Born to Trinidadian parents, Derek Homer was raised in a Christian home attending and serving in his local church as a young boy. Derek was introduced to music at an early age by his father’s involvement in the Notting Hill Carnival. He started playing the piano at the age of six, and successfully won a scholarship to attend music school at ten, finally graduating from university with a Bachelor of Music Performance and Composition. Though remaining involved in the Notting Hill Carnival, scoring and arranging music for local and international artists, Derek had followed a career in the IT industry. In 2006 though, he was hugely impacted by the depth and passion of the music and worship he discovered at the Hillsong Church London. After serving as a volunteer he later joined their worship team as a piano/keyboard player, and subsequently started writing songs dedicated to his passion for faith and worship.   It’s not an exaggeration to say that Derek Homer’s latest single “Reborn” is a great, easy-listening pop tune. Despite how popularity polls would re-arrange the pecking order, Derek stands near the top of the heap among the talented modern worship songwriters.   I do not know whether this song will receive widespread acceptance and usage, because a song’s rise to popularity usually happens for reasons other than quality. But compared to a lot of what his indie contemporaries are releasing, the production on “Reborn” seems more refined, and the songwriting has an added depth, no doubt due to Derek Homer’s ever-deepening love of Scripture.   One of the chief questions I ask when reviewing a worship song is, “Does it move me?” Subjective as it sounds, it is a necessary condition for a great worship record, I think. “Reborn” moves me. It joyfully stirs up the seat of my affections, though I am not reborn or a Christian, in the truest sense of the word, myself.   There is a simplicity and accessibility to Derek’s melody-writing, which means his music is singable and engaging. Being in a familiar pop format, the song has the ability to absorb all of your attention. Furthermore “Reborn” is well-engineered and flows smoothly from top to bottom. Textually, the track has a God-ward trajectory and is gospel-saturated.   Again, in worship songs—and music in general—it’s the little things that make a great song. The stops, the riffs, the pulse of the drum solo. Even the intensity or frailty of the singer’s voice can change the course of a song and make it great or average.   Derek Homer makes just enough right moves to take his style to the next level. Derek’s music is truly simple and easy on the ear. And in his newest single “Reborn” he gives us testimony of his personal experiences with faith and worship, which is always a good way to nourish the Christian heart and spirit.      ” - Staff

TunedLoud

  REBORN – Gospel music by Derek Homer.   Derek Homer, a Christian singer-songwriter of many styles, is happy to present his latest work – Reborn – to bring honour to our Lord, Jesus Christ.   Reborn, as described by Derek, is an upbeat praise song based on scriptures found at the start of John 3, where Jesus tells Nicodemus what it means to be born again. Derek was raised in a Christian home with a Christian background, continuing to attend church regularly (Pro 22:6). Like Nicodemus, he didn’t quite understand the concept of being Reborn is doing so in a Christian sense seemed redundant. Thankfully, the revelation of being Reborn came later, after many trials that brought Derek deeper into his relationship with God.   Derek explains:   For each of us, our birth represents the very start of everything. Nature and Nurture forges us into who we are: our likes, our dislikes, our dreams, our “personality”… but because we are born into this fallen world, we inherit it’s fallen state. We quickly learn to put ourselves first, seeking our own ambitions, fulfilment or welfare. Though we believe we are good, we often only consider how we might help others only after we feel “we are doing okay” ourselves.   The Gospel of Jesus Christ puts this in reverse. Through His Word, He tells us to love others first (Phil 2:3), and when we do we should go the extra mile (Matt 5:41). This does not come naturally to many of us, because we weren’t born into a state where this is natural. Through Jesus, we are given the ultimate way to wipe the slate completely clean, to be “reborn”.   As Nicodemus quickly realised, Jesus wasn’t talking about a physical rebirth. Christ mentioned being born of the Spirit (John 3:5-6), receiving a connection to new and everlasting family, adopting the traits and behaviours of our God. Our spirits are to become more like His Holy Spirit, treating others with love, patience and kindness (Gal 5:22)   My song, Reborn, is about God rescuing me from a fallen state, and my renewed desire to follow Him. He has rescued me from believing that my actions are enough to please God, when instead He deserves all of my heart. Perhaps most important of all, He has rescued me from the eternal consequence of sin. If that isn’t worth singing about, then what is?! My eyes are heavenward and seek only Him… “No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice…” (Psa 16:9).   Reborn is out now on all major streaming sites. Listen to all of Derek’s songs on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1diHYcOtpJnmzdQOUVl98d and catch up with his latest developments on his website: www.derekhomer.com and facebook https://www.facebook.com/derekinworship/.      ” - CM Editor

The Christian Mail

  Where It All Started With Derek Homer   Derek was acquainted with music at an early age by his dad's involvement in Notting Hill Carnival. He began playing the piano at age six, won a grant to go to music school at ten, then graduated from college with a Bachelor of Music Performance and Composition.   From that point on, Derek chose to put his melodic desire on hold to seek after a secondary profession in IT. He stayed connected with Notting Hill scoring and arranging music for nearby and global artists.   In 2006, God revealed He had other plans for Derek’s life. He was invited to go to a service at Hillsong Church London, where Derek was enormously affected by the profound energy, music, and love.   After filling in as a volunteer for a couple of years, Derek joined their worship team as a piano/console player. He had the benefit of encountering their dedicated and superb leadership firsthand, and it wasn't long before God began sending Derek songs to compose for His sake.   Thus the story proceeds. Derek writes songs that are based on bible verses, prayer meditation or life's ups and downs. As an arranger, he tries to adopt a variety of musical styles in the hope that he can reach a variety of people with his songs. If just one person is impacted by Derek’s work and is led to discover a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ, then he considers his mission a success!   New Release Song “Saviour” And Why It Was Written   Believe or not, Derek didn't always think of our Lord and Savior as he does now. There was a time he treated Jesus as if He were a mere 'add-on' with his Sunday routine. He didn't make time to involve himself in anything related to faith or to church except to show up once a week for an hour. He even had the ordacity to pray for things he wanted as if Christ were here to do Derek’s will, rather than the other way around. Derek went about life in his relaxed and self-centered way in his own little bubble. Derek lived his life as if he would never have trials and tribulation and didn't need divine protection. That is, until things went bad!   A series of poor decisions and unfortunate luck cost Derek his career, his home, his relationship, and most of his belongings. Derek’s life crashed and he was left feeling crushed, broken and rejected. He recalls being angry at God as if He had no right to let this happen to him! Derek also recalls considering whether to continue believing what little he did believe in Him. He reasoned that his life now looked exactly as if there wasn't a God who watched over him.   However, something deep within Derek’s spirit shifted in the opposite direction! Faced with his situation, he realized it would be easy to deduce that God didn't exist or that He didn't love him. Derek became aware that if there were dark powers at work, then this is what they would want him to believe. Instead, Derek cast away those negative thoughts and started believing that there was a God who knew him, loved him and could forgive him for his past behaviors.   Jesus carried Derek through two long years of unemployment before rewarding him with a job. At first, it was work serving coffee, but God is faithful and over time He restored Derek’s career to a greater position than he held before. Derek has experienced promotion after promotion and increase after increase. He will never grow tired of singing His praises! The glory belongs to God alone! It is Derek’s prayer to always have a song of praise upon his lips and to write more songs that declare His wonders!   For this reason, Derek offers "Saviour" as a song to sing to others who may not yet know Jesus or what He has done for the lives of all mankind.      ” - Brenda Reid

DevineJamz

  Inspired by the Great Commission to go and capture every heart for Jesus Christ, Derek Homer composed "Walls Come Down", an upbeat praise song that is a declaration of God's mighty power. Derek remind listeners of God’s promise and the part we're invited to play to set all captives free (Luke 4:18-19, Galatians 5:1).   Throughout the song there is a subtle recap of the story of Jericho and it's imposing and impenetrable walls. It relates to the walls people build due to pain, anger, insecurities, and other circumstances that seem to work against us. In fact, every day there are people in our reach that are crying out to escape from abusive relationships, from poverty, from addictions, and from physical and mental illnesses. However, God's love redeems it all! Following His biblical principles break barriers and offer reconciliation.   Walls Come Down By Derek Homer   As Christians, we are encouraged to be bold as we go about our father's business. We are to seek out the lost and tell them of the good news so that their lives will be saved. We can be confident that when we go out to claim territory for our God, when we give a shout unto His name, He will move on our behalf. The word of God states that He has already given us the victory as he did with the coming down of the Walls of Jericho. It is one of God's grandest miracles!   About Derek Homer   Derek Homer was born in London, 1974. He is a classically trained pianist and composer, having studied from the age of six until receiving a bachelor's degree in Music. Although a Christian throughout his life, a personal tragedy in 2009 led him into a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ. He started serving at his local church to welcome attendees at first, but later to lead prayer groups. Years later, he was invited to join the Worship Team, where he continues to play piano today. Through his church, he has had the privilege of meeting or playing with Israel Houghton, Chris Tomlin, members of Hillsong United, all of whom have been a source of inspiration for his music.      ” - Brenda Reid

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