The Students’ Association sponsored Nashville singer and songwriter Ben Rector’s concert and food trucks at the Paramount Theatre Monday in an attempt to provide students with more entertainment in Abilene.

Rector has worked with famous artists such as Train and Colbie Caillat and has released five albums. His latest, The Walking in Between, is ranked No. 16 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Beau Carter, SA president, has had the opportunity of working closely with the production for this concert.

“In the last few years, we’ve noticed that there has been a lack of entertainment brought to campus for ACU students specifically,” said Carter, junior political science major from Farmers Branch. “Our goal is to improve the student experience through creating more opportunities for students to have a good time here in Abilene.”

Surveys were sent out to the entire student body last year to find out which artists students wanted to see perform in Abilene. Rector was one of the top responses after tallying up the votes.

“Ben Rector has been on the rise for the last few years, and he is very popular to students here on campus,” Carter said. “So we thought that he would be a great way to kickstart our new entertainment initiative.”

Rector’s performance in Abilene was part of his NEEDTOBREATHE tour.

Ryan Woods, sophomore kinesiology major from Dallas, is one of Rector’s many fans.

“His songs always have a message or something you can take away from them,” Woods said. “I love the range and the genuineness of his voice.”

Woods also said Rector’s Christian background is an inspiration to him.

“His music makes me view the world in a totally different way,” Woods said. “He gives me a whole new perspective in life.”

Rector spent a lot of time during the show connecting with his audience. There were several moments where he took the spotlight off himself to recognize his surroundings.

“I liked how Ben gathered us all together to recognize his drummer Steve,” said Hannah Hogg, junior elementary education major from Dallas. “Ben Rector is a real rad dude that’s just like us.”

Dani Burrell and Betsy Smith contributed to this story.