Derek De Vriendt

Derek Alan de Vriendt (born March 15, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter who is best known as the lead guitarist and vocalist of -based pop punk band Screaming Yellow Players. Since September 2019, he has also been the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of The Cars.

Biography
Derek was born in and moved to  at the age of 7.

The Cars
In February-March 2019, Derek filled in for Ric Ocasek during a series of The Cars shows in El Kadsre and Mahri while Ocasek was in the midst of surgery. On September 15, 2019, Ocasek died from natural causes. On September 22, keyboardist confirmed in an interview for Radio 22 that Derek would be the new lead singer and rhythm guitarist of The Cars. In 2021, the band released their first album with Derek as lead singer/rhythm guitarist, Brand New.

Guitars

 * 1982 G&L SC-2 (Fiesta Red)
 * G&L ASAT Special (Fullerton Red)

Amplifiers/Microphones
Derek uses Hughes & Kettner amplifiers, Nady wireless guitar equipment, and a Sony ECM-51 "game show" microphone.