Somewhere, in the heart of every emerging musician, is the hope of making it big -- to be the next Jay-Z, Jessica Simpson or maybe even John Mayer.

For Penn State student Jason Olcese (senior-psychology) that dream is one he said is quickly becoming a reality.

Olcese, better known by the moniker Jason O, can often be found performing around town most weekend nights, playing to whoever will listen.

With pending contracts with major record labels such as Jive and Atlantic, and a proposed sponsorship with The Limited, American Eagle and Abercrombie and Fitch, Olcese said he is hopeful about his future. He added last year he had an opportunity to be signed with Sony Columbia, but decided to postpone it until after his semester studying abroad in New Zealand. The curly-haired musician said he's been busy juggling his career and being a Penn State student as well.

"My goal is to be as big as Jack Johnson or John Mayer," he said.

During last year's Penn State-Ohio State game, Columbus resident Manning Baumgardner came to Happy Valley for the football game and had the chance to listen to Olcese.

"I was in awe," Baumgardner said, "He had a certain aura, a certain humbleness, and people just gravitated toward him. He's a superstar waiting to happen."

Baumgardner introduced Olcese to his brother-in-law, Eugene Johnson, who is an InHouse Entertainment music manager. Johnson was equally impressed and became Olcese's current manager.

"I thought he was a genius," Johnson said. "He's a deep person. He sees things from a different angle. And he has an uncanny ability to hear the words and the music in his head and just play it."

Johnson said he is hopeful Olcese will be signed to a record label by Christmas.

Olcese said his strong musical background laid the groundwork for his future. With two music teachers for parents, he was exposed early on to the thing that would soon become his passion.

"I was pushed into music before I could walk," he said. "And ever since I was little, I got to play in my dad's band with a lot of experienced musicians."

Following in his parents' musical footsteps, Olcese learned to sing and play a variety of brass and percussion instruments. By fourth grade, Olcese was giving drum lessons to pupils twice his age and, by age 17, he had moved onto writing his own music. After playing mostly cover tunes as a drummer with three or four bands through the years, he decided to branch out on his own.

"I got sick of being in bands where people couldn't write their own music," he said.

Olcese said he devoted countless hours to creating his own music, drawing on personal music favorites such as John Mayer and even hip-hop legend Notorious B.I.G. to help create his lyrical sound.

Today, Olcese said he is still writing and developing, but also working on marketing himself to the public.

"I feel like someday I'm going to be big," he said, "I don't think I'm something no one else could be, but I think I'm good enough if I have the determination."

Five released albums, songs on Napster and iTunes, live shows in downtown bars, a trip to New Zealand and active internet publicity have given Jason a wide international fan base.

Olcese also likes to stop and play on sidewalks some weekend nights when everyone is out enjoying State College nightlife. He said playing has also been beneficial in gaining publicity.

Andy Sieger (freshman-premedicine) was one of the many who stopped to watch Jason's performance last Saturday night on a street corner downtown.

"This was the first time I've seen him," Sieger said, "He's really, really good."

The downtown performances, which usually last from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m., feature Olcese's own music, cover tunes, requests and a lot of sing-alongs.

Olcese's latest album, Back to the Beat, was originally written as his senior honors music project. He said Penn State has been one of the biggest factors in his musical development.

"Penn State has been a nurturing place for me to develop as an artist," he said. "I learned how to sing by walking around campus and singing in my head, and I learned how to perform by playing at downtown bars. I'm Penn State bred."