The first 5-song release featuring the velvety sibling harmonies of Riana, Derik, and Dalten.

A breezy pop song inspired by bossa nova and summertime. Written, produced, recorded, mixed, & all instruments by Derik Nelson.

Original songs written for the feature film, "Commencement."

I was honored with the opportunity to write custom music for this beautiful movie, written and directed by Steve Albrezzi. Steve wanted to use songs in the film that could play a role in moving the story forward, with specific themes intended for the beginning, middle, and end of the movie. He gave me a rough cut of the film, and the only direction he gave me was an overall intent or feeling he wanted me to elicit from each song: "hopeful, excited, & looking forward" for the opening song ("Welcome To The Finish Line"), "uncertainty" for the middle song ("Before You Can Fly"), and "reflection & moral of the story" for the end song ("Another Way To Say Hello"). I was very proud to write, produce, record, and mix these pieces myself, and even prouder to submit them to Steve and discover that he would deem them "perfect."

Included with the three songs is an acoustic instrumental cue I wrote ("Nate and Gillian Dance") that ended up underscoring my favorite scene in the movie.

"Commencement" is now available in over 100 million homes nationwide via OnDemand on Comcast, YouTube Movie Channel, Google Play, iTunes, Fandango, and more.

Thank you to Steve Albrezzi for this incredible opportunity, Riana Nelson for lending your beautiful voice, Ben Rose for playing drums, and Ryan Beveridge for co-writing the music for "Welcome To The Finish Line."