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
Nov 13, 2025 • 16min
Amaarae’s new album is dedicated to kids who don’t fit in
Amaarae is one of the biggest new voices in music with a sound that blends Afrobeats, pop, house and rap. In the past few years, she’s gone viral on TikTok, she’s performed at Coachella, and she’s opened for Sabrina Carpenter and Childish Gambino. Amaarae joins Tom Power to talk about her new album, “Black Star,” how she got her start in music, and how a trip to Ghana led her to reconnect with her roots.
Nov 12, 2025 • 18min
Before acting, Sydney Sweeney considered becoming a professional boxer
Sydney Sweeney is one of this generation's biggest stars. Her new film “Christy” tells the story of the trailblazing boxer Christy Martin, who broke into the male dominated world of 1990s prizefighting and became one of the biggest stars in boxing. It may not seem like Sydney — star of the hit teen show “Euphoria” and rom-com “Anyone But You” — would have much in common with Christy. But they both come from small towns, broke into their respective industries without connections, and have backgrounds in combat arts. Sydney joins Tom Power to talk about taking on the role of Christy, the physical transformation she underwent, and how her own background in martial arts influences her life and career.
Nov 12, 2025 • 28min
Comedian Benny Feldman is his own heckler
Benny Feldman is a one-liner comedian who’s written thousands of jokes, including ones that poke fun at his own experience with Tourette Syndrome. Over the last few years, his career has been picking up steam after performing on Comedy Central and at the Netflix Is A Joke Festival. Even the great comedian and actor Patton Oswalt is a huge fan, saying that Benny is an “amazing joke writer and even better joke deliverer.” Benny stops by the Q studio to tell Tom Power about his new hour of stand-up “Butterfly Pavilion,” the art of one-liners, and being his “own heckler.”
Nov 11, 2025 • 40min
How a 2-second clip led to Stephan James's biggest role
Actor Stephan James (Homecoming, If Beale Street Could Talk) has made a name for himself playing major historical figures like runner Jesse Owens in “Race” and civil rights activist John Lewis in “Selma.” After working with legends like Julia Roberts and Laurence Fishburne, Stephan wanted to come back to his community in Canada and share his success. Earlier this year, Tom Power caught up with Stephan in front of a live audience to talk about his career and his plans to uplift young Black creatives.
Nov 11, 2025 • 12min
Brendan McLeod honours the soldiers who fought at Vimy Ridge
A few years ago, the Canadian musician Brendan McLeod and his band The Fugitives wrote a collection of songs inspired by the real-life experiences of soldiers who fought at the Battle of Vimy Ridge during the First World War. Last year, ahead of a performance of those songs in a stage show called “Ridge,” Brendan joined Tom Power to talk about the project and the significance of Canada's sacrifice at Vimy Ridge.
Nov 10, 2025 • 21min
Alex Cuba’s newest album is a thank you to his ancestors
Alex Cuba is a Grammy-winning artist known for his joyful, genre-blending sound. But on his new album, “índole,” he taps into sorrow as a creative force. His songs also reflect his Afro-Latin roots, and he wrote his 11th studio album as a thank you to his ancestors and the African diaspora that gave Latin music its heartbeat. He joins Tom Power to talk about finding beauty in pain, gratitude in his ancestors, and the true nature of where his music comes from.
Nov 10, 2025 • 22min
James Barker Band revisits their hometown in new album One Of Us
It’s been a big year for the James Barker Band, one of Canada’s biggest country groups. They just celebrated 10 years as a band and won group of the year at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards. Despite all this success, the James Barker Band decided to revisit their hometown on their new album, “One Of Us.” The record details the people and places of Woodville, Ontario who have made them the artists they are today. James Barker drops by the studio to talk with Tom Power about the band’s big year, their new album, and why community and showing up for your neighbour is on his mind right now.
Nov 7, 2025 • 29min
Robert Bateman is one of Canada’s most misunderstood artists
A new documentary shines light on the early years of the hugely successful Canadian wildlife painter Robert Bateman. “The Art of Adventure” peels back the layers of how the artist fell deeply in love with the natural world and launched a lifelong fight to protect it. Yet, critics often dismiss Robert’s art. He has received the Order of Canada, but has never been invited to show at the National Gallery of Canada. At 95, Robert looks back with Tom Power on an unusually artistic career which has been both celebrated and misunderstood by his home country.
Nov 7, 2025 • 15min
The Hello Crows on reconnecting with their Indigenous heritage through music
The Hello Crows have never just been a band. The Indigenous collective from Fredericton, New Brunswick formed after its members connected at an Indigenous songwriters’ circle. Through sharing their stories about their lives and collaborating on stage, the musicians realized that they could form both a band and a safe space for them to re-approach their Indigenous heritage. The Hello Crows members Quinn Bonnell and Dylan Ward join Tom Power to discuss their debut album, how they’re reconnecting to their culture and winning song of the year at the Music New Brunswick Awards.
Nov 6, 2025 • 24min
Jennifer Lawrence on Die My Love and how Mother! destroyed her
After reading Ariana Harwicz’s novel “Die, My Love” in his book club, Martin Scorsese sent a copy to Jennifer Lawrence, telling her he imagined her as the main character. Now, the Oscar-winning actor stars alongside Robert Pattinson in a new film adaptation of the novel, directed by Lynne Ramsay. The story follows a young mother struggling with her mental health after the birth of her first child. As a new mother herself, Jennifer decided this was the right project for her to jump back into acting following a break from Hollywood. She joins Tom Power to tell us how she mentally prepared for this harrowing role, how she doesn’t let her teen fame past define her, and why she stepped away from the spotlight after she started feeling more like a celebrity than an actor.
