Watch Cam Kahin perform his 'dark coming-of-age' rock anthems on The Intro

When Cam Kahin was just nine years old, he and his friend (and current bandmate) Aidan Collins sent some song demos to Dine Alone Records. 

"They were not even listenable, if you were to go back," Kahin tells CBC Music's Damhnait Doyle, host of The Intro. Understandably, they never got a response from the Toronto label that's home to some of the country's biggest rock acts including Alexisonfire, Tokyo Police Club and Yukon Blonde. But after years of hard work and grinding it out in the local scene, Kahin, now in his early 20s, has finally landed himself a spot on Dine Alone's roster. "Look at us now!" he says, with a laugh. 

That long road to signing a record deal was marked by sonic experimentation and self-discovery. Growing up in Dunnville, Ont., a small town with a population of approximately 6,000 people, Kahin felt the isolation of being one of the only people of colour. "Just trying to fit in was a weird thing," he explains. "I kind of latched onto music at a young age to cope with that." 

While rock and metal were his first loves — Kahin cites Biffy Clyro, Cage the Elephant and Architects as some of his formative influences — he first got acquainted with the music recording program Logic Pro by making hip hop music. It was a move mostly inspired by friends around him who listened to hip hop, but after Kahin graduated from high school, it hit him: "I don't really like doing this." Instead, he picked up his guitar again and started writing rock songs. 

Kahin's upcoming debut EP for Dine Alone, titled When It's all Over (out April 6), is described as a "dark coming-of-age" story, chronicling the oftentimes messy journey toward adulthood, filled with unhealthy vices ("Compass") and spiralling panic attacks ("Birds"). Kahin summons rock's past — drawing from grunge, punk, metal and more — to create something vibrant and new, anchoring every track with a memorable hook or riff. In transitioning back to rock music, Kahin says, "I kind of internally made a decision that I'm going to be as honest as I can." That vulnerability powers every chord on When It's all Over, making every lyric all the more cathartic for both Kahin and his fans to shout along to. 

But even as Kahin's childhood dreams are coming to fruition, the rock landscape hasn't changed nearly as much as it should have in that time. Just a quick look at the acts who get nominated in the rock categories of music awards like the Grammys and Junos shows that straight, white male musicians still dominate. Kahin doesn't focus on the burden of carrying that weight of representation, though. Instead, he tries to embrace it: 

"It can be empowering if someone feels limited by how they look, if seeing me doing something like this gives them any bit more comfort in what they're doing, then that's amazing."