This Pasco teacher is a rising music star. You can listen to his latest record soon

Evan Egerer is back from a whirlwind trip to Nashville — and he has a powerful new record to show for it.

"Valleys" comes out on May 18. Egerer plans a release concert that night in Kennewick to celebrate.

"I’m overwhelmed and grateful for all the support I’ve gotten. I can’t wait to show people the (music)," he said.

Egerer works by day as a third-grade bilingual teacher at Franklin STEM Elementary in Pasco.

In his off-time, he's building a successful music career.

The singer-songwriter won the national music tournament during Creation Northwest in 2016.

He went on to open for Christian music superstars Crowder and Phil Wickham, play to a full house at the Knitting Factory in Spokane, and perform at Creation's sprawling East Coast and West Coast festivals.

His record "Sinner" came out last year and he took off on tour.

In February, Egerer headed to Nashville to work with producer Jeff Quimby and a lineup of all-star musicians.

"Valleys" is the result of all that work.

"It's the biggest thing I've ever done," Egerer said. "It was amazing to have this experience."

The record has three songs, with a bonus track on the digital release.

The title song, "Valleys," is a re-worked version of an earlier Egerer tune.

In Nashville, musician David Leonard from All Sons & Daughters helped Egerer tweak the focus.

"The first version was more about the valley" or low point, Egerer said.

But in the new version, "we wanted to take away from the power of the valley and (make it about) rising out of it and overcoming," he said. "I’m really excited about that hopeful message. I’m hoping it’ll take other people to a place where it lifts them up."

A video for the song is out now. You can watch it on Egerer's YouTube channel.

Along with Quimby and Leonard, Egerer also worked in Nashville with Jeremy Redman of Big Daddy Weave and Matthew Melton, who plays with Chris Tomlin.

The EP release event is at 7 p.m. May 18 at BlankSpace, 5453 Ridgeline Drive, Suite 140, Kennewick.

Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 are at the door. They're selling fast, so it's recommended to buy early through evan-egerer.com.

This story was originally published May 13, 2018 at 3:35 PM with the headline "This Pasco teacher is a rising music star. You can listen to his latest record soon."