Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Derek Sallmann

It takes one listen of his new EP, Love, Future You, to see that Derek Sallmann writes from a place of vulnerability and authenticity. The emerging singer-songwriter from Wisconsin draws from personal experiences to create lyrics that resonate with any listener—it’s an innate talent that’s far beyond his years. Pop Culturalist spoke with Derek about Love, Future You, his musical influences, and what’s ahead in 2019.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Derek: Both my parents are musicians. My dad has been in cover bands since I was a little kid. I would listen to their band practices and that’s how I got introduced to singing. He was always playing, and my mom and dad both played in our Sunday church service. At thirteen, my dad taught me guitar, and I started doing shows. He also taught me what songs would be good ones to play. Shortly after that, I started writing. I was also in choir in high school!

PC: Who were some of your major musical influences growing up?
Derek: Growing up, my dad’s band played a lot of Tom Petty, Gin Blossoms, and Third Eye Blind. Those were my childhood favorites. Matchbox 20 had a big influence on me, as well. Nowadays, I listen to a lot of singer-songwriters like Shawn Mendes, Charlie Puth, Ed Sheeran, and Matt Nathanson.

PC: What is your creative process like? Has it changed over the years?
Derek: It’s definitely changed. When I started, I would write by myself. It was very secretive. When you’re getting started, you don’t want anyone to hear what you’re doing because you’ve never done it before. It’s really personal and you’re nervous about what people will think about it.

For my latest EP, I wrote over 70 songs. Some of them ended up getting recorded by different artists because they were co-writes that worked well with female vocals. Now, I do a lot of co-writing through Skype with people from different parts of the country. Being able to make those connections has been really cool.

Normally, what I like to do is come in with reference tracks. Then, we do a lyrical brainstorm for at least ten minutes on a shared document. We write whatever comes to mind without judgment—that’s where the best ideas come from. There are times when you’re like, “That’s stupid,” but you have to convince yourself to let it be what it is. Then, whether it’s me or my co-writer, we use an idea as a starting point.

PC: With 70 songs, how did you decide what made the EP?
Derek: Sometimes you’ll write a song and you don’t want anyone else to sing it because it feels so personal. That’s the metric that I used. Like the first single off the EP, “Love, Future You”, was a really personal song. I couldn’t picture anyone else singing it but me. Then, there were ones that I really believed in and that had an influence, as well.

The EP was produced by Bill Lefler. I remember sending this big batch of song memos to him. Then, I would send another twenty songs. [laughs] We sat down and went through which ones we both really liked and picked the best ones. It’s a collaboration when you’re working with a producer. As much as you have your own vision, you want them to be psyched about it, too.

PC: What do you hope listeners take away from the EP?
Derek: I hope they learn a little bit about themselves. Whenever I listen to music, I try to find similarities in my own life, and if that happens, the song keeps playing in my head. I try to write from personal experiences, which allows for raw, authentic emotions.

After we released, “Love, Future You”, people were messaging me saying, “This is the perfect song that I needed right now.” Someone shared a personal story that their father had just passed away and this was a great song to remember him by. For me, the song came out of a breakup and losing someone in that sense. I’m hoping people will connect with the music and it’ll help them get through similar things. I hope they feel a little more understood and heard.

PC: As you look forward to 2019, what are some of the major career goals that you have for the year?
Derek: Here in Milwaukee, Summerfest is a big deal. Two years ago, I played on the U.S. Cellular Stage, which is one of the main ones. Last year, I didn’t get to play on one of those stages, so I’m hoping to be back next year with a full band. I’d like to have some of my songs played on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee, which is a big station around here. They support a lot of local music and do really great things for people in the city. There’s a company called Backline that hosts a sponsorship to help musicians and each year, they pick four. It’d be awesome to be one of those four.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Derek: I’ve been getting into Parks and Recreation. Andy Dwyer’s character is hilarious, especially the fact that he plays guitar. Also, his song, “Bye-Bye Li’l Sebastian”, is hilarious.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Derek: When I was younger, I watched The Notebook. I didn’t know what I was watching. My mom came in and she was like, “You’re watching The Notebook.” I told her, “No, I’m not. What are you talking about?” Sure enough, it was. I actually enjoyed it and thought it was pretty good.

PC: Favorite book?
Derek: The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman is a great read. It talks about how people communicate and show love in different ways. It’s very eye-opening. You understand yourself a little bit better after reading it.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Derek: That’s a tough one. In high school, I did sound and lights for a lot of plays. We did a production of It’s a Wonderful Life and it was really cool.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Derek: I was just listening to Rachel Platten’s latest album in the car.

PC: Is there a venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Derek: There are a lot of them, actually! The amphitheater at Summerfest is a huge one. I’ve been going to Summerfest for a while now and seeing other bands perform on that stage has been inspiring. Also, Turner Hall Ballroom, the Back Room at Colectivo, and the Sylvee in Madison are some other ones. I actually played in the Sylvee’s upper room for a VIP event, but they were renovating at the time. It looks even cooler now.

PC: What was the first album you bought?
Derek: Oh, that’s a good question. It had to be a John Mayer album. I had a friend who was really obsessed with him. He told me to listen to him and I ended up ordering like three of his CDs. I ordered Room for Squares, Heavier Things, and Battle Studies.

PC: First concert you ever attended?
Derek: I saw Tenth Avenue North—they’re a Christian band. A friend of mine invited me and they did a great job. The first big concert I went to was John Mayer at Summerfest. I remember writing down what songs I thought he was going to play. I was so excited during the show that my brother told me that he was more excited to watch me being excited.

PC: Who would you love to collaborate with in the future?
Derek: Ah, there’s so many. I’ve been listening to Andy Grammer’s podcast called The Good Parts. That’s been really motivational. I’d really love to collaborate with him on something. He’s also very upbeat in a lot of his songwriting, which I try to be, too. I think we’d create something really cool together. Also, Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Charlie Puth, Shawn Mendes…there are so many!

Make sure to follow Derek on Twitter and Instagram, and pick up Love, Future You on iTunes or Amazon Music.