Levi Patel – Press Kit

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Biography

Perched high above rolling hills and a typically spectacular New Zealand coastline lies a hand-built studio in which composer, producer, arranger and songwriter Levi Patel hones his craft.

It's easy to imagine how, from this place of quiet perspective, Patel's gentle, ruminative compositions have been inspired to flow into the world and establish him as a truly unique creative force.

From a foundational expression of intimate and contemplative guitar and piano composition, Patel layers worlds of richly harmonic strings and delicately crafted textures for a remarkable range of creative outputs that vary from film soundtracks to collaborations with soundscape artists, pop stars and robotic instruments.

Since 2013 and across two EPs and two albums, Patel's solo works have amassed tens of millions of streams and listeners across the globe. In 2018, he travelled to George Lucas' esteemed Skywalker Ranch to work with Academy Award winning sound editor André Fenley (Fight Club, Jurassic Park) to complete his soundtrack for Lucasfilm director Rayne Roberts' debut short film It's Snowing Outside.

The past five years have seen Patel expand the scope of his work to produce, co-write or feature on songs by the likes of Message To Bears, Alayna, Jeremy Redmore and Rhian Sheehan. While in 2020 he made full use of his software engineering education in exhibiting a prototype robotic musical instrument at New York's Museum of the Moving Image.

An avid admirer of Chinese culture and self-taught Mandarin speaker, Patel has fostered an impressive following there; to the point where the country has become half of his streaming audience, with viral videos on social platforms Rednote and Douyin leading to features and interviews on Chinese news and radio.

Now, the voice behind Patel's modest spectacles and quiet demeanour is shared with the world through his album Sailing on the Light of a Passing Star.

It's an evolution that Patel himself could barely have imagined three years ago, but after undergoing an intensive regime of vocal development and endless lyrical iterations, his first singer-songwriter album has arrived as an intimate, ethereal travelogue through the journey from heartbreak to hope.

Highlights

  • Over 50 pieces of self-produced music released, including two full-length albums
  • Highest played track over 17 million streams
  • Composed film soundtracks including It's Snowing Outside, directed by Lucasfilm's Rayne Roberts. Completed at Skywalker Ranch with Academy Award winner André Fenley (Fight Club, Jurassic Park)
  • 5000 Spotify followers, 1200 newsletter, 13k Rednote, 15k Soundcloud, 1500 Instagram, 1600 Facebook, 1900 Netease
  • 4.5 star review on stuff.co.nz and Sunday Star Times (NZ) Albums of the Year list 2017
  • Produced and written gentle pop songs with artists including Alayna and Jeremy Redmore
  • Co-written and featured on music with Rhian Sheehan, Message to Bears, and Moshimoss
  • Exhibited prototype robotic musical instrument at New York's Museum of the Moving Image (2020)
  • Self-taught Mandarin speaker with viral posts in China, and thousands of videos using my music on Chinese TikTok (抖音)
  • Featured on Chinese news, radio, and official media platforms
  • Bachelor of Engineering (First Class Honours in Software Engineering) and Bachelor of Commerce (Economics and Finance) from the University of Auckland
Levi Patel portrait photograph

Featured Interviews

RNZ National - The Kiwi Musician Taking Chinese Social Media by Storm (Dec 2024)

Reviews

A Shifting Lightness (2020)

“It's fair to call A Shifting Lightness a spiritual pilgrimage.” - A Closer Listen

“The lightness of being is potently encapsulated in A Shifting Lightness.” - Muzic.net.nz [5 stars]

"It is recordings like this that make you wonder why so few classical music lovers have gotten over the 18th century." - The Moderns

“Overwhelmingly touching.” - Arctic Drones

Affinity (2017)

"A bright new star has flashed its way across the skies in the Southern Hemisphere... the compositions on Affinity will hold their appeal for generations to come." - Stuff.co.nz [4.5 stars]

"Levi Patel is quietly claiming his rightful place in the spotlight." - NZ Musician

“[Affinity] deserves a place near every fireside and in every front parlour.” - Elsewhere

Videos

Gravity (Music Video)

Through Winter Eyes (Music Video)

Film Composition Showreel

Words Like First Light (Music Video)

Albums and EPs

Collaborations

Credits

Discography

Film

  • Writing to Reach You documentary (2021, KR) - sound designer and mix engineer
  • Firsts short film (2021, NZ) - music composer
  • It's Snowing Outside short film (2019, US) - music composer
  • In My Absence short film (2019, NZ) - music composer with Gala Morris
  • Breaking and Entering short film (2018, NZ) - music composer
  • Crossroads feature documentary (2018, KR) - music composer and sound designer
  • This Island is Ours feature documentary (2016, KR) - music composer and sound designer
  • Last Letters short documentary (2016, KR) - music composer and sound designer

Collaboration Highlights

Commercial Clients

  • Hilton Hotels & Resorts (Int), Hankook Tire (Korea), Match.com (US), Les Mills (Int), Auckland City Mission (NZ), Mother Earth (NZ), Cavalier Bremworth (NZ), Underwood International College (Korea), University of Otago (NZ), Algonaut (NZ).

Contact

Levi Patel

levi@levipatel.com

+64 21 205 6869

Levi Patel portrait photograph