

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

Apr 5, 2024 • 51min
Guillaume Côté on retiring from the National Ballet of Canada + TOBi on his big Junos wins
After 26 years dancing with the National Ballet of Canada, Guillaume Côté will be retiring following the 2024-2025 season. The Canadian dancer and choreographer joins Tom in studio to tell us why it’s the right time to move on, why he’s starting his own dance company with a new production of “Hamlet,” and how ballet dancers are expected not just to dance through intense pain, but to look graceful while doing it.Plus, TOBi had a big weekend at this year’s Junos in Halifax, taking home two awards: rap album of the year and rap single of the year. He sits down with Tom to talk about the experience and share one of the tracks off his Juno-winning record, “Panic.”

Apr 5, 2024 • 30min
'I went to hell and came back from it': Shakira on the strength and resilience behind her new album
Shakira is back with her first new album in seven years, “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,” which details her tumultuous breakup with her ex-partner and the father of her two children. She sits down with Tom for a revealing interview about vulnerability, survival and what really matters in her life.Read the Spanish transcription of this interview here.

Apr 4, 2024 • 31min
Ani DiFranco: Hadestown and her new chapter on Broadway
When Ani DiFranco was first setting out as an artist, she felt like she had two paths in front of her. There was the one she actually took — the path of an independent punk feminist singer-songwriter — and the one she didn't take as an actor and dancer. Now, she’s made her Broadway debut in “Hadestown” as Persephone, the reluctant wife of Hades. Ani tells Tom how it feels to revisit her old dreams, why landing the role was a full circle moment, and how you can keep fighting for change even when it feels completely hopeless.

Apr 4, 2024 • 22min
Mary Elizabeth Winstead: A Gentleman in Moscow, Ahsoka, and Scott Pilgrim
The actor Mary Elizabeth Winstead always grounds her performances in reality, no matter if the role is a character from a comic book, an alien in “Star Wars,” or a glamorous movie star like the one she plays in the new drama series, “A Gentleman in Moscow.” Mary joins guest host Talia Schlanger in studio to talk about the show, what it was like acting opposite her real-life husband (Ewan McGregor), and her memories of starring in one of the most iconic Canadian films of all time: “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.”

Apr 3, 2024 • 42min
Shakira on the resilience behind her new album + Zehra Naqvi on her debut poetry collection
Shakira is back with her first new album in seven years, “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,” which details her tumultuous breakup with her ex-partner and the father of her two children. She sits down with Tom for a revealing interview about vulnerability, survival and what really matters in her life.Plus, the Canadian writer Zehra Naqvi is about to release her debut poetry collection, “The Knot of My Tongue.” She tells guest host Talia Schlanger about her work, why she’s fascinated by the themes of language and displacement, and how her writing was deeply influenced by the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan.

Apr 2, 2024 • 25min
Katy O'Brian: From bodybuilding to starring alongside Kristen Stewart in the queer erotic thriller Love Lies Bleeding
There’s been a lot of buzz around the new film Love Lies Bleeding, starring actors Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian, which has been called an “erotic thriller on steroids.” Katy chats with Q guest host Talia Schlanger about what the film means to her, how coming up in the competitive bodybuilding world prepared her for this role, and why this movie matters to queer audiences.

Apr 2, 2024 • 26min
Adaline: Making her EP Hymnal, and reconciling her queerness with her evangelical upbringing
Canadian singer-songwriter Adaline has written an EP called Hymnal, all about reconciling her queerness with the religion she was raised in. She joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about the catharsis of writing the album and finding community outside her religion.

Apr 1, 2024 • 37min
Sheryl Crow: How AI is crushing the spirit of music, her new album Evolution, and speaking up through song
Sheryl Crow has sold over 50 million albums, won nine Grammy Awards, and inspired countless songwriters and artists to follow in her footsteps. Now, over 30 years into her career, she’s releasing her 11th studio album, “Evolution.” Sheryl joins Tom to talk about how concerns around artificial intelligence inspired the title track on this album, why she uses her music to speak out, and what advice she gave to Olivia Rodrigo when they performed together at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Apr 1, 2024 • 35min
Roy Wood Jr.: Why he left The Daily Show and where late-night TV is headed
You might know Roy Wood Jr. from his time as a correspondent on “The Daily Show.” But for years, Roy has honed his comedy as a traveling stand-up comic. Roy spoke with Tom when he was touring his stand-up in Canada and explained why it was time for him to leave “The Daily Show.”

Mar 29, 2024 • 50min
James Ehnes on the reality of being a child prodigy + How Caroline Rose found healing through their most vulnerable music to date
Grammy-winning violinist James Ehnes is one of the most sought-after musicians in the world. The Order of Canada member violinist drops by the studio to tell Tom about his life in music and what it was like growing up as a child prodigy in Brandon, Manitoba. The musician Caroline Rose had an incredible 2023 - they released their album “The Art of Forgetting,” picked up a Grammy nomination and went on an international tour. But that tour wasn’t an easy one. It was often sad, emotionally exhausting, and Caroline didn’t think they’d want to get out on the road again for a long time. They tell Tom about why they’ve decided to get back on the bus and create a new tour that brings joy to their audience — and to them.