We recently connected with Derricottie and have shared our conversation below.

Derricottie, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

One day I was driving my car with my 6 year old stepson Jarvis riding in the passenger seat. I was singing with the radio. After I stopped singing, I noticed from my peripheral view that he was staring at me for a long time lol. So I looked at him and he said “Dad, I can’t wait to see you on stage.” Two weeks later, I had Jarvis with me again. This time I wasn’t singing at all. Out of the blue, Jarvis asked “Hey dad, can I be in one of your music videos?” That’s when I knew I had a special gift. Who would have thought a child was the reason why I began pursuing a music career. To this day, I am grateful for my stepson Jarvis recognizing I was a gifted singer.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

For those of you who have not read about me before…

When I was 13 years old, I wrote a rap song entitled “You can’t (expletive) with D” lol. When I turned 17 years old, I won 1st place at my high school talent show performing that same song. Fast forward to when I turned 26 years old, I decided to pursue a professional music career. By this time, not only could I rap, but I was also a decent singer. So I went on and recorded my first 6 songs with music producer Atiba Jones. Atiba showed me how to create vocal harmonies, compose and arrange vocals in a song. Out of the 6 songs I recorded with Atiba, my song entitled “Wells Run Dry” was the most promising to share with my audience and the music industry.

In my personal opinion, having the gift of song is a gift and a curse! Yes, my music has made people smile, laugh, cry and be enlightened. However, I’ve also experienced a lot of jealousy from men who can’t sing; especially when they are accompanied by their girlfriend lol. What sets me apart from others is my voice sounds different from everybody else. Secondly, I am humble and I realize that my gift was given to me from God. Also what sets me apart from others, for example is: word got back to me from an event promoter that I gave Patti LaBelle “chills up her spine,” when I performed at a venue she attended. So what makes me different is not that I am talented or a great singer, what I have is a unique gift that reaches the hearts of other people.

I am most proud of myself for never giving up on my music dream! I am 50 years old and still pursuing my dream career of writing, recording and performing songs. I have accomplished quite a few things, to name a few: radio rotation of my song entitled “Let Me Love You” on Power 92.3 WZPW, received an International Billboard Songwriting award for my songs “A Man Like Me” and “I Want You,” won 1st place/$1,000 in a Cleveland Coca-Cola Bottling Company Talent Showcase with one of my original songs, written and performed songs in several musical stage productions, and recently got my song entitled “Anything is Possible” placed on the soundtrack of the Tubi movie “Faithful.”

What I want my audience, followers and fans to know is that I am an authentic recording artist. I write songs about real life events that I have personally experienced. My music brand is based on several principles; making people laugh, smile, cry and/or be enlightened. My songs are written and composed to reach hearts. My music is relatable. I love sharing my gift of song; not only for others, but the songs I write and record give me a great sense of gratitude, encouragement and fulfillment.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

What’s amazing about my pursuit of being a professional recording artist and household name, is that my gift of song has given me strength to deal with personal life issues. So, in other words, my gift of song has taught me how to channel negative energy into a positive direction. My gift of song has also given me a purpose in life, being a creative to help others on their journey of life through music.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

From my perspective as a recording artist, the music industry should have more of a streamlined process for artists to obtain a record deal. Society could also create more venues for artists to perform songs, using show tracks that combine music and background vocals for performances. Not only that, society should also create more music showcases, instead of competitions. Competitions can be discouraging for performing artists. Most importantly, society should incorporate platforms to connect recording artists with investors.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.derricottie.com
• Instagram: @derricottiesworld
• Facebook: @Devon Derricottie
• Youtube: @derricottiesworld
• Other: Tubi Movie “FAITHFUL” soundtrack (track 14 is my song entitled “Anything is Possible”:

  https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mYpfXaEQRIwCd9b3kFQ2d-OCX3OT7l5qg