I sat down with Derek on April 26, 2026 to talk about his latest album "GRIEF", in which each song represents a different stage of grief.
He explains to us what each song means and how he came about writing it. I find this album to be extremely important, as many of us (me included)
tend to simply numb our pain or ignore it. This album shows us that experiencing something traumatic follows a process through recovery.
Derek's album GRIEF can be summed up with one simple message: IT IS OKAY TO FEEL.
How each song represents a stage of grief:
Phantom Pain = denial
Smile Again = bargaining
Runaway = depression
Nine Lives = detachment
Out the Box = anger
Thank You Stranger = acceptance