Breakfast Television’s Dawn Chubai

Recording artist, actress, host, and singer Dawn Chubai came to Vancouver in 2004 and has been a fixture of our morning television programming ever-since. She’s currently the “Live Eye” host for City TV’s Breakfast Television which she says is a nice opportunity for her to connect with the community.

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“I enjoy working with people and getting out there so it’s a great fit,” she told me during a telephone chat we had this week.

Dawn’s also very active on social media and it’s through her Twitter account that I discovered her singing career. She said it was at a business luncheon, where she sang the anthem, that one of her most exciting opportunities presented itself. “Dal Richards was sitting right next to me, and I had never met him before, and he just said, ‘You’re a singer!‘” That meeting lead to what Dawn refers to as her most “Wow!” gig — sharing the Orpheum stage with the legendary Dal Richards and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Her television career even began after she sang on a morning show in Edmonton. Her style of choice (and she’s even released an independent album) is jazz although with Dal, she performs big band hits. “It’s really cool to do these songs that have entertained audiences and Dal’s audience for years,” she told me. “We’ve now done everything from charity gigs to the Christmas market, parties, and more.”

When not up at the crack of dawn for her Live Eye segments or singing her heart out, Dawn is also an emcee-for-hire and donates her time to many local causes. And, while she won’t be leaving television any time soon, she’s enjoying all of the opportunities that are coming her way. “Performance is a true passion. It’s not completely unrelated from what I do in my everyday job, which is still in front of the camera, working with people, and entertaining.”

Dawn Chubai (left) with Donna Pepin (right) Photo credit: Urban Mixer on Flickr – UrbanMixer.com

Going forward, Dawn will continue to embrace social media as a communication tool as well. “I was probably late getting into Twitter compared to some but I have embraced it wholeheartedly.” She added that it’s a fantastic way to communicate and promote things that are important to her personally, but also things that are happening around town and with the BT program. “It’s about having your personalities being accessible to the public – being that station that the community and the viewer can relate to.” While Twitter is great for business purposes, Dawn said she personally tries not to post too much junk, “but once and a while everyone gets a bit silly.”

You can catch Dawn’s next live performance on New Year’s Eve at the River Rock Show Theatre with Dal Richards and his orchestra. Tickets are currently available thought Ticketmaster.

Stop by CityTV on December 16th (at West 2nd & Columbia) with a donation for “Food Bank Friday”. You can follow Dawn on Twitter @Dawn_Chubai for more information.