derik nelson

I've found I feel most like myself when I'm at the piano or with a guitar in my lap, singing about how I feel to people who feel the same way.

I got my start in musical theatre when I was seven years old. I sang "Where Is Love?" from the musical OLIVER for an audience of about 500 people, and have been hooked on performing ever since. I picked up the saxophone in school band back in 5th grade, guitar in 8th grade, recorded my first album independently at age 14, my second at age 16, and got serious about the piano during my first year of college.

I went to the University of Michigan to study Performing Arts Technology with a minor in Jazz Voice. However, after my first year there, I figured out that my dreams and goals as a pop singer/songwriter exceeded what Ann Arbor, Michigan had to offer me. I made the difficult decision to transfer, and started over in Los Angeles, where I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Industry from the University of Southern California.

I realized somewhere along the line that what I loved most about being on stage was the ability and the power to connect with people on many different emotional levels. Music is one of the deepest expressions of emotion, and writing and performing original music is as personal and naked as you can get. It makes it that much more meaningful, and to have people appreciate and relate to the feelings I'm putting out there makes me feel truly privileged to be a songwriter.

My recent release is a solo piano/vocal album comprised of stories and feelings from the depths of my heart and the scribbles of my journal. It's practically co-written by my cat, who sits next to me on the piano bench every time I play. Take a listen and I'm sure you'll get to know me better than I can introduce myself here in this bio.

The only thing missing from my brief life story is a BIG thank you to my family. I feel so lucky to have them as my biggest fans... My parents are nothing but supportive and motivating, my younger brother Dalten is a budding actor himself and the best PS2 Lego Star Wars companion ever, and my sister Riana is a stunningly talented actress, singer, performer, writer, artist, and inspiration in her own right. She does all the photography for my promo material (including this website), as well as hand-drew the artwork for my aforementioned piano project, "Alone With The Keys And The Cat." Please check her out at riananelson.com.

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