Ricky Hunter said he only began making music in 2021.

But Wednesday, the Freeport Area alumnus will play a 10-minute opening set for country music star Jason Aldean at an invite-only concert at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh.

Hunter, 23, of Freeport won a contest held by Pittsburgh country radio station Y108 to place a local performer in the concert lineup by gaining the most views on the station’s TikTok account.

The station distributed tickets for its “The Night Before” event — scheduled to take place a day ahead of the NFL Draft — via on-air contests and in-person ticket drops throughout the region. In addition to Aldean, the show will feature singers John Morgan and Shane Profitt as well as 100.7 Star’s TJ the DJ.

“I’ve just got to set the tone I guess,” Hunter said. “I’ve got 10 minutes to play my heart out.”

Hunter said he began recording music with friends in the Alle-Kiski Valley after high school — taking the stage name Rikki — and playing shows at local venues like The Forge Urban Wine Bar in Homestead, Little Giant Studio in Pittsburgh and From Italy Pizza in Springdale.

Describing his sound as a sort of indie pop, he said he takes inspiration from artists like Post Malone.

“What I do is try to find a beat and figure it out,” Hunter said.

Some of his songs, he said, are country-influenced. A fan of the main act, Hunter said he remembers listening to Aldean on Y108 on the way to sports games.

To open for Aldean, he plans to play three original songs: “I Want You (Watermelon Sourpatch),” “Change My Ways,” and “Live It Up.”

The songs, he said, span several genres.

Hunter credits his victory in the radio contest to support from his family and his native Freeport Area, where he continues to serve as an assistant football coach.

“I’m just so happy for him,” his mother, Jen Hunter, said. “He’s such a good kid.”

She said she and Hunter’s grandparents will attend the show along with several of his friends from Freeport.

It will be, by far, his biggest show, which Jen hopes could lead to a big break for her son.

“I’m really hoping this is a step toward something bigger,” she said. “This is once in a lifetime.”