Justin Trudeau's Son Xav, 18, Explores Modeling and Music-Making After Dropping His Famous Last Name to Become 'My Own Man'

Meredith KileFri, June 12, 2026 at 9:17 PM UTC

0

Justin Trudeau (left); Xavier "Xav" Trudeau's modeling campaign for Raimundo Langlois (right)Credit: Raimundo Langlois;Chris Condon/PGA TOUR via Getty -

Justin Trudeau's 18-year-old son, Xavier, is an aspiring model and musician

As he attempts to break into the competitive industries on his own merits, the teen political scion has been veering away from his famous last name in the professional world

Despite attempting to chart a different path than his father and grandfather, he still appreciates the support his family provides, even admitting to asking his dad's girlfriend, Katy Perry, for advice on his music career

Xavier "Xav" Trudeau has quite the family tree. Not only is his father, Justin Trudeau, the former prime minister of Canada, but his grandfather, Pierre Trudeau, was as well.

It's a lot to live up to, but Xav, 18, says he wants to chart his own path — beginning with dropping his last name in favor of a mononymous nickname while he explores a future in both the modeling and music industries.

"I did feel pressured," he said of his family's political legacy in a new interview with GQ. "I think that's why I wanted to do something totally different and obviously change people's lives, but in my own way... Building a new name for myself and being my own man was a super important thing."

He's off to a good start, recently performing at the Ottawa Shawarma Fest and flashing his abs in a campaign for Raimundo Langlois.

Xavier Trudeau, aka "Xav," models for Raimundo LangloisCredit: Raimundo Langlois

Where his father and grandfather used their charm and good looks to help boost their political popularity, Xav (pronounced "Zav") hopes to use his as a bonus in the music world.

"Music was the thing that got me into modeling just because it's a good parallel to have," he said. "If you're doing shoots for these brands, it's just more of your face out there. It's more credibility. It will indirectly help your music. It helped me push my brand as a person, as Xav."

Xav is the eldest of three children that Justin Trudeau shares with his ex-wife, Sophie Grégoire. His younger sister, Ella-Grace, joined him on his first-ever public performance, a cover of Rihanna's "Diamonds" on the Québécois Radio-Canada show En direct de l'univers.

From there, he developed through "singing in the shower and making beats on my phone," drawing on sounds from his favorite artist, Don Toliver, as well as iconic Canadian hitmakers like Drake, Justin Bieber and The Weeknd.

"I want to really impact my fans. I want them to really feel the music and get inspired by me, because that's the way I was inspired," he told the fashion magazine. "I live for performing. I think as an artist, you can't be an artist if you don't love performing."

Advertisement

Xav and Justin Trudeau speak with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan on day four of the 2024 Presidents Cup at The Royal Montreal Golf Club on Sept. 29, 2024Credit: Chris Condon/PGA TOUR via Getty

And, while he decided not to follow in his father's footsteps, Xav did welcome him into the studio for a YouTube video last year, in order to film his reaction to his third music video, "Back Me Up."

Justin may not be a performer, but as a career politician, he knows something about stage presence and connecting with a crowd. Ultimately, in the clip, however, he just came off as a very proud dad.

"Listen, you guys really, really worked hard on this, and that. And it's great. I'm really excited about it," Justin told Xav.

Should Xav ever need advice about the music industry, he also has a pretty great resource in his dad's girlfriend, American pop star Katy Perry.

"When I'm really happy with a song [I] send it [to her]," he shared on an April episode of the Can't Be Censoredpodcast. "She's always happy to give me advice or tell me what I should change."

— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry at the Tribeca Festival's World Premiere of "Katy Perry: The Lifetimes Tour - Live from Paris" held at the OKX Theater on June 8, 2026Credit: Stephanie Augello/Variety via Getty

PEOPLE spoke with Perry after she and Justin made their red carpet debut at the Tribeca Festival for the premiere of her concert film Katy Perry: The Lifetimes Tour - Live from Paris on June 8, and she couldn't help but rave about her relationship.

"I feel like a more grounded person in so many aspects of my life," she said. "I am very in love. And actually, that show was after I met the love of my life and so I felt very anchored by that because I'm a little bit like a rainbow kite."

She continued: "I fly super high and touch the veil ... cosmos ... and sometimes I need to be anchored. So, to have that anchor finally makes me feel really whole now."

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”