ABOUT DERIK
Derik Nelson is a singer, songwriter, producer, and educator from Olympia, Washington.
He writes, records, and produces his own music as a self taught multi-instrumentalist and audio engineer. He’s garnered over 4 million views on YouTube, performed in 150+ cities across the USA, and reached over 100,000 students of all ages with educational music workshops, outreach programming, and fundraising assemblies. Derik appeared regularly as the lead guitarist on television’s “Glee,” his original songs can be heard on TV and in movies, and his singing voice has been featured on ABC’s “Modern Family,” FOX’s “Raising Hope” and “New Girl,” CBS’s “How I Met Your Mother,” and NBC’s “Go On” and “The Voice,” and more.
Derik holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Industry from the University of Southern California, where he helped to shape the curriculum that has now become the Popular Music Degree program—a program that only 3% of applying singer-songwriters are accepted into—which honored Derik with a department award recognizing his contributions. Other awards Derik has received include the Brian Wilson Music Scholarship for songwriting, the award for Best Male Artist in the 12th Annual International Acoustic Music Awards, and first place in the Indie International Songwriting Competition for his original song, “The Way It’s Gonna Go.” Derik was invited by the USC President’s Office to write the music and lyrics for the USC Graduating Class of 2011’s commencement anthem. His song, “Take Chances,” was featured at commencement, and was the catalyst for his first independent tour across 40 locations on the West Coast to raise money for high school arts & music programs.
Derik's "Take Chances Tour," an independent touring venture to raise money and awareness for music education
Of all the experiences in Derik’s extensive career, singing with his brother and sister as acoustic pop/folk sibling trio Derik Nelson & Family stands out most.
They’ve performed the US National Anthem at Seattle Seahawks NFL, Seattle Sounders FC, and Portland Trailblazers NBA home games, and are proud to tour nationwide with their own headlining concert in some of the finest performing arts centers and historic halls in the country including the Levitt Pavilion (Dayton, OH), the Bartlesville Community Center (Bartlesville, OK), the Corn Palace (Mitchell, SD), and the Johnny Carson Theatre (Norfolk, NE). Most recently, Derik Nelson & Family has been selected to represent the United States as Cultural Ambassadors through the U.S. Dept. of State traveling to Moldova, Albania, Ukraine, Egypt, and Eritrea.
Derik Nelson & Family performs the National Anthem for 69,000+ people at a Seattle Seahawks game
