

Q with Tom Power
CBC
Five days a week, Tom Power brings you candid conversations with the artists shaping our culture. Whether he’s chatting with A-listers or rising stars, his disarming warmth and meticulous research always gets below the surface, bringing us deeper into the art and lives of today's most compelling musicians, writers, actors and filmmakers.As a Canadian institution, Q has attracted the biggest names in the world. But it's never been about the fame. It's always been about the art.Since becoming the host of Q in October 2016, listeners have come to know Tom for his in-depth interviewing style (asking founding Wu-Tang Clan member RZA what was inside his teenage notebooks), his mischievous sense of humour (jokingly chiding actor Catherine O'Hara for her parenting skills in Home Alone), and his genuine enthusiasm and fearlessness (singing a duet with Mavis Staples).You’re just as likely to hear from celebrities and cultural icons as you are to hear from emerging artists at the beginning of their career. Tom gives each and every artist the space to tell their story in their own words. He also has a track record for interviewing artists on the precipice of stardom, like Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Daniel Caesar, who appeared on Q well before they hit the mainstream.On Q, we cover arts and culture in all its forms, including music, movies, film, TV, comedy, painting, photography, theatre, cinema, Broadway, fashion, dance, opera, documentaries, books, fiction and memoirs.Look to our archives to hear some of Tom’s award-winning artist interviews, including his moving and insightful conversation with the Canadian actor Michael J. Fox, which was awarded the prestigious gold medal for best interview at the 2021 New York Festivals Radio Awards.In 2022, Tom spoke with Friends star Matthew Perry in front of a live audience. Their warm and frank conversation about the actor's struggles with substance abuse struck a chord, leading to millions views on TikTok and Instagram, while also being picked up by news outlets internationally, including Vanity Fair and CNN.Tom’s impactful discussions with top talent have included Adele, Bono, Chappell Roan, Pamela Anderson, Cate Blanchett, Dua Lipa, Cher, Denzel Washington, Mick Jagger, Florence Pugh, Francis Ford Coppola, Kristen Stewart, Emma Stone, Jim Carrey, Billy Porter, Tom Hanks, Jerry Seinfeld, Tyler Perry, Alicia Keys, Alan Moore, Bruce Springsteen, Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand, Darren Aronofsky, Harry Styles, Simu Liu, Sean Penn, Sandra Bullock, Michaela Coel, Ryan Reynolds, Katy Perry, Neil Young, Shakira, George Clooney, Ava DuVernay, Omar Apollo, Trixie Mattel, Orville Peck, Big Sean, Anil Kapoor, Jane Fonda, Robert DeNiro, Antonio Banderas, Elton John, Celine Dion, Kerry Washington, Chuck D, Steven Soderbergh, Mikey Madison, Cillian Murphy, Sean Baker, Steve McQueen, Paris Hilton, Taylor Tomlinson, Gwen Stefani, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kylie Minogue, Stanley Tucci, Rufus Wainwright, Caroline Polachek, Hans Zimmer, Denis Villeneuve, Alex Garland, Alan Ritchson, Britt Lower, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, David Blaine, Brian Tyree Henry, Perfume Genius, Deepa Mehta, Tracy Chapman, Chloë Sevigny, Josh Hartnett and many more.
Episodes
Mentioned books
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Aug 21, 2024 • 24min
Keysha Freshh: Her new album Pretty Boys Break My Heart
Keysha Freshh has been a trailblazer in the Canadian hip-hop scene for 15 years, which is impressive considering she’s only 31. The Canadian rapper is a solo artist as well as a part of the all-female rap group The Sorority. Now, she’s released her latest solo album, “Pretty Boys Break My Heart,” which examines heartbreak in all its different forms. Keysha sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger to reflect on her career, her new record and what it was like collaborating with her cousin Maestro Fresh Wes.

Aug 20, 2024 • 22min
The Beaches: How everything needed to fall apart for everything to come together
The Beaches are in a season of change. The Toronto-based band left their major label deal, hired a new team, and started embracing social media to reach new audiences. Now, they have a number one single, a viral hit on TikTok, and a brand new album, “Blame My Ex.” Jordan and Kylie Miller of The Beaches talk to Tom about what happens when you’re told “this is your make it or break it album,” how TikTok has expanded their audience, and how writing a breakup record felt like going to therapy with your best friends.
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Aug 20, 2024 • 24min
Lucky Daye: Pushing the boundaries of R&B
Lucky Daye is typically classified as an R&B musician, but one look at his wide-ranging discography shows that he isn’t so easily defined by genre. The Grammy winner is sought after by some of the biggest names in music, but his path to success wasn’t easy. He grew up in a strict religious household that didn’t allow him to listen to secular music, and at one point, he even ended up homeless. With the release of his new album, “Algorithm,” Lucky joins guest host Talia Schlanger for a career-spanning chat about how his struggles have shaped him as an artist, and how his music intentionally expands the confines of what we expect from R&B musicians.
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Aug 19, 2024 • 23min
Nava Mau: Baby Reindeer, her Emmy nod & her work with LGBTQ+ survivors
You might know Nava Mau as the breakout star of the hit Netflix series “Baby Reindeer,” for which she recently earned an Emmy nomination for outstanding supporting actress. That adds her to a very short list of trans actors to receive an Emmy nod. Nava joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about “Baby Reindeer,” how her work helping LGBTQ+ survivors of violence has made her nomination extra meaningful, and why trans representation is so important.
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Aug 19, 2024 • 28min
Sean Wang: How his new film Dìdi puts a spin on the classic coming-of-age story
Sean Wang is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker who’s just released his debut feature film, “Dìdi.” It’s a coming-of-age story in the tradition of movies like “Stand by Me,” but told from the perspective of a young Asian American boy in Northern California. Sean talks to guest host Talia Schlanger about the film, and what he learned about himself and his immigrant mom while making it.
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Aug 16, 2024 • 29min
Fat Mike: The end of NOFX
Mike Burkett, also known as Fat Mike, is the lead singer and bassist of NOFX, which is not only one of the most influential and successful punk bands of all time, but also one of the longest-serving. They’ve been together for 41 years, but in just a couple months, it will all come to an end when they wrap up the last few shows on their final tour. In this chat with guest host Talia Schlanger, Mike opens up about how it feels to say goodbye, what he regrets, and what he calls his “desperate need for validation.”

Aug 16, 2024 • 22min
Michael Mabbott & Lucah Rosenberg-Lee: Jackie Shane’s fascinating story
Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee are the directors of a new documentary about the late American R&B singer Jackie Shane. Jackie was a Black trans woman who became popular in Canada after moving to Toronto in the 1960s. She released a single called “Any Other Way” that charted across the country, but in the 1970s, she became a recluse and disappeared from the public eye. Michael and Lucah join Tom to discuss their film “Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story” and how an unreleased song was discovered in Jackie’s house after she passed.
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Aug 15, 2024 • 34min
Fede Álvarez: Behind the scenes of Alien: Romulus
Every time a new movie in the “Alien” franchise is released, there’s a ton of anticipation. The Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Álvarez has taken up the gauntlet with his new film, “Alien: Romulus.” Fede sits down with Tom to talk about the legacy of “Alien” and his approach to making this epic sci-fi horror thriller.
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Aug 15, 2024 • 19min
Vinessa Antoine: Her new role on Plan B
If you could go back in time and change one moment you regret, would you do it? On the new season of the CBC time-travel drama “Plan B,” Canadian actor Vinessa Antoine plays a Montreal police officer who’s faced with that choice. She joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about the series and how she took care of herself after telling a pretty dark story.

Aug 14, 2024 • 25min
Carley Fortune: Leaving journalism to become a romance novelist
Carley Fortune is the Canadian author behind the New York Times bestselling novels “Every Summer After” and “Meet Me at the Lake” (the latter of which is being adapted for Netflix by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle). She talks to Tom about her latest book “This Summer Will Be Different,” what made her leave journalism to pursue being a novelist, and why the romance genre is having a moment right now.