The Iowa City community is frequently exposed to a variety of musical performances: the loud banging of rock, the deep bass of rap, the quiet melody of folk, and the various sounds of jazz. But the storytelling style of music has been largely absent from the local music scene, outside of Greg and Pieta Brown and Dave Moore, for quite some time. Until now.

Country-music singer/songwriter Dustin Lynch will perform at 8 p.m. Friday in the IMU Main Lounge. The performance will be produced by SCOPE, an organization focused on bringing different forms of entertainment to campus.

Katie DeRose, the SCOPE public-relations coordinator, looks forward to the performance.

“There is always a lot of dancing and singing along at country show, which always makes me so happy to see,” she said. “I think the Main Lounge will be packed with excited fans who will adore Lynch’s charismatic stage presence and charming sounds. I’m really thrilled that we could finally book a show again for the country fans here at Iowa.”

Lynch has been gaining the attention of many in the world of country music since 2012. He has had four singles in the national top-hits charts and his song “Cowboys and Angels” was nominated for Breakthrough Video of the Year at the 2013 CMT Music Awards.

UI freshman Jena Vonderhaar said Lynch is a promising new act in the country world.

“His songs are very relatable to most people,” she said. “It’s like his voice really speaks to you. It seems like he really enjoys his work and what he’s doing and not just like he’s singing for the money.”

Jack Baker, the SCOPE general manager, said it has been approximately six years since the last country-music performance on campus.

“One thing about country music is the difficulty of booking the show,” he said. “You have the mega stars who can pack arenas and need big paychecks, and then you struggle with the guys who are trying to reach that level. There is just a big gap in money. When we had the chance to book Dustin Lynch, and the price was right, we thought this was a great opportunity to bring country music here, because there is definitely a market for it in this part of the state.”

From the CMT Music Award stage to college campuses to festivals, Lynch has performed at a number of venues all across the country. Each of his performances is delivered with a enthusiasm that enticed the SCOPE employees.

“He is young, has a fun sound, and a few of his hits have become very popular on the radio of as of late, so we all think that he will really resonate with the students here,” DeRose said.

Though SCOPE hosts a number of concerts every year, each program comes with its own difficulties.

“Most of our shows are planned out for weeks to months in advance, which can be taxing, but nothing beats the accomplishment that we all feel after putting on a great show,” DeRose said. “There is nothing like seeing a crowd of excited fans and knowing that you helped give that to them.”

Lynch recently released a sophomore album, Where It’s At, earlier this month, and the sales are climbing. Vonderhaar believes Lynch’s star will continue to rise and that he will shine at his SCOPE concert.

“I think he really is a memorable performer,” Vonderhaar said. “He’ll be around for a while and have a very long and very successful career.”