Q with Tom Power

In a long-awaited catch-up, singer, songwriter and actor Josh Groban stops by the Q studio to talk about his upcoming album Cinematic. The record is a tribute to the iconic soundtracks of some of his favourite films, from The Lion King to James Bond. He tells Tom about his touching collaboration with his father on the record, what it was like to play Sweeney Todd on Broadway given his lifelong lov...

On their new song Had It, Toronto indie-rock trio Dumb Crush tell the story of a modern-day guy who’s dealing with the pressures of hyper-individuality and the feeling of never being good enough. Owen Hooper, a bass player and singer in the band, joins Tom to talk about the inspiration behind the song, and how the band feels about the constant pressure to maximize your potential.

Arkells are at a stage of success where they can easily sell out large amphitheatres across Canada. But with their new record Between Us, the band has chosen to do something different with the tour: city takeovers. Instead of booking large venues for one night, the boys are spending multiple days in Canadian cities, playing smaller stages and more intimate shows. Arkells frontman Max Kerman and gu...

When Alberta filmmaker Jody Wilson was working on visual effects for CSI Miami, she didn’t know the Hollywood gig was also laying the groundwork for her future in filmmaking. From The Avengers to The Last of Us, her on-set observations all came in handy when she finally decided to make her own feature film, The Bearded Girl. It’s a coming-of-age story with a twist and, as Jody tells Tom Power, its...

For nearly 40 years, Ziggy Marley has built a legendary career across music, writing and philanthropy. Now, the eldest son of reggae icon Bob Marley returns with Brightside, his ninth studio album, which was produced entirely by him and his brother Stephen. He chats with Q’s Tom Power about what happens when he records with instruments tuned to a lower frequency, the spiritual place he seeks out w...

Best known for her tapestries and textile paintings, Paulina Constancia’s latest series, MOMents, reflects the early days of motherhood, celebrating the small, special moments that happen when you become a parent. Speaking with Q guest host Gill Deacon, Paulina gets into her own experience as a mother, why she urges parents and caregivers to stay present, and what it’s like being a self-taught “na...

Riz Ahmed is an Oscar and Emmy-award winning actor and rapper, known for pushing for more nuanced portrayals of South Asians, and especially Muslims, on screen. In his most recent projects, he’s shaking the foundations of British cultural mythology by taking on two roles that have long been definitive for white actors: James Bond and Hamlet. He joins Tom to talk about his new series Bait, where he...

After winning the prestigious Polaris Music Prize for a second time, Jeremy Dutcher decided to do something he’s never done before: score a film. He composed music for the Canadian thriller At The Place of Ghosts, which follows two estranged Mi'kmaq brothers who become haunted by a malevolent spirit and must reunite to face their demons. Jeremy sits down with Tom Power to discuss the importance of...

During the pandemic, Kashus Culpepper learned to play the guitar on YouTube, and soon enough was performing covers for his fellow sailors in the United States Navy. Now, after sharing some of his covers online and moving to Nashville, Kashus’s soulful blend of Southern sounds has caught the attention of music veterans like John Mayer and Elton John. He joins Tom Power to talk about his unique jour...

Brittany Allen has been a working actor and composer for over 15 years. Her breakout role as Marissa on the long-running soap All My Children earned her a Daytime Emmy Award. Now, she’s getting a lot of critical acclaim for her role as a cancer patient on the second season of the hit show The Pitt. She joins Tom Power to talk about her acting journey, and how playing a cancer patient has impacted...

The Big Five answers the most pressing question of our time: what are the “Big 5” of any given category? Not the best 5. Not the top 5. Not anyone’s favourite 5. But objectively, the Big 5. In each episode, Donovan Woods, Tom Power, and a celebrity guest tackle new topics and debate things like: what are the Big 5 farm animals? Types of hats? Slang terms for “butt”? Ways to cook a potato? Guys nam...

Eight-time Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves is back with her seventh album, Middle of Nowhere. The record looks at where she’s from, transitions and being comfortable alone. Kacey joins Tom Power in the Q studio to chat about the new album, what it was like growing up in Texas, and her breakthrough fourth album Golden Hour.

Canadian songwriter Cat Clyde, known for blending rockabilly with modern Americana, just released her fourth full-length album, called Mud Blood Bone. She joins Garvia Bailey to talk about what inspired her new song off the album, Man’s World, which tackles the frustrating limitations of living in a patriarchal society.

Without Tiga, the vibrant dance party scene in Montreal wouldn’t exist. The DJ and record producer pioneered the first club, first parties and the overall EDM explosion in that city. Tiga tells Tom Power about his new record, his early childhood sneaking into raves in Goa, India, and what it’s like to see the world through its nightlife.

For decades, Parisa Karimi Molan was banned from singing publicly in her homeland of Iran because she was a woman. But, Parisa found her voice in Canada, and now she’s released her debut album Unveiled. She tells Tom about the secret singing she undertook in her homeland, and what it meant to sing in public for the first time after moving to Montreal.

Scottish actor Peter Capaldi drops by the Q studio to talk about his hit Apple TV police drama Criminal Record. He shares stories from his more than 40 years in acting, and why the secret to it all might just be being yourself. Plus, having just come back from being on the road with his music, Peter tells Tom what it was like to do his first-ever headline tour, and about the punk band he started w...

British Columbia’s Ora Cogan just released a new record, Hard Hearted Woman. She tells Tom Power about her spiritual approach to songwriting and what inspired her to write about anti-trans legislation in her new song, Honey.

After being the lead sex work consultant on the film Anora, Andrea Werhun tapped that film’s writer-director Sean Baker to executive produce her new autobiographical hybrid documentary. Modern Whore is part-talking head, part-reenactment and part-slap stick comedy, telling Andrea’s story from student to escort to exotic dancer. She sits down with Tom Power to talk about why she doesn't see herself...

Cadence Weapon, the Edmonton-born, Polaris Music Prize-winning rapper, author and producer is back with his new album, Forager. It’s an exploration of vintage styles and sounds, produced by Toronto’s Junia-T. In the Q studio, Cadence Weapon sits down with Tom to talk about working with Junia-T, incorporating live instruments and how some things are easier for the ones who come after the trailblaze...

In Season 1 of Netflix’s dark comedy Beef, the show’s creator Lee Sung Jin found a winning formula: an escalating feud ignited by a single road rage incident. Now, for its second season, the anthology series is introducing a whole new cast and a fresh conflict set in an elitist country club. But, it’s still a story of how the crushing pressure to succeed pushes people to the extreme. Lee Sung Jin...

Cameron sinkʷə Fraser-Monroe is a Canadian dancer and choreographer who brings First Nations storytelling to contemporary ballet. His new full-length ballet, Cikilaxʷm: Controlled Burn with Ballet Kelowna, touches on themes of Indigenous fire stewardship, climate change and wildfire management. Cameron spoke with Q guest host Garvia Bailey about cultural burns, creative collaboration and Indigenou...

At 85, Ringo Starr shows no sign of slowing down. The English musician’s new album Long Long Road is a return to country music — a genre he’s loved since he was a kid. Ringo joins Tom Power to talk about finding country music in Liverpool in the ’60s, returning to the genre now, and the upcoming Beatles biopic featuring Barry Keoghan as a young Ringo Starr.

Canadian writer-director Sophy Romvari’s debut feature film, Blue Heron, follows a Hungarian-Canadian family as they relocate to Vancouver Island in the ’90s, and struggle to deal with the eldest son’s increasingly dangerous behavioural issues. She joins Q host Tom Power to talk about the success of her semi-autobiographical feature, the current state of the Canadian independent film industry, and...

American-Canadian actor Jean Yoon, best known for playing Mrs. Kim on the beloved series Kim’s Convenience, is back on stage in a new play. It’s called Dance Nation, and it’s a dark yet funny take on adolescence, girlhood and female rage. Jean sits down with Tom Power to talk about why she walked away from acting in the early days of her career, the complicated legacy of Kim’s Convenience, and the...

P.E.I. actor and theatre director Mike Ross has been obsessed with the Don McLean song American Pie for decades. Now, he’s co-created a stage show about all the hidden meanings behind the generational tune, called Inside American Pie. He joins Tom to talk about why he wanted to make a whole show about this one song, and what he thinks of the riddles and references in the lyrics.