Gavin McMahan has grown up with his music throughout his whole life. The McMahan family is full of professional musicians, so Gavin is a composite of compositions. Classical and jazz trained, Gavin uses his mastery to compose and produce music for clients such as TravisMatthew Apparel, BYU, Warner Chappell and Amphibious Zoo. He’s arranged for Take 6, Jordin Sparks, Jordan Smith and more. After receiving his bachelor’s in film scoring and audio from BYU — where he also worked composing the music for BYU Sports Nation — he decided that it wasn’t enough formal training for him. So, for the past year and a half, he’s been pursuing higher education in a composition program that aims to bridge the gap between a master’s in composition (more classical) and a master’s in film scoring (more Hollywood).
Hero’s Journey The biggest challenge for me in the music industry has been a lack of community. I’ve learned to rely on the music itself for support. Music has become the friend I can always count on. It’s always there, eager to help.
New Chapter A turning point for me was taking film scoring and orchestration classes in college and switching from an aspiring artist to a composer.
Daily Underscore Earth, Wind & Fire — without a doubt. I grew up on EWF and have listened to them consistently throughout my adulthood.
Vital Title I’m a big reader, but in the end, I come back to Middle Earth enough to recognize its grip on me. I have an affinity for folklore and mythology in general, but my favorite book is probably “The Fellowship of the Ring.” I love its vast sense of adventure and wonder.
Tired Trope When I have to compromise the artistic integrity of something I made to please a client’s wishes. That’s so hard for me. Music is much more than a paycheck for me.
Just My Type Hruska’s Kolaches is a favorite food spot!
The Sequel My wife and I hope to start a family soon, spend as much time outdoors as possible, and travel more. Career-wise, I hope to be working exclusively on projects where I can really “do my thing” at the highest level. Whether that’s producing songs for artists, scoring to picture, or orchestrating someone else’s music, I just want to be in a place where I’m only hired for “me” — when someone wants to see what I can do with nothing in my way. I don’t want to feel like any of my work is being compromised in any way.