CREDIT: PROVIDED BY TREVOR DUBOIS
Music industry arts (MIA) and CTV's The Launch alumnus Trevor Dubois plans to stay true to himself, moving forward.

When musician Trevor Dubois, a.k.a. Charlie the Kid, first moved to Toronto, he would search for potential venues every night. He called every establishment with a liquor license and asked if he could perform there.

“I spent hours a day just calling them and asking if I could play there,” he said. “Like some kid would just call them ‘Hey, can I play at your bar?’ and they’d be like ‘No, no. We’re OK, thank you.”

He also brought his guitar with him while walking through the streets of Toronto and asked passersby if he could play a song for them. After the first yes, he had several more and Dubois made a career out of performing. His bio on his website said he plays roughly around 100 shows a year.


Dubois plans to take time off for most of December and plan 2020 with his new management.

“I’m OK at this point to let things slow down for a bit for the sake of stepping back and figuring out what we want to do so we have clear visions for the next year,” he said.

The Fanshawe College music industry arts (MIA) alumnus will return to campus as a guest speaker on Nov. 28. Although the conversation is based on questions from the instructor and the students, Dubois hopes to talk to students about self-care because of the entrepreneurial nature of the industry. He has to perform, write songs, book shows, and purchase, order, and design the merchandise himself.

“All that, I think, can take a toll on your mental health if you don’t do it properly and that’s something I kind of experienced earlier this year,” he said. “I would like to share that experience, for the most part, because it’s something that’s not really talked about in school.”

He spoke highly of the Arkells’ entrepreneurial spirit when promoting their Rally Cry album, where single releases became special events. The band held a karaoke party in Toronto to commemorate the release of “Only for a Moment”. Arkells held a farmers market and bike ride at their 2018 Rally concert in their hometown of Hamilton, Ont. before the concert kicked off.

“It’s just really cool to see people putting in the same amount of effort when they already ‘made it,’ that people put in at the beginning of their career and they’re like, excited. I really admire that with them.”

He became a fan following their High Noon album and he’s had some interactions with the band. Arkells frontman Max Kerman was part of a judging panel when Dubois auditioned for CTV’s The Launch with a performance of Vance Joy’s “Riptide”. He met Kerman and his manager at the karaoke party and they told the musician he can send them any questions if he has them.

At the Nov. 7 Budweiser Gardens concert, Dubois brought a sign with him requesting to perform with Arkells on stage. He didn’t think it would happen, because he was left on “read” when he sent them an Instagram message, but Kerman saw the sign and he got to perform with the band.

Dubois also wants to talk to students about authenticity. Dubois announced via social media on Nov. 1 that he’s dropping the Charlie the Kid moniker.

“My name isn’t Charlie the Kid, it’s Trevor Dubois,” the post read. “It may not seem like a big deal, but for a while I wanted to be perceived as a character and not as who I am. I was trying to be someone and that doesn’t feel right anymore. The more I love the more I learn that honesty and, excuse the cheesy-ness, BEING YOURSELF, is the best feeling.” 

When asked about the rebrand, he talked about it being a “half branding, half peace of mind change”. He said that over the years, he felt odd about introducing himself as Charlie the Kid as it didn’t feel authentic. He said that while Charlie the Kid was a flashier name, he’s comfortable with the rebrand.

“You get to make decisions that will help with your business and sometimes, they’re not comfortable or fun decisions,” he said. “If you’re OK with maybe making a little bit of sacrifice in your business or your career to be more comfortable or happy in what you’re doing, I think that’s a decision that’s worth considering.”

His new single “Just for Tonight” will be released on Nov. 29. Visit trevordubois.com to check out his music.