Having a family legacy to live up to is definitely a challenge for a teenager growing up under the public eye, but former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s eldest son, Xav, is set on following his own path.
Xavier James Trudeau, who now goes by the artistic name Xav, released his debut single “Til The Nights Done” in February, and most recently dropped his newest jam, “Back Me Up.”
His latest song is quickly growing on the public, and earlier this month the young musician released a teaser of the music video with a clip of him watching it next to his father. In the video, the former prime minister reacts to the clip in a wholesome moment that went viral online.
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But despite being constantly linked to his father’s image, Xav revealed during an interview with the Brandon Gonez Show that he fully intends to chase his own path in life.
“Since I was a kid, I’ve been surrounded by totally different things, yeah, like, official trips, meaning, all these, you know, crazy people, anything, really, police escorts, whatever it was,” he said.
“As I got older, I started realizing, like, this is fun, this is cool, but this isn’t me. I’m not the one who did this for myself. This is all because of my dad and what he’s accomplished—and I’ve so much respect for what he’s done, but I want to create what I want to create. I want to create it because I did it,” he added.
In spite of being surrounded by the world of politics, the 17-year-old singer said he has always been drawn to music, listening to more than the lyrics and the beat.
After years of instrumental lessons and fooling around with Band Lab on his phone, Xav finally reached out to a family contact at Audio Valley Recording Studio who introduced him to Duava, his now producer.
“Whether I was doing homework [or] playing basketball, it’s always playing [on] my headphones, on speakers. And I always heard the beat. I’m really good at telling almost every instrument, right? It’s like, when I hear, I hear just more than just the melody, and the beat, and then the lyrics and stuff. So, I guess it kind of just came naturally to me.”
The artist is now working to further advance his musical career by creating new beats with a RnB and hip-hop influence, accompanied by heartfelt lyrics.
Xav credits his music style with his other lifetime interest in basketball and some of his biggest musical idols, Don Toliver, Travis Scott and Drake.
For his emotional lyrics, filled with “Certified Lover Boy” vibes, the artist says his inspiration is to move the audience.
“I’m not really talking about anyone specifically… It’s more like, I like my lyrics because I feel like a lot of people could relate to them,” he added.
And besides the high stakes as the former prime minister’s eldest son, Xav guarantees that his parents are very supportive of his music career.
“They’ve been supporting [me] since the start. Like, every single time I’d come back from the studio, I’d have something to show them, and we’d sit at dinner and just listen to it,” he said. “They’re happy for me. They’re happy I’m sort of choosing my own path in life.”
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
The emerging music talent says he plans to keep working to advance his musical career, producing, singing and writing melodies.
In fact, one of his next goals is to secure a dream music collaboration with Canadian rapper Drake.
“I feel like our styles would probably match the best. Like, The Weeknd, it would work, Justin Bieber would work. But I feel just with Drake, it would just mesh together super well,” he added.
Meanwhile, Xav also needs to focus on finishing up his high school diploma, saying although he is not set on where to study next, he has plans to attend McGill University in Montreal, QC.
“I’ve never lived in Toronto, and I was really young when I lived in Montreal… I’ve lived in Ottawa most of my life… We’ll see,” he suggested.
