Justin Trudeau's son Xavier, forays into music with debut R&B single
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's 17-year-old son Xavier Trudeau marked his official launch into the world of music on Friday with the debut single of his R&B track Til The Nights Done.
"What you know about me, I ain't like him," young Trudeau sings. "We could roll sum, we could light one."
"It's hard to escape the shadow of a famous parent or sibling, and he acknowledges that head-on in the lyric, 'What you know about me, I ain't like him'," music publicist Eric Alper told CBC News.
"That kind of self-awareness is key when stepping into the public eye."
The song, which draws inspiration from fellow Canadian artists Drake, The Weeknd and Justin Bieber, was released at 12 a.m. ET across all major streaming platforms and features additional vocals from younger sister Ella-Grace Trudeau.
The music video is set to be released on Xav's YouTube channel at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Til The Nights Done was produced by Vishal "Duava" Daluwatte and Joey "Tekika" Boyer, co-founders of Ottawa-based Pathway Music Group.
What is interesting is that he had the option to go the major-label route — Universal would have likely been an easy path —but he chose to stay independent, saying a lot about his artistic spirit, says Alper.
"He absolutely should trade on the name; it'll get him in the door … the curiosity factor will open some opportunities, but from there, it's on him to prove himself as a compelling artist beyond the last name. And I think he's got the vibe and chops to do it," Alper said.
Xav's music release comes amid his father's tumultuous political career, with the comments section on social media filled with a mix of praise for his music and dislike toward the outgoing prime minister.
"We let the music speak for itself and we just want Xav to do what Xav wants to do," Daluwatte told CBC News.
Dark, moody and ambient
Til The Nights Done, which leans into that dark, moody R&B space that artists such as Don Toliver and Post Malone have mastered, was first teased on Instagram and YouTube in January, with mother Sophie Grégoire commenting, "Good work guys!"
The song is written like a love letter to somebody you know you have a connection with, reflecting a romance that can sometimes feel like a rollercoaster, knowing that despite good times or bad, the love always stays there, co-writer Daluwatte told CBC News.
"We could dim em all down or leave the lights on," Xav croons. "Baby we could move in slow motion till the nights done."
Xav will be releasing his next song within the next month, Daluwatte said, with a lot more music lined up for release, and plans for concerts and performances to follow.
"If he can back up the intrigue with strong songwriting and consistent releases, he has a real shot at carving out his own space in the industry," Alper said.
Though the song alludes to smoking marijuana, Xav is technically too young to "roll sum" or "light one" as the legal age to use cannabis is 19 in Ontario and 21 in Quebec, after Trudeau's Liberal government legalized the recreational use of the drug in 2018.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
YouTube to begin testing a new AI-powered age verification system in the U.S.
YouTube on Wednesday will begin testing a new age-verification system in the U.S. that relies on artificial intelligence to differentiate between adults and minors, based on the kinds of videos that they have been watching. The tests initially will only affect a sliver of YouTube's audience in the U.S., but it will likely become more pervasive if the system works as well at guessing viewers' ages as it does in other parts of the world. The system will only work when viewers are logged into their accounts, and it will make its age assessments regardless of the birth date a user might have entered upon signing up. If the system flags a logged-in viewer as being under 18, YouTube will impose the normal controls and restrictions that the site already uses as a way to prevent minors from watching videos and engaging in other behavior deemed inappropriate for that age. The safeguards include reminders to take a break from the screen, privacy warnings and restrictions on video recommendations. YouTube, which has been owned by Google for nearly 20 years, also doesn't show ads tailored to individual tastes if a viewer is under 18. If the system has inaccurately called out a viewer as a minor, the mistake can be corrected by showing YouTube a government-issued identification card, a credit card or a selfie. 'YouTube was one of the first platforms to offer experiences designed specifically for young people, and we're proud to again be at the forefront of introducing technology that allows us to deliver safety protections while preserving teen privacy,' James Beser, the video service's director of product management, wrote in a blog post about the age-verification system. People still will be able to watch YouTube videos without logging into an account, but viewing that way triggers an automatic block on some content without proof of age. The political pressure has been building on websites to do a better job of verifying ages to shield children from inappropriate content since late June when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Texas law aimed at preventing minors from watching pornography online. Wednesdays What's next in arts, life and pop culture. While some services, such as YouTube, have been stepping up their efforts to verify users' ages, others have contended that the responsibility should primarily fall upon the two main smartphone app stores run by Apple and Google — a position that those two technology powerhouses have resisted. Some digital rights groups, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Center for Democracy & Technology, have raised concerns that age verification could infringe on personal privacy and violate First Amendment protections on free speech.
Calgary Herald
an hour ago
- Calgary Herald
Opinion: It's time to put Canada back on the investment map
Article content In national terms, it takes investment to generate economic growth. But in recent years, Canada's economic policy has lost sight of that basic principle. Article content Article content A major reason for Canada's stalled economic growth and declining standard of living over the past decade is that business investment — a critical driver of growth — has been weak, suffering under a federal policy environment that has ranged from unhelpful to counterproductive. The result is a country struggling to compete, attract capital and generate the kind of prosperity Canadians expect and deserve. Article content Article content When businesses look for opportunities to grow and invest, Canada has not been a clear choice for some time and the reasons aren't mysterious. Investors want to know that when they make a bet on a country, that bet won't be derailed by unpredictable policy shifts, misguided regulatory frameworks or political interference. Article content Article content If we want to reverse this trend, we must act — and quickly. At a time of global uncertainty and geopolitical turmoil, countries are seeking reliable trading partners and investors are looking for stable, competitive environments. Canada can offer both. Article content According to recent polling, 80 per cent of Canadians supported growing investment in Canada by focusing on competitiveness. With bold leadership, we can restore confidence, attract investment and build a stronger, more prosperous future for all Canadians. Article content That starts with a national commitment to positioning Canada not just as a top choice for business but the top choice. Article content Canadians' famous modesty can sometimes work against us. We are often reluctant to say we want to be the 'first' or the 'best,' but we must. We need to send a clear message to the world: Canada is refocused on competitiveness and committed to growth. This message must be reinforced consistently, on global stages, in major speeches and in every international engagement. Article content But rhetoric alone won't get us there. We must back it up with action. We need to eliminate the friction that makes doing business here harder than it should be. That includes eliminating barriers to labour and trade between provinces, a long-standing Canadian problem that we've tolerated for too long. Article content We also need levels of government to play to their strengths and, frankly, stay in their lanes. Canada's constitution gives provinces jurisdiction over many key areas that affect investment — from natural resource development to permitting and electricity generation. To successfully build business and investor confidence, the federal government must respect this. Article content Playing to our strengths also applies to how we manage natural resources. Canada has a generational opportunity to meet growing global demand for responsibly produced energy, minerals and food. But to seize it, we need a policy environment that enables — rather than obstructs — investment. Article content This will also require a better process for Indigenous consultation, one that ensures both partnership and consistency. Article content And we must take a sharper, more targeted approach to immigration. Canada has the potential to attract the world's best and brightest, but we must prioritize pathways that match our economic needs and select those with the skills and capabilities to meet those needs and be set up for a long-term trajectory of success. Seven in 10 Canadians support this market-driven economic approach to immigration. Article content Finally, we can't talk about investment without talking about infrastructure. Moving Canadian goods to global markets efficiently is essential to our competitiveness. That means faster approvals and more significant and expansive investments in trade infrastructure — starting now. Article content None of this requires reinvention. These are pragmatic, achievable steps, ones we outline in a new report, From Barriers to Breakthroughs, that can strengthen Canada's economic foundation and restore our competitiveness on the world stage.
Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
Feds aim to give investors ‘certainty' in budget to put money into Canada
Major institutional investors are asking the federal government to give them a reason to invest more at home in the upcoming fall budget, says the Liberal MPs leading budget consultations across Canada. The federal Liberals are in the midst of consultations on the upcoming 2025 budget. While federal budgets typically are tabled in the spring, this one is set to land during the fall session of Parliament. The budget — which doesn't yet have an exact release date — will be the Liberals' first under Prime Minister Mark Carney and the first tabled by Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, who was appointed to that cabinet position in May. The minister and some Liberal MPs are touring Canada to solicit feedback as part of the federal government's typical pre-budget process. 'From our standpoint, it's our first budget. We want to get the big things right,' said Wayne Long, MP for Saint John—Kennebecasis and secretary of state for the Canada Revenue Agency and financial institutions. Story continues below advertisement The Liberals are hosting roundtables with CEOs from various Canadian industries, heads of chambers of commerce, union leaders and First Nations groups to feed their concerns into the fall budget process. Long has criss-crossed the country since mid-July — part of a plan to visit 45 cities and every province and territory over a two-month span. 1:03 Carney says Canada poised to lead on global stage, confirms plans for a fall a budget Long said the fiscal update will be 'defence-centric' and 'housing-centric' — reflecting commitments from the early days of the current government — and will expand on themes laid out in the Building Canada Act passed in June. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy That legislation, which came with a push for major infrastructure projects, arrived against the backdrop of Canada's trade war with the United States and calls to build up the domestic economy and global trade routes to diminish reliance on the U.S. Story continues below advertisement Long said that in meetings with representatives from Canada's Big Six banks and the Maple Eight large Canadian pension funds, he's heard a desire to invest more at home. He said those large institutional backers want the upcoming budget to help build the long-term confidence they need in order to put their money behind years-long infrastructure projects. 'I almost sense the frustration that they're like, 'Look, we want to invest more in Canadian industry, in nation-building projects and energy projects, but regulatory-wise, it hasn't been effective for us to do so,'' Long said. Putting new rules in place and issuing other signals that show where the federal government wants to focus its efforts could be cost-effective ways to spur investment, Long argued. 'These are tweaks and changes we can make that I think can result in billions of dollars being reinvested back in the country,' he said. Also meeting with industry stakeholders across Canada is Whitby MP Ryan Turnbull, parliamentary secretary to Long and Champagne. He said that in the course of those conversations, he's hearing that stakeholders want to be part of the solution to Canada's trade woes and economic uncertainty. 'We're looking to provide certainty through this budget process,' Turnbull said. Story continues below advertisement 0:32 Poilievre quips with reporter about budget docs: 'We're going to have to go to the library' He said stakeholders from the energy storage and nuclear industries are looking for Ottawa to commit to expanding investment tax credits for their sectors in the coming years. Such signals from government can convince a business that it's worth investing in themselves, or attempting to lure outside capital, in order to build in Canada, Turnbull said. He said he's also hearing concerns about the state of transportation infrastructure, particularly around Canada's ports. Businesses that want to diversify into global markets need to feel confident that the federal government is going to keep critical infrastructure running at key ports like Vancouver, Turnbull said. 'If (Canada) has bottlenecks and congestion within its transportation system and can't get products to market at the scale and scope that we're going to need to in order to respond to the challenges we face in dealing with the United States, we're going to have to address that port infrastructure,' he said. Story continues below advertisement Carney's mantra throughout the spring election campaign and in the early days of his leadership has been to 'spend less' and 'invest more.' The 'spend less' side of the equation comes from his pledge to balance the operating side of Ottawa's budget in three years. Ministers have been asked to come up with savings of 15 per cent in their day-to-day spending by the end of that period. The Public Service Alliance of Canada has warned of possible job cuts through the spending reductions and has said Ottawa ought to work with unions, not around them, to achieve its savings goals. Turnbull said he's met with public sector unions as part of the consultation and acknowledged that there's 'fear and uncertainty' among bureaucrats. 'And yet I think they also recognize that there are opportunities for improvement and efficiency and to serve the public even better,' he said. 'We don't want to compromise on quality. But I do think it's a very healthy exercise for the federal government to say, where is there duplication? Where is there redundancy? Where can we get better results for Canadians?' While it's Long's first budget at the federal level, he said he does have some experience with budgeting in general. Not in Parliament, mind you — in a Canadian junior hockey league. Story continues below advertisement 'I've never been involved in a budget for a process of this magnitude. But in previous lives, for me, when I was president of the Saint John Sea Dogs, we would go through a budgeting process also,' he said. 'And a lot of the decisions we made in that budget we recognize fully would set the tone for the future. So this is the opportunity we have with this budget.'
