ll call it difficult. Difficult is a bad word because I was so young, I didn’t really realize what was happening. And it was that age where you’re kind of like making friends. But the friends that I had in Poland weren’t like super strong friends, so it wasn’t like I left my whole life behind, if that makes sense. It was kind of like as a kid, you don’t register what’s happening then. My mom was just sort of like, yeah, we’re moving, we’re going to live in England. I was like, OK, cool. I mean, you don’t think of anything like that. My sister was only two, so she didn’t know anything. And I was like, what, six, seven? I was like, cool, let’s do it. I don’t mind. And it was just kind of a case of saying goodbye to everyone, packing our stuff, and the next minute we were in England, and once I was in England, yeah. There was a culture shock because obviously, I didn’t speak any English. I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t have my favourite sweets anymore. I didn’t have my crisps that I liked that were Polish. I grew up in Poland. Everything I knew was Polish. So that was kind of different, just adjusting to things like that. But once I got going, I kind of again, because I was so young, you picked everything up so quickly, you make friends. And before I knew I didn’t even like miss Poland, if that makes sense. This was just home. Now you’re kind like, you’re here now. That’s what I’m doing.
And what do you think about your return to Poland? Is Piekary Śląskie much different from how you remembered it?
Pat: Yeah, to be honest. Yeah. Like, as soon as I got there, I remembered everything. I knew where everything was. I knew how to get to places. But what I didn’t like, I didn’t like what they had done to the blocks. Before, they used to be like grey, that they used to be character. Probably people from like the government and people like that say “We need to change that to make it look more nice”. But I love that about it. I mean, I love the fact that there was no grittiness. There were dirty blocks, there was trash on the floor. I was like, that is home to me. I mean, that is what I wanted to see when I come back to that. Obviously, my grandmother still lives there as well. So, we talked beforehand and she was like, yeah, they’ve changed everything and I was like “Oh no man, why they’ve done that”. And it kind of looks yeah. It looked a bit too colourful. It wasn’t really like, I didn’t feel like home anymore because it was so, so different from the way I left it. But yeah, certain things are still very much the same. Like the shops are still in the same places. The school that I used to go to is still in the same place. So, I’ve made my way around nicely. But it was definitely different and a lot more modern and it looks like, yeah, it’s just a bit too pretty. I mean, they’ve tried too hard.
Tell me Pat, where did the idea for the song and this title “Tyskie” come from?
Pat: So, when I was writing this song, I was kind of like in a bit of a weird place mentally. I was like, I didn’t really know what I was doing in life kind of thing. And I was brought back to childhood and I remembered one thing. You see the standard things, you know, people getting drunk on benches, or the moms gathered outside the blocks and they would just have a coffee and they would just kind of like, look. And that’s kind of like a coping mechanism. I mean, people were always just like get together over on the bench with their friends, have a Tyskie, or the moms outside the blocks to having coffee and talking about life. And I remember that for and I was like, that’s kind of how I’m feeling right now. And it was like I was thinking about where I want my life to go. And when I thought about them, they were kind of thinking about what they want to do in life, or maybe they’re talking about their problems or things that have happened to them or just reminiscing or looking forward. And that’s kind of where the idea came from. And yeah, the metaphor Tyskie is like, you know, just sitting there having a beer was getting a bit deep into it. And that’s kind of like what my dad used to do as well, you know? I mean, like everyone around us, that’s what I saw as a kid. You’d have the men that come back from work, they have a beer and you just sit there and talk about the day. I mean, so that’s kind of how I put the song together. And I used Tyskie because it’s kind of like a recognizable thing in England. You know people know what Tyskie is. You can get Tyskie in the shops. So, I wanted to make that link because of me being Polish, but also like an English person, they might not know one hundred percent, but they’ve heard of that. So, it makes sense to me. I mean, so kind of speaking to both sides of me, that Polish and English, I wanted everyone to kind of get involved.
Do you have any plans to release any new songs?
Pat: Yeah, so this is the third and final single of my first EP. So, I’ve released three songs so far and this is the last one. Next month I release the whole EP of six or seven songs, I think six songs are on there and it’s ready and it’s coming out. So yeah, there’s definitely more music and after that, we’ve got more in the pipeline. We’re not stopping. So, the music is number one, the rest, the TikTok stuff and the rest is always in the background. I’ll just have fun in that. But music has always been number one. So, yeah, definitely loads more to come.
How are Poles perceived in England? What kind of stereotypes are often repeated?
Pat: So, it’s a funny one really because there’s a lot. I like to laugh about it as well as you know. I mean, I don’t think that generally Polish people are presented in a certain way. There are loads of different ways that people view it. I mean, you’ve got the classic, obviously, people that just like whacked builders, warehouse people, hard-working. I think, in general, like everyone I speak to when they talk about Polish people, it’s like they’re always hardworking. There’s definitely a different attitude of how Polish people deal with things than it is in England. You know, in England, everything’s a bit polite, you know? I mean, we’ll do a meeting, will sit down and have a coffee, and we’ll be like, OK, we’re going to solve this problem by doing this. Whereas the Polish attitude to things, which I prefer, to be honest, is like right cool, this is how we’re going to fix it and we’re going to do it now. I mean, there’s no like beating around the bush. There’s no, like, dressing up pretty for being polite. I think we’re very upfront. And that’s what I love, you know? I mean, because you don’t want to be beaten around the bush and talking for ages when you don’t need to. I think so. That’s one way how Polish people are presented. But, yeah, it’s mainly the attitude, the working wise, how hardworking they are. That’s what I get the most. And also, you get the people that are like just dressing in tracksuits and, you know, posted drinking beer and that. But you get that everywhere. You get that with every single nation. So, it’s mostly positive, though. I can’t even lie to you. The Polish community, there’s a big, big, big part of the community, especially where I live in Bedford. So, yeah, there’s a lot. There’s a lot.
Is there something, that would you like to tell? Maybe not only me but people who would read an article about you.
Pat: I’d probably say to people that that’s very kind of you, by the way, but I’m just a normal guy. I’m literally just a normal person, just doing normal things. Like I’m just in my bedroom every day. I just I’m doing what I love. And if there’s anything I would want to say is to especially to the Polish people reading this that don’t let where you’re from define what you do if that makes sense. So, I’m from Piekary Śląskie, which is a place in the middle of nowhere and no one knows where it is. Like when you’re going on holiday, you’re not going there. But you can be whatever you want, no matter where you’re from. I mean, like you can make things happen. And there’s life outside the small areas that you’re from. You know, like there isn’t just one way of living. You can do things differently. I know, especially in Poland and especially in neighborhoods that we’re from, some people might be a bit closed-minded and look like you can’t do that. What can you do that you know? But that’s you can branch out. You can do whatever you want, basically, and just have fun with it. And that’s what I’ve done, really. I’ve just sort of went “cool, I’m going to do this. I’m going to have fun”. And now here we are. And I’m just thankful that I’m here, you know?
Check also Pat’s song “Tyskie” ⤵️