Breakthrough R&B artist Gallant will perform alongside Blackbear at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, at the Maintenance Shop.

Originally from Columbia, Maryland, Christopher Gallant graduated from New York University before moving to Los Angeles.

Once there, Gallant was discovered by his current manager, Jake Udell. 

Udell said to Billboard that he was brought to tears after hearing Gallant’s soaring falsetto and deep songwriting.

Udell has also contributed to the success of other acts like the EDM artists Krewella and Zhu.

Gallant has seen a significant increase in popularity in the past few years. The artist has a strong presence on Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud, resulting in a solid fan base. 

2015 has already been the most successful year of the artist’s career with coverage from many sources, including Fader and Entertainment Weekly, which launched his new song “Weight in Gold” to a trending topic on Twitter.

“Weight in Gold” was chosen by Zane Lowe, the host of Apple’s Beats 1 radio show for his “World’s First” track on air.

The bluesy ballad is approaching 2 million listens on SoundCloud and has caught the attention of more than one music publication. Billboard named Gallant the “Breakthrough Artist of 2015,” and NME (New Musical Express) called him “the voice that will redefine R&B.”

Gallant’s biggest show yet came on June 1 of this year when he sold out Los Angeles’ Bardot, a rooftop patio in Hollywood. The event drew big names like Skrillex and producer Emile Haynie, who worked with Bruno Mars and Lana Del Rey.

Los Angeles native Matthew Musto, known as Blackbear on stage, will open the show. Musto is best known for co-writing Justin Bieber’s hit track “Boyfriend.”

After the track’s success, Musto reinvented his musical direction from a rock-leaning singer/songwriter to an R&B-oriented rapper. Musto released his debut mixtape “Sex” last year, which featured appearances from Mike Posner, James Blake and Maejor Ali.

Tickets are $8 with an ISU student ID and $14 for the public, with a $2-increase the day of the show. Tickets can be purchased at the M-Shop box office or online at Midwestix. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

For more information, visit the M-Shop website and SUB website.