Quick Facts
AquariusBiography
Virginia to Vegas (born Derik John Baker on January 31, 1990) is an American-born Canadian singer and songwriter. Raised in Guelph, Ontario, he attended high school at Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute (GCVI). Virginia to Vegas operates in Toronto. He is best known for his Platinum-certified debut single, "We Are Stars", released through Wax Records in January 2014. His debut studio album, Utopian, was released in December 2016.
Career
2013–14: Career beginnings and Vol. I
Virginia to Vegas was signed to Wax Records in July 2013, after label executive, Jamie Appleby, discovered him on YouTube. The first single "We Are Stars" was released on January 7, 2014, and entered the Canadian Singles Top 100 chart at 94 on week 5, February 1, 2014, peaked at 14 and stayed for one week. On November 10, 2014, Virginia to Vegas released the Volume I EP, which includes his Platinum-certified debut single "We Are Stars".
2015–present: Utopian
Virginia to Vegas released a new single, "Our Story", on May 4, 2015. The song experienced modest airplay on adult pop radio, but failed to enter the Canadian Hot 100. On September 2, 2016, he released a new single, "Lights Out", which samples Rockwell's 1984 single, "Somebody's Watching Me". That fall, he announced that his debut studio album would be released by the end of 2016. Utopian was released on December 2, 2016 and features all four of his singles released through that date.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Utopian |
|
Extended plays
| Title | EP details |
|---|---|
| Vol. I |
Track listing
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | CAN AC | CAN CHR | CAN Hot AC | ||||
| 2014 | "We Are Stars" (featuring Alyssa Reid) | 14 | 13 | 11 | 14 |
| Utopian |
| "Don't Fight the Music" | 97 | 30 | 33 | 36 | |||
| 2015 | "Our Story" | — | — | 47 | 32 | ||
| 2016 | "Lights Out" | 40 | 29 | 10 | 19 | ||
Promotional singles
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "Colourful" | Vol. I |
Christmas singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | CAN AC | |||
| 2014 | "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (featuring Alyssa Reid) | — | 5 | Non-album single |
Awards
Virginia to Vegas performed at the 2014 Canadian Radio Music Awards where he was nominated for the Heartseeker Award. His radio success with his first three singles "We Are Stars", "Don't Fight the Music", and "Our Story" contributed to him being nominated for Pop Artist or Group of the Year at the 2015 Sirius XM Indie Awards.
Tours
Soon after Virginia to Vegas joined Alyssa Reid to open for Hedley's Wildlife Tour 2014. On July 5, 2014, Virginia to Vegas was among Pitbull, Simple Plan, and American Authors, as supporting acts to Maroon 5 for Salmon Festival in Grand Falls-Windsor. In the fall of 2014, Virginia to Vegas joined Alyssa Reid on a short Canadian tourand was brought up by Alyssa Reid to perform a song together at the Chum FM FanFest. In the summer, Virginia to Vegas performed at the MMVAs 2014 "We Are Stars" with Alyssa Reid.