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At just 20 years old, local singer Patriz has become one of Puerto Vallarta’s brightest emerging performers. This August 3–4 at Coco Cabaret, she will represent Puerto Vallarta as one of 28 finalists from across Mexico competing in the Karaoke World Championships (KWC) National Finals, where only one vocalist will earn the honour of representing Mexico at the International Finals in Las Vegas this October.
But for Patriz, this journey has been as much about life as it is about music.
Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Patriz was a musical theatre student who spent much of her mid-teens battling serious health challenges, including Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), a disorder that left her largely bedridden for nearly a year. She also lives with Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD)—a connective tissue condition that causes unusually flexible joints, chronic pain, fatigue, posture difficulties, and disrupted sleep. For a teenager whose greatest dream was to perform, the future looked uncertain.
Then something extraordinary happened.
Mexico—and a chance encounter—changed everything.
After bringing Patriz and her brother to Puerto Vallarta in hopes that a healthier climate and a fresh start would aid her recovery, her mother encouraged her to “just have fun” and sing at an open mic night at the beloved Romantic Zone piano bar, Incanto. Nervously, Patriz stepped onto a stage by herself for the very first time.
The room embraced her.
Incanto owner Tracy Parks had created a place where new artists could be discovered, and audience members—including local philanthropist Lisa Manoogian—offered encouragement that would forever alter the course of one young woman’s life.
That single performance snowballed into competing in the Voice of Vallarta, performances at La Catrina Cantina, and auditions for productions at Act2PV. Before long, what had begun as a temporary stay became a life-changing decision for Patriz, her mother, and her brother to make Puerto Vallarta their permanent home, allowing Patriz to pursue opportunities that simply didn’t exist elsewhere.
They often say it takes a village to raise a child.
In Puerto Vallarta, it took an entire arts community to raise an artist.
Patriz was cast for a short run as Sophie in Mamma Mia! at Act2PV and later entered Lisa Manoogian’s So You Think You Can RISE? talent competition, where she earned the third-place trophy.
Legendary drag icon Gouda Gabor affectionately jokes that Patriz was “raised by wolves and drag queens.”
There’s more truth in that than humour.
Puerto Vallarta’s entertainment community became her extended family.
She learned from some of the city’s finest performers and mentors, including Kevin-Anthony, Maru Prado Conti, Tonny Kenneth, and many others who generously helped pave her path to the stage.
Like many emerging performers, Patriz’s journey has not been without disappointment.
More than once, projects she had been developing never reached the stage. As one of the youngest performers in town, she often found herself underestimated or told she was simply “too young” for certain productions. Tribute concepts she dreamed of bringing to audiences were sometimes overtaken by more established entertainers before they had the chance to come to life.
Rather than becoming discouraged, she kept working.
She kept studying.
She kept singing.
And eventually, the audiences spoke for themselves.
During the 2025–2026 season, Patriz premiered Amy Winehouse Forever at The Palm Cabaret. The production opened to a sold-out audience, marking a defining milestone in her career. Coincidentally, Patriz is the same age Amy Winehouse was when the British icon first captivated the world—20 years old.
Today, she is no longer viewed as “too young.”
She is simply viewed as someone with extraordinary potential.
Her success has never been built on extravagant costumes or large production budgets. She competes against artists with greater resources and years more experience. What Patriz has instead is authenticity, relentless work ethic, and a voice that continues to connect deeply with audiences.
Her story also reflects something uniquely beautiful about modern Mexico.
Although born in Canada, Patriz proudly represents what many call the “new Mexico”—a country that welcomes newcomers, celebrates talent regardless of origin, and allows people to build new lives through diversity, community, acceptance, and opportunity.
She proudly calls Puerto Vallarta home.
Mexico didn’t simply give Patriz a stage.
It gave her a future.
As she prepares to compete against 27 of Mexico’s finest singers at the KWC National Finals, she carries with her not only her own dreams, but also the encouragement of the patrons, performers, producers, volunteers, and audiences who make Puerto Vallarta’s arts scene one of the most welcoming in the world. They believed in a shy teenager long before she fully believed in herself.
Patriz’s story is also Puerto Vallarta’s story.
It is proof that this city doesn’t simply entertain visitors—it creates artists. It nurtures dreamers, embraces newcomers, and gives young performers a place to grow alongside internationally respected entertainers. Every open mic, every standing ovation, every mentor, every theatre, every cabaret stage, and every audience member willing to applaud someone taking their first brave step has helped shape the next generation of talent.
Whether or not she earns the coveted trip to Las Vegas, Patriz has already accomplished something remarkable.
She found her voice.
And in doing so, she discovered where she belongs.
The upcoming 2026–2027 entertainment season promises to be her biggest yet. Amy Winehouse Forever returns to The Palm Cabaret, alongside three exciting new productions that will see Patriz collaborating with many of Puerto Vallarta’s most celebrated performers and producers as she continues to build a career in the city that changed her life.
As Puerto Vallarta cheers her on this August, Patriz hopes her journey reminds others that dreams don’t always happen where you begin.
Sometimes they begin where someone believes in you.
For Patriz, that place was Puerto Vallarta.
And for that, she simply says:
“Thank God for Mexico.”
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