Quick Facts
Biography
Patra (born Dorothy Smith, 22 November 1972 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican dancehall singer. In her beginnings as a female dancehall deejay in the late 1980s, she used the stage name Lady Patra. She first made an impression on the US charts as a featured singer on the Shabba Ranks song, "Family Affair", which hit No. 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1994.
Career
In 1993, she released her debut album Queen of The Pack (#1 on the Reggae albums chart). It was led by the single "Think (About It)" in 1993, which peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Rap Singles chart and No. 89 on R&B. Her follow-up single "Worker Man" became a bigger hit, reaching No. 53 on the Hot 100, the Top 20 on the R&B chart and #1 on the U.S. Dance chart. The album's third and final single, "Romantic Call" (#55 U.S., No. 21 U.S. Dance), was a collaboration with emcee Yo-Yo.
In 1995, she released her single "Pull Up to the Bumper" which was a cover of the Grace Jones song and peaked at No. 60 on the Hot 100, No. 21 R&B, and No. 15 Dance charts. Her second album, Scent of Attraction followed later that year, and peaked at No. 151 on the Billboard 200, No. 28 on the R&B/Hip Hop Albums, and No. 1 on the Reggae charts. The set's single, "Scent of Attraction" featuring R&B musician Aaron Hall peaked at No. 82 on the Hot 100, and became her fourth Top 40 (peak: #31) R&B hit. "Dip and Fall Back" was also released as a single off the album but failed to chart.
Patra also performed on the 1995 Panther movie soundtrack with the song "Freedom (Theme from Panther)", a collaboration between the American music industry's leading urban female vocalists. She also performed on C+C Music Factory's remix of its hit single "Take a Toke" that same year.
After a few years to spend time with family, she released her third studio album The Great Escape in 2003, preceded by the single "Pressure Me." The following year, she appeared on the Two Culture Clash project, where she was featured on the album's lead single, "How Do You Love", featuring fellow reggae artist, Danny English.
Her fourth studio album, Where I've Been, was released in 2005, preceded by the single "Man Dem Thriller", and released through the independent record label, Wall Street Entertainment. A second single, "Black Cinderella" followed. She was arrested that same year for charges of fraud, but was released on bail.
Soon after, Patra took some time off once again from the music industry, becoming more spiritually connected to God and completing her bachelor's degree in History and Political Science.
In 2012, she signed with Veal-Steen Music. That year, she did a series of shows and interviews, and began work on her fifth studio album with a 12-track set planned with A&R executive/producer, Rich Nice. She released a buzz track, "Bad Inna Bed" in 2012. A digital single, "Come Ova" featuring Delus was followed in June 2012. The music video premiered on 24 August 2012 on YouTube.
In 2013, she announced the lead single off her forthcoming album, "Sweet Reggae Music," which premiered in April.
Discography
Albums
- Queen of the Pack (1993)
- Scent of Attraction (1995)
- The Great Escape (2003)
- Where I've Been (2005)
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | US R&B | US Rap | US Dance | |||
| 1993 | "Think (About It)" (feat. Lyn Collins) | – | 89 | 21 | – | Queen of the Pack |
| 1994 | "Worker Man" | 53 | 20 | 5 | 1 | |
| "Romantic Call" (feat. Yo-Yo) | 55 | 35 | 9 | 21 | ||
| 1995 | "Pull Up to the Bumper" | 60 | 21 | – | 15 | Scent of Attraction |
| "Dip and Fall Back" | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1996 | "Scent of Attraction" (feat. Aaron Hall) | 82 | 31 | – | – | |
| 2003 | "Pressure Me" | – | – | – | – | The Great Escape |
| 2005 | "Man Dem Thriller" | – | – | – | – | Where I've Been |
| "Black Cinderella" | – | – | – | – | ||
| 2012 | "Come Ova" (feat. Delus) | – | – | – | – | TBA |
| 2013 | "Sweet Reggae Music" | – | – | – | – | |
