A Chat with Debi Derryberry (15.08.25)
Most well-known for her role as Jimmy Neutron, singer-songwriter Debi Derryberry embraces creativity with arms wide open and a grin on her face. We speak with the US-based musician/voice-over actor/YouTuber about her new album, Go To Sleep, greatest achievements, what music means to her, and more.
OSR: You have a rather extensive career in both Hollywood and the musical industry, but what made you initially decide to pursue a career in the arts? What drew you to this world?
Derryberry: I would have to say that this world came to me naturally. I didn’t ever make an actual decision that it was going to be a “career in the arts” or nothing. When I first decided not to go to medical school and go to Nashville instead, to pursue my dream of being a singer, things just happened. Doors opened, and I ran through them. I have always loved to sing, write songs, and create harmonies. That is my love and my passion.
OSR: As I mentioned, you worked in films as a voice-over artist for about 30 years, including Award-winning movies like Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. How did working as a voice-over artist influence your career as a musician? Did it contribute to being a singer-songwriter in any way?
Derryberry: My voice-over career and my singing career have, up until this point, been fairly separated. I have always invited my friends in the voice-over world to come to concerts, both with my country band (Honey Pig) and when I was performing live with my kids’ music. But the two passions have never really connected until now. I have been creating animated YouTube videos of my kids’ songs featuring a character aptly named “Little Debi,” who is a small, cartoon version of me. My channel is Debi Derryberry KIDS! and I created the channel so I could share all my kids’ music with the world. So, my love of music and animation are now truly connected! I would love to see a cartoon series made of “Little Debi” that would feature my songs as well as those of other kids’ music performers/creators.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Derryberry: Music to me is an expression, a way to connect to all living beings. Animals and humans alike have a reaction, a response to music. That, to me, is a universal language. Music is a friend, a companion. Music is always there to help set a mood, to connect with during all emotional times, both happy and sad.
OSR: As a professional musician, you have established yourself as a key name in the folk/country scene, fronting the trio, Honey Pig. The music world is difficult, but did you find it more challenging as an all-female group? What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
Derryberry: In the past four years, I have been diligently immersing myself in learning the ins and outs of the music business. Now I see, looking back over the past 25 years, all the mistakes I have made in the business side of music. From non-existent split-sheets to signing contracts I didn’t understand. I wish I had known what I know now back then. But hindsight is 20/20, isn’t it?
I can’t say I found it difficult just because Honey Pig is/was an all-female band. I found it difficult because I didn’t know what I was doing. There is no excuse for not learning the music business. I wish I had had a mentor all these years. I finally found a mentor/teacher in Michele Vice-Maselin, who offered a course in the music sync business. I can’t say I understand everything perfectly now, but I am trying and learning.
Whatever challenge presents itself, I try to do the best I can to address it immediately and intelligently. I think I might have done better by taking my time and not being in a rush to get things completed.
OSR: You recently released the album, Go To Sleep – an album with comforting music to help children and adults unwind, relax, and head off to a beautiful dreamland. What made you decide to create this sort of album? Also, how does writing and creating songs for adults influence or contribute to the children-oriented songs?
Derryberry: I wanted to create an album that parents/caretakers/teachers/grandparents could play through start to finish, that would be focused on the process of going to sleep. The order of the songs is intentional to act as a guide to first relax and then to let the mind float away with guided visual imaginations. One of the songs, ‘NOSE’, I originally wrote intending it to be a “grown-up” song, but I included it in this album since I consider myself, and all adults, to be just “grown-up kids.” I think kids appreciate music as much as adults. Kids are very discerning and honest. The songs I write for kids might have simpler lyrics and subject matter, but the music is on the same level as songs I produce for older audiences.
OSR: What do you hope people take from Go To Sleep, and what do you take from it?
Derryberry: From my lullaby album, Go To Sleep, I hope people (kids included) will find a new favorite album to play when it is time to unwind, relax, and ultimately go to sleep. During this winding-down time, I hope parents/grandparents/caretakers/teachers will play the YouTube video playlist for the album, which has slow, sweet, animated videos to get ready to sleep. It gives me great satisfaction and pleasure to know I have been able to help. I love helping.
OSR: Which do you find more challenging – lyrics or melody?
Derryberry: As a songwriter, I sometimes just wake up in the night with a song in my brain. Sometimes it is the melody, but most often it is the lyrics and the rhythm. The exact melody is formed later. Both final lyrics and melody offer their own challenges.
OSR: What do you think is your greatest achievement personally and professionally?
Derryberry: Picking the greatest achievement is so hard!
Personally, my greatest achievement is being a mom. That’s an easy one. My son and family always come first. Being a parent is a huge responsibility.
Professionally, I notice that my name is usually followed by “the voice of Jimmy Neutron.” So that is what people will likely remember about me. Over the years, I have continued to audition, book, and work as a voice actor. When I look at my IMDb, I see hundreds of projects, and to me, it is impressive to know I have accomplished working on all these projects. I’m also proud of my book I wrote, Voice Over 101: How to Succeed as a Voice Actor,and I’m SUPER proud of all my music albums. When people see a finished product, they don’t see all the work, time, money, and effort that went into it. I hope, being a creator myself, I will always appreciate all the work people put into a project.
This album is likely my favorite album to date because I also created the animated videos to go along with the songs. I put in a tremendous amount of work, time, effort, and love into this album.
OSR: Do you have any advice for new musicians entering the music scene?
Derryberry: The best advice I can give new musicians is to take a class on the music business! There is so much to know, and you could be losing money by not setting things up correctly to start with. Having accurate split sheets, understanding producer agreements, and even just reporting your performance set lists are things I didn’t know about.
OSR: What can we expect from Debi Derryberry in the future?
Derryberry: Well, I gotta say, moving forward, there will be more, and more (and more) of the same! I try to live my life fully! I have more music to make, more songs to animate, more cartoons to record, more traveling to do, and lots of learning to learn.
Specifically, I can’t say too much, but I have a couple of projects creating songs with some well-known kids’ music artists. I also have some very big video games coming up (but of course, I’m under NDAs, so I can’t disclose yet). I will be at many animation/comic conventions that are on my website https://debiderryberry.com.
My YouTube channel is Debi Derryberry KIDS!
Many thanks to Debi Derryberry for speaking with us. Find out more about Debu Derryberry on her official website, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
