Rising Stars: Meet Derik Fein

Today we’d like to introduce you to Derik Fein.

Hi Derik, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
In the seventh grade, I went to a friend’s house one day after school. He was playing “Wake Me Up When September Ends” on his guitar and at that moment I became infatuated with learning the guitar. I traded him my brand-new iPod for a broken fake fender he had in his closet. This was 2007 and the iPods were expensive, as you can imagine my parents were not thrilled. I fixed it up and taught myself to play by watching YouTube videos.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The ride has been far from smooth, but I’ve learned to embrace the journey. Some mistakes I made early on in my career were ignoring my gut feelings and shrinking myself just to make others feel more comfortable. Being way too trusting and not asking enough questions. We as artists are conditioned to just shut up and be grateful for every opportunity. I encourage other artists to ask questions and take up space.

Another destructive habit I’ve had to shed is comparing myself to other artists. I constantly remind myself that we all have very different paths and resources. There are many rags-to-riches fairytale stories in the industry and I think they can be misleading and dangerous. I don’t come from a family of wealth or privilege. Everything I’ve accomplished is the result of a relentless hamster wheel grind. There is no clear path for an artist like me so I’m paving my own.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a singer-songwriter based in Nashville, TN. In 2018 I founded Bodega Records with my wife, and spend the majority of my free time educating other artists on the importance of owning their work and distribution. The industry has drastically changed. It’s no longer the music business. It’s the popularity business. I can say with one hundred percent certainty that most major record companies don’t care about the quality or integrity of the music.

The truth is that record labels have been exploiting artists since the beginning of time. My hope is that the power will continue to shift back into the hands of the artists and my mission is to bring back real music. I want to make people feel something again. My music has been featured in movies and television, but what’s more fulfilling than that is how it directly impacts the lives of my fans. Just last week a fan wrote to me and said my song stopped her from committing suicide. I get chills every time I read messages like these.

How do you define success?
Success is not found in the material world. Material things are just distractions made to fuel the economy and keep us in debt. True success is freedom. Freedom to decide what you do with your time. Freedom to live life on your terms.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.derikfein.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derikfein
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/derikfein
• SoundCloud: https://derikfein.link/music
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@derikfein

Image Credits
Yesi Flores