Going bigger, bolder, brighter and louder

When organizers kick-start a festival from scratch, they’re usually prudent about the artists they invite. Instead, the inaugural Amplify Youth Festival is throwing caution to the wind.

It is going big and bold with Canada’s newest indie pop sensation Virginia to Vegas.

Virginia to Vegas’ debut single We Are Stars, featuring Canadian pop singer Alyssa Reid, was released in January of this year. Within a short burst of time, it acquired more than 50,000 YouTube views and jumped to the Canadian Top 100 on Billboard.

Singer-songwriter Derik Baker, the heartbeat behind Virginia to Vegas, was able to combine a feel-good electronic groove with infectious lyrics to create a unique mix of indie pop that resonates with fans and reviewers alike.

Plain and simple, the catchy song had a summery feel that connected with listeners yearning to banish the winter gloom.

In a second stroke of good luck, Reid was invited to perform as the opening act for Hedley’s Wild Live Tour, a 24-city stop across the country. Baker accompanied Reid as her bass player. Halfway through her gig, the duo would perform We Are Stars.

“At the beginning of the tour, nobody knew who I was. By the end of the tour at Copps Coliseum (Hamilton), 12,000 kids were singing it back to me. As a songwriter, it means everything to you. When you write a song it’s yours, but when you release it, it belongs to everyone. To see it’s inspired so many people is so cool,” said Baker.

The duo also picked up more fans delivering a successful acoustic set on the Koodonation Stage during K-Days this past July.

On his own, Virginia to Vegas just released his third single Don’t Fight the Music on Sept. 2 following Colourful and We Are Stars.

As Virginia to Vegas, Baker has a striking physical resemblance to Justin Bieber. In fact, he first caught Wax Records’ attention performing a YouTube variation of Bieber’s song Boyfriend.

But while the petulant Bieber’s career is tanking, Virginia to Vegas is on the industry upswing.

On Oct. 8, Virginia to Vegas will debut his first six-song EP. The tracks contain the first three singles plus Beautiful You, a piano ballad; Make It Last, a fun ’80s upbeat tune, and Last of the Fighters, a love song with a rock flavour.

Interestingly enough, the “chivalrous” quality that weaves through Last of the Fighters is also a thread that runs through Baker’s ideals and philosophy about music.

“I don’t want to objectify women. My songs are sweet. They’re more than sweet. They come from a place where you feel a little bit of magic. As you get older, it slips away, but you can still experience it every once in a while.”

“When you have a song where lyrics and emotion come together, you have a song that resonates with people and it goes platinum.”

Baker is if anything completely imaginative in a quirky way. He adopted the moniker Virginia to Vegas after he had paired up with a musician named Vegas.

“I was born in Virginia and I thought east meets west, my stuff meets his stuff.”

Although the duo went their separate ways, the Ontario raised singer-songwriter is developing Virginia to Vegas into a brand.

Baker never received formal training and is a self-taught musician handling bass, guitar, and little bit of drums and piano.

But as a teenager, he cut his musical chops playing rock and blues open mikes and refined his writing skills at song-writing circles.

Climbing the slippery slopes of the music industry and establishing influence is never easy, however as Virginia to Vegas, Baker is helping to rejuvenate the Canadian pop scene.

When asked if he wanted to say anything to fans, he replied, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Virginia to Vegas performs on Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Enjoy Centre. The entrance fee to the concert is $10. A single day pass is $10 and a two-day pass is $15. Workshops range from $22 to $38. Daily passes and workshop admission include the Virginia to Vegas concert.