Zach Dubois
It’s been quite an interesting journey for DuBois to arrive here. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 2011, the Elkhart, IN native decided to put medical school on hold in pursuit of his passion for music. He recalls that process, “As part of an entrepreneurship class during my senior year, we had to develop a business plan for a venture that we wanted to start after graduation, so I decided to focus my project on being a touring singer-songwriter. After I ran the numbers and completed a feasibility analysis, I sort of had a ‘Eureka’ moment, realizing that I could actually make money playing music instead of taking a more traditional path.”
Once his studies were finished, DuBois put that plan into action, self-booking and promoting a tour establishing himself in the forefront of independent artists. Dubois has a deep distinct voice with the ability to hit soft notes, giving his songs a dymanic, almost acrobatic structure, accompanied by unique melodies that will either generate a "foot-stomping good time" or have you reaching for the tissues, Dubois give performances that create moments. Noticing his ability to create moments, CMT picked up his video, "Work Harder" and he has shared the stages with some of music's finest acts including: Old Dominion, Josh Abbott Band, Jack Ingram, Turnpike Troubadours, and American Aquarium.
In fall 2017, DuBois released his highly anticipated second album, Flânuer which has garnered rave reviews so far. The album stays true to DuBois's originality and gives real insight to the amount of depth as an artist DuBois poses. One of the highlights of the album is “Pray For Rain,” a ballad which DuBois describes as a modern-day homage to Steinbeck’s The Grapes Of Wrath. “Over the past few decades, we’ve seen an influx of immigrants to the US from Mexico and Central America. People seeking the American dream. I wanted to tell that story, but I didn’t want to take a big political stance - the talking-heads in the news media and politicians on both sides of the aisle do a good enough job of that. As a songwriter, all I wanted to do was try and show the humanity of the situation. At the heart it, these are people simply trying to make a better life for their family. And I think that’s something that we can all relate to.” The forthcoming music video for the song has personal roots. “There’s a guy here in town, who is kind of a handyman for a couple of my close friends. He has actually crossed the border twice, illegally. Hearing his story was incredible. He now has a wife and family here, and has jumped through off all of the necessary legal hoops, but he’s certainly an inspiration for the song. I’m so happy to be able to feature him in the music video.”