Today we’d like to introduce you to Derek Anthony Wilson

Hi Derek Anthony, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

I started singing at a very young age. My mom is a wonderful soprano and she would sing songs to wake me up, to go to bed, and just because she was a beautiful mother. I used to sing with her in the car, and in the house. My family always celebrated music. My aunts would play Whitney Houston and all kinds of gospel music. My older sisters always had on the coolest hits of the time. I always loved music and it was cultivated within me at an early age.

I was in the youth choir in church growing up, and a small church called The Apostolic House of Prayer, where I learned to love the Lord. I was in the Chestnut Hill Academy boys choir. I also took private piano and music theory lessons from when I was 10. My favorite movies were musicals – Labyrinth, The Wiz, and The Wizard of Oz.

I remember writing music at a very young age. I became more serious about songwriting in high school. I wrote a song from my first album, Peter, in High School called “Your Heart”. When I noticed that songwriting was my favorite art form in conjunction with singing and playing the piano, I decided to get involved in the Philadelphia music scene.
I joined four music groups my first year trying to get my feet wet helping me to understand the scene. One group I enjoyed was my 5 member a cappella group called “Revive”.

Soon after, I started my own band with pianist Matt Jones, bassist John Palmer, drummer Eric Allenson, singer Anthony Pompey, and myself. We played together for many years. We released our second album ” Amalgam” with Anthony and Eric still very active at that point, and Ben High and Dave Coulson were also in the group then. When Covid hit everything changed for us all. We had scheduled a pacific coastal highway tour of coastal towns in LA county, which was cancelled effective immediately.
We braved the transition period through Covid as best we could, and I worked on an album with Danny Newport called “Transition Period”. The band also finished our third studio album, “Doozies to Daisies”, which was released in 2023. However that was our last full band project.

Now, I am a solo artist/songwriter/producer. I work with many other musicians, sing in churches, groups, and choirs, and am excited to announce a new single and music video for my new project “2125”. The song was produced by Tonie a great musician from New York/LA. The video was organized by Brady Deutsch, artist and videographer from SCAD. I also have played live performances with Corey Rader on bass and Tom Moyer on piano.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

This journey has had smooth moments, but also its fair share of rocky times. The greatest struggle was quite honestly keeping the band together over the years. Sometimes bands come together because they’re best friends who grow up with a shared dream. But there are situations, as in my case, when a band comes together with the drive and will of one person trying to make the most from the great musicians they meet along the way. I have such a strong drive for music, but there were times when I felt I was doing everything alone. Living that way can get exhausting, it’s not sustainable. I did that for years, and am thankful for all the success we had despite the circumstances.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

I am first a singer. I’ve been known to have a strong, agile and wide ranged, unclassifiable voice. I’ve trained with many vocal coaches. Some classify me as a first tenor, and others a deep baritone. My voice is my main instrument, and it molds to the situation. I love my voice, and piano playing – where they meet in in my songwriting.

What sets me apart is my versatility in singing and songwriting, and the originality of my music. It has been said to span a multitude of genres, breaking the industry standard, but at the same time is still quite entertaining for the listener.

In “2125” I get to showcase my storytelling in songwriting. This song started as a duet on TikTok and then turned into a full song about a fantastical world in the future. I duetted Tonie, who was playing a chords on the piano. But I didn’t want my duet to be the same thing like I saw everyone else doing, I wanted to make it a fantasy. I liked it so much that I went home and wrote the rest of the song. Later, I met with Tonie in NYC and we recorded the song in one session. It was a great experience that I’m excited to share with you.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?

If I were to give any advice it would be to take your time and do not play, perform, or do music out of desperation.
Forget what you heard… There is no right or wrong way, only your way and your story, and be grateful for every moment. Trust God and trust His plan for your journey. I am so grateful and no longer live in the desperation I once did. That was a ruse. What God has for me is or me and is wonderful. I want to say -God Bless friends, blessings on your journey. Thanks for sharing a moment with me and please enjoy the new “2125” music video.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/Archpalatine
• Instagram: @archpalatine
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpalatine
• Twitter: @archpalatine
• Youtube: @archpalatine
• Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/SPpXZtJ6sL9H52qw5
• Other: @archpalatine on all social media

Image Credits

2125 album cover by Lynn Eustace
other photos by:
Ian Sterling
Meghan Dougherty
Brady Deutsch