Check Out Dixi Patel’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dixi Patel

Hi Dixi, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When I was a toddler, my mom bought me a fischer price piano that I used to play around on. But one day as she was singing nursery rhymes to me, she heard me play the tune of “Old Mcdonald,” and from that point onward knew I had an ear for music. I grew up playing piano by ear, and eventually would sing along. I never received any significant formal training in singing but I loved to sing. I was also a trained dancer throughout childhood since the age of 3, so I always knew music was my calling just as my mom had discovered. I used to sing at the temple as a kid and when I went to college I joined an acappella group. That was my first time really doing stage performances and I received so much support that I went on to post covers on youtube. While I was doing this I was also studying to go to medical school. Throughout medical school and residency I performed with a band at various weddings events and I soon started to release my own original music. Fast forward to today, and I am now a practicing Pediatrician in Long Beach since 2020, as well as a recognized singer/songwriter with music on all streaming platforms. I still perform at weddings and events all around the world on the weekends. People always joke around that I’m like the real life Hannah Montana, doctor by day and singer by night.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As you can imagine, juggling between becoming a doctor and also pursuing a music career definitely was a bumpy path. It took lots of sacrifice and I wasn’t doing all the things that most people my age were likely doing. I was so focused on my two passions/careers that I hardly had time for anything else socially like partying, etc. But I really learned how to manage my time and truly balance it all. I did not want to give up music while pursuing my medical career, so there were times that I remember I would be last minute cramming/studying on the plane back from gigs for my exams the following week. My one weekend off of the month during residency would be the weekend I went for my performances. The music/entertainment scene was also a novel thing to me, so I did not know anything on the business end of things, I only knew the art. I did not have a manager or a team and I was mostly doing everything on my own. So I did have a couple of negative experiences with people in the industry that took advantage of my naivety and when I was approached by someone who seemed to believe me and want to help me, I was actually scammed out of thousands of dollars, which really put me in a negative place with music at the time. But I crawled out of it being stronger and smarter, and it did not stop me from continuing to make music.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
So as mentioned before, my weekday career is being a Pediatrician. On the weekends is when I work on my music career. I love working with children and I always wanted to find a way to combine my two passions/careers. One day I thought I would sing to my patients, and one of my staff members recorded a video of me doing so. The video gained 3 million views and after that I was known as the singing doctor. I made that my tiktok handle and posted a couple more videos of me singing to the kids. Music really is healing and therapeutic and it’s so incredible to see the responses I get from these babies when I sing to them. I think having two careers that are so different from each other but somehow being able to tie them together is what makes me unique and sets me apart from other singers or other doctors. I am most proud of the fact that I have been able to achieve the dreams I dreamed of as a teenager and I really never thought I would be where I am today with all the blessings and opportunities that I have received thus far. I’m so proud of myself for not quitting either career for the other, nor succumbing to discouraging remarks/pressure from others.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love how diverse LA is in terms of culture and people. It makes it more welcoming for a South Asian artist that is underrepresented in mainstream media in the US and I love that I can perform Hindi or Punjabi versus just English and it still be received well by crowds. I also love the beaches, it’s the main reason I moved out here from New York. I think what I least like about the city is the traffic, shocker.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://iamdixi.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diximusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diximusic
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dixipatel/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@diximusicproductions
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/diximusicproductions

Image Credits
Manni Singh, Andru Martinez, Jonathan Luna