Local singer/songwriter Will Lyberg performed for the first time on UW-Eau Claire’s campus Friday, Sept. 23 at The Cabin.

Lyberg is a sophomore business economics student who has been involved with music for most of his life. Growing up in Chippewa Falls, Lyberg said he has been performing for about five years, first with his band in high school and then shifted to solo work.

Chosen by popular vote at the UAC singer/songwriter showcase, Lyberg was given the chance to perform at The Cabin to show campus and community members his talents on stage.

Lyberg performed a medley of songs at Friday’s performance ranging from acoustic covers to rap renditions and originals. Lyberg said the covers he chose were written by some of his favorite artists that he enjoys listening to in his free time.

The show began with “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber as well as other acoustic covers. Then Lyberg threw the audience a curveball and performed his “favorite rap song” titled “Drugs you should try” by Travis Scott. References about illegal substances aside, Lyberg reminded the audience that the lyrics “do it if it feels right” can be applied elsewhere in life.

Intermittently throughout the show, Lyberg performed his self-written tracks. Lyberg said most of his original songs are based off of real life experiences he has had, while others he wrote to be “cool pop tunes.”

“It’s fun to take stuff from your actual life and make songs out of it,” Lyberg said. “But on the other hand, it’s also fun to grab stuff out of nowhere and make something catchy.”

Throughout The Cabin show, Lyberg used an acoustic guitar, electric guitar and audio tracks he compiled on his laptop. He switched between acoustic and electric guitar while using his audio tracks in the background to add more depth to the songs.

Krista Gruetzmacher, a junior communication science and disorders student, said she enjoyed his use of multiple medias during the performance.

“I love the background when he is uses his computer and ties that all into the songs,” Gruetzmacher said. “It adds more to the music.”

Near the end of his first set, Lyberg performed an interactive song “Senorita” by Justin Timberlake. The track was meant to get the audience involved as the men in the audience asked a question while the women in the audience responded.

Although the audience interaction portion did not go as planned, Lyberg said he enjoyed his first performance at The Cabin and hopes to do more in the future.

Lyberg released his first EP “Transition” in Feb. 2016 and is coming out with his next titled “Timeline”. You can check out Lyberg’s hits on Spotify, YouTube and iTunes.