Maybe you’ve seen him at the gym, caught a glimpse of him doing kickflips at the skate park or maybe he’s even in one of your classes.

Gavin Maher is a junior majoring in English studies, but the Wildcat has been building his reputation on campus and around town as Ellensburg’s hottest new artist.

Maher, who does not have a stage name, describes his musical style as “future pop,” and within a year and half has come from obscurity to gaining thousands of listens and views on SoundCloud each month.

Maher sings, produces his own beats and writes his own songs. In under two years, Maher has learned beat production and honed his craft at songwriting.

“I’ve always wanted to do this type of music, I just didn’t know how until little over a year ago when I started teaching myself,” Maher said.

Maher’s inspiration to hop in the studio came after watching Jon Bellion, a New York based artist, on YouTube.

After Bellion posted a behind-the-scenes video on YouTube showing how he created the song “All Time Low,” Maher became enamored with creating his own sound.

“I was so in love with how he made that song sound,” Maher said.

Music has been an active part of Maher’s life for years. The artist performed in choirs and musical theater while growing up, but he is also a trained musician and can play guitar, bass and piano.

Maher’s current songs and body of work all draw from his early experiences and love affair with melodies and harmonies.

Maher has become a familiar face at the Open Mic Nights in the SURC Pit, where more than a hundred gather bi weekly to watch him sing.

At the last Open Mic Night, Maher performed his original song “Alone,” which reveals deeper emotions hidden just beneath the surface of the artist’s exterior. The song is one of Maher’s most popular on SoundCloud and is split into two parts.

The first part deals with how the singer has felt alone for the majority of his life and the second half is related to how he has embraced his solitude to boost his creativity and find his passion.

Maher’s most popular song on SoundCloud is titled “High” and has over 10,000 views. The song is about a girl who cheated on Maher behind his back at a party.

Maher found out about the party and attempted to crash it but got pulled over by a cop for speeding and a hit was born.

“A lot of my music is me adoring a girl or me saying ‘fuck you’ to a girl,” Maher said

In 2018, it seems like there is a new singer or rapper emerging every day. One thing that has helped Maher emerge at the top of the heap locally has been his unwavering belief in himself.

Maher subscribes to the law of attraction and the power of thought, to bring positivity to his life and work.

“I really want to be a successful singer,” Maher said. “Thinking about that not happening is impossible in my head; it’s like two plus four equals seven.”