Born Derek Tyler Carter in Habersham County, Georgia in 1991, Carter was interested in music from an early age and by the time he was in his teens he was playing drums in a local praise band. During his middle and high school years, he attended Riverside Military Academy where and formed his first band, A Path Less Traveled, in 2008. The following year, he joined the metalcore band Woe, Is Me, with which spent two years. After leaving Woe, Is Me in 2011, he then formed the similarly inclined metalcore outfit Issues. Carter has recorded several well-received albums with Issues, including a 2014 self-titled debut and 2016 follow-up Headspace.

Away from Issues, he indulges his more nuanced, electronic and R&B-side, focusing on both cover songs and originals. In 2015, he released his debut solo EP, Leave Your Love. The single "Forget You," featuring former Issues bandmate Ty Acord (aka Lophiile), appeared in 2016. ~ Matt Collar