Q with Tom Power

Years before she made a splashy debut with her award-winning graphic novel “Stone Fruit,” the Montreal-based cartoonist Lee Lai spent years working in cafes and restaurants. That experience got her thinking about some big questions, like what does it mean to be of service? What happens when someone is used to giving but never receiving? And when you change your life for the better, will your frien...

Over the last few years, Canadian singer-songwriter Elijah Woods has surpassed one billion streams, been nominated for four Juno Awards, and sold out tours across Canada and Asia — all before the release of his debut album. Elijah joins Tom Power to talk about his early brush with success on a reality music competition show, the dissolution of his band Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine, and starting over...

Winnipeg’s Alexa Dirks, better known by her stage name Begonia, is one of the coolest voices in alt-pop with a bombastic, technicolour sense of style. On her new album, “Fantasy Life,” she pushes the boundaries of her sound, her visuals and, most importantly, her amazing voice. She sits down with Tom Power to talk about the record, her critical acclaim, and the difference between Begonia the flamb...

Twenty years after the release of his debut album, “When This Is Over,” Shad has firmly cemented himself as one of the great Canadian voices of our time. Now, the beloved Canadian rapper is marking the milestone with a new record, “Start Anew,” which is all about embracing change, facing loss, and moving into uncertainty with hope. He sits down with Tom Power to talk about his journey from being a...

For the past few years, Harris Dickinson (Babygirl, The Iron Claw, Triangle of Sadness) has built his reputation as one of the buzziest new actors. Now, he’s turned his sights on directing with his film “Urchin.” It follows a man struggling with addiction and mental health issues while living on the streets of London. Harris joins Tom Power to discuss the film and its exploration of cyclical, self...

Nashville singer-songwriter Maren Morris is back with a new album, “Dreamsicle.” It’s her first release after her divorce last year. But it’s not just a breakup record, it’s an examination of the physical, mental and emotional changes that happen after a traumatic personal event. Maren joins Tom Power to discuss “Dreamsicle,” her 20 years of making music, and the importance of the collaborators on...

Or Schraiber and Bobbi Jene Smith are two of the most important names in contemporary dance. They’re also a married couple. Or and Bobbi join Tom Power to tell us how their creative and personal partnership began while they were dancers at the Batsheva Dance Company, how the Gaga dance style influences their work, and their Canadian debut at the National Ballet of Canada, “Procession.” Fill out ou...

In his new movie, “Ballad of a Small Player,” Colin Farrell (The Penguin, The Banshees of Inisherin, In Bruges) plays a gambling addict who’s not averse to going all in. The role comes on the heels of his award-winning part in “The Penguin” on HBO, and his Golden Globe-winning performance in the 2023 film “The Banshees of Inisherin.” In this interview with Tom Power, Colin talks about continuing h...

Horror master Eli Roth has called the new Canadian-made found footage film “Dream Eater” one of the scariest he’s ever seen. Directed by Toronto’s Jay Drakulic, Mallory Drumm and Alex Lee, the story follows a filmmaker who decides to document her boyfriend's violent parasomnia during their remote cabin holiday. “Dream Eater” has now hit theatres across Canada. Jay, Mallory and Alex sit down with T...

Writer, producer and director Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Funny People) is truly a comedy legend. He’s behind some of the most successful TV and film comedies of the last couple decades, and he helped discover the likes of Seth Rogen, Jason Segel and Lena Dunham. Not only that, he changed comedy forever by proving that awkwardness and insecurity could gross $100 million. But a...

It’s often said that laughter is the best medicine, but there’s an ever growing case that it might in fact be music. Over the last decade, Renée Fleming, the multi-Grammy-winning soprano, has been involved in spreading awareness about the health benefits of music. Last year, she edited a book titled “Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness.” Renée joins Tom Power to talk about...

She’s ready to do the time warp again! Fifty years ago, Patricia Quinn played the maid Magenta in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” She joins Tom Power to reflect on five decades of the cult classic movie, its humble beginnings as a small stage musical, and the moment she realized it had become a cultural phenomenon. Fill out our listener survey here . We appreciate your input! 

Christian McBride is a nine-time Grammy-winning bassist and composer who’s known for his prolific career across jazz and other genres. His new big band album, “Without Further Ado, Vol 1.,” nearly reunited the beloved U.K. rock band The Police. Christian joins Tom Power to share that story and more, including his time going to high school with The Roots and playing with Miles Davis as a teenager....

As a teenager, Canadian singer Skye Sweetnam was on track to be a major pop star. She opened for Britney Spears before she'd even put out a record. But when people stopped buying music and started downloading MP3s her dream fell apart. Skye joins Tom Power to tell us how she picked up the pieces and built something better as the frontwoman of the hard rock band Sumo Cyco, which has just released a...

You might know Steve Martin as a comedy legend, but he’s also a serious musician. If you know his early comedy albums, like “A Wild and Crazy Guy,” you might even be familiar with his banjo playing. In recent years, he’s gotten a lot more serious about the banjo, joining bluegrass bands and releasing music. Now, he’s teamed up with Alison Brown — one of the best banjo players alive — on a new albu...

Greg Wells is a Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated record producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and mix engineer who was recently made a Member of the Order of Canada. He sits down with Tom Power to talk about his early days playing in k.d. lang’s band, producing and writing hits for artists like Adele, John Legend, Ariana Grande, Celine Dion, and Taylor Swift, and why he’s spent the last fe...

This year, Iranian director Jafar Panahi won the Palme d'Or at Cannes for his extraordinary new film, “It Was Just an Accident,” which he shot secretly in Tehran under great risk of serious harm. Jafar has been in prison twice on charges of “anti-government propaganda” as well as for protesting the imprisonment of other filmmakers. At this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, he joined Tom...

Tanveer Alam is a Toronto-based dancer and choreographer who specializes in Kathak, a style of Indian classical dance that traces back to the 18th century. Tanveer is one of the creative forces behind the “Kathak & Ballet” programme, which will be on stage as part of the Fall for Dance North Festival in Toronto this week. He sits down with Tom Power to talk about the history and hallmarks of K...

You don’t become one of the most successful pianists of our time without a lot of practice. That’s something Lang Lang knows all about. Six years after the release of his celebrated “Piano Book” record, the virtuoso Chinese pianist is back with a new album, “Piano Book 2.” It’s designed to inspire people of all ages, levels and backgrounds. Lang Lang sits down with Tom Power at the Glenn Gould pia...

What happens when you start to feel anxiety and self-doubt in the middle of chasing your dreams? The Canadian folk trio The Pairs don’t necessarily have the answer, but they are working through these feelings on their new album, “Together on a Rock.” While their songs don’t come with perfect endings, the stories they tell are incredibly honest and vulnerable. Renée Coughlin and Hillary Watson of T...

Vancouver's own Ryan Reynolds (Dead Pool, Free Guy) is one of the biggest movie stars in the world. But these days, he's using his voice to talk about another great Canadian movie star: the late John Candy. Ryan is one of the producers behind the new documentary “John Candy: I Like Me,” which examines the life, work and legacy of the beloved actor and comedian. In a special interview backstage at...

Back in 2023, Debby Friday won the prestigious Polaris Music Prize for her debut album, “Good Luck.” When she sat down to write her next record, it would’ve been easy to stick with what worked the first time, but instead, Debby made a conscious decision to do things differently. The result is her most ambitious album yet, “The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life,” which features everything from dance floo...

Jeff Wall is one of the most influential photographers of our time. His photos have sold for millions at auctions, he’s an Officer of the Order of Canada, and his work has advanced photography as an art form through the use of staged scenes and large lightboxes. But before ever picking up a camera, Jeff was just a kid living in Vancouver trying to find his way, experimenting with different artisti...

In her latest poetry collection, “Wellwater,” Canadian poet Karen Solie takes a hard look at climate grief and economic anxiety. Her opening poem, “Basement Suite,” was inspired by short-term rentals and precarious living arrangements. But for Karen, the role of poetry isn’t about finding the answers to big questions — it's about honouring our curiosity with the hope that we can eventually find ne...

Before cementing her status as a bonafide comedic talent, Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids, Neighbors) was known for more dramatic roles. Now, the Australian actor is combining those skills in the new comedy-drama, “If I Had Legs I'd Kick You.” During this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Rose sat down with Tom Power to discuss the film and what it was like co-starring with Conan O'Brien in his...