Derek Olds

"We are here, on this planet, to know love” says Derek, a theme that is rampant throughout his seamless, organic songwriting and spirit. "Despite our conflicting upbringings and isolated experiences, we experience the most important emotion -love- exactly the same way.” With his arresting blue eyes, he draws you in and ultimately possesses you with his message, sprawled over an epic album that took years and perseverance in making. His quest in recent travels and performances has taken him across the waters. From places like Brazil, where he wrote the socially relevant “My Dream”, to Holland and France, where he sang to celebrate life and passion, his variety of experience has etched in him a strong sense of purpose through music.
His massive talent has been shared with some of today's hottest national acts such as Robin Thicke, John Legend, Maroon 5, and Dirty Vegas - to name a few. As a song-writer, he was recently honored with an invitation by the Grammy Association’s D.C. Chapter to lead a writing workshop for the Duke Ellington School Of The Arts in Georgetown. His open-mindedness and extreme influences, crossing the arc from Bjork and Radiohead, to Garth Brooks, Peter Gabriel and Tiesto have both new and established artists fighting for his time to produce their current projects.
Hailing from the historic musical air of Memphis, Derek started composing as soon as he could write, and wasted no time in starting a band and touring independently. His intense itinerary on the road and in the studio has developed an interesting and motivated fan base. With each set, he breaks the barrier between artist and audience, with a voice that is haunting and stirring. “I want to tell the whole story, the entire world I am experiencing, every word is true, every note is important”, a sensibility reaching the ears with roots in timeless rock, but surprising with electronic rhythms and ethereal soundscapes. We often hear him mention the “computer” as "just another instrument - another tool to convey emotion". As a result, he has strived and excelled in every aspect of modern music from writing, to production, to sound engineering, resulting in truly individual records.
In all his endeavors though, Derek maintains his integrity and his first love - being an artist. It all came together when he made his ultimate move to Miami in early 2008. “It's where I knew I would be free to experiment with any and every genre - to find my own wavelength." It is the birthplace of songs like “Guilty Pleasure” and “My Only”, which he feels are records that combine the 'old and new'….'analogue and digital'.
Derek is excited about the future and sharing his magnificent collection with the world. “I'm ready now. I'm as open as I've ever been. I know myself. I have found 'My Dream'”.