2 minute read
Getting to Know Derek Alan
by Diane Schoonover
Rising country singer and songwriter, Derek Alan, learned to play the drums from his father when he was a kid, followed by piano and then guitar. Guitar is definitely his favorite now. He played the guitar in various bands until one day the band needed someone to sing a few songs, so he thought he would give it a shot at the age of 16. While attending Lima Central Catholic, he played music on the weekends around the region. He went to Bowling Green University where he wrote and recorded music from his dorm room and played at local bars.
Derek’s parents are both musical people with his dad being a drummer and his mom is an excellent singer. They have always been very supportive of him pursuing a career in the music business. He grew up in the Amanda Lakes neighborhood in the Shawnee area of Lima and he still has a lot of close friends that live there. He says, “I miss seeing all the familiar faces and a sense of community.” Needless to say, he loves coming back “home” to perform.
When asked if he idolized any musicians when he was growing up, he said there were too many to name. Derek grew up with a big classic rock influence from his dad. He really enjoyed the guitar playing in a lot of rock music, however he has recently gravitated towards songwriting and the sense of community in the country music industry. He defines his musical style as “a blend of country music with some rock elements.”
Writing his own songs is something Derek takes great pleasure in. He gets most of his ideas while driving in his car or from things he sees or experiences in life. He has released two songs so far. His first song “Way Back to
You” has more streams than his most recent single “Talkin’ Back,” but they have both been received well. The new music Derek is working on is similar to the songs he has out right now: country music with some rock and pop elements. “I was never sure if I would get to the point where I’m at right now and the fact that it’s still progressing upwards makes me super excited for the future,” confesses Derek.
Derek moved to Nashville in May of last year. He declared that the “Nashville music scene is incredible!” He explained that there are multiple music scenes in Nashville. There’s Broadway, which is mostly bands playing covers and this is what most people think of when they think of Nashville. Broadway is also where he spends most of his time. There’s also Midtown, which has a lot of Writers’ Rounds where you can see people playing their original music or songs that they wrote for other people. There are also many big venues all around the town that host original bands and cover bands.
According to Derek, the most challenging part about being a musician is the schedule. It is inconsistent because you can have some days when you are working early in the morning and some days when you are working till late at night.
The new Pangle Pavilion Amphitheater in Lima opens at the beginning of August. Derek will open for Ian Munsick on August 5th. He shared that he is very excited to be one of the first people performing at this venue and hopes to see a lot of familiar faces there.
Derek doesn’t have a specific mantra that he lives by but he says, “I just try to be a good person to everyone I meet and help everyone in any way that I can. You never know when helping someone out could lead them to helping you out in the future.” His goal is to earn some sort of publishing or record deal so that he can get his music out on a bigger scale.
When 23-year-old Derek Alan was asked when he will feel like he has made it, he responded with this: “I already feel as if I have made it because I get to do what I love full-time every day, but there’s always room for improvement.”
