Q with Tom Power

Legendary punk rocker turned MTV Icon Billy Idol is back with his ninth studio album, “Dream Into It.” The record reflects his life and career, with songs documenting his early days, his massive breakthrough, his drug addiction and finally his rebirth. This spring, he joined Tom Power in our studio to look back on it all.

Dev Hynes has felt like an outsider since he was a kid. But as a singer-songwriter and producer, he’s been able to transform that sense of otherness into some of the most acclaimed and interesting music of the last decade. For the last few years, Dev questioned if he would ever return to his solo project Blood Orange, but after losing his mom, he was called back to it. Now, he’s released his fifth...

Kathleen Edwards is a Canadian singer-songwriter whose lyrics are full of straight talk and sharp comebacks. But it took a while for her to get comfortable with having tough conversations. On her latest record, “Billionnaire,” Kathleen reflects on the last five years in which she sold a business, got married and moved twice. She tells Tom Power how these major life changes have made her more coura...

Caity Gyorgy is a Juno-winning jazz singer who’s originally from Calgary. She’s just released a brand new album, “Caity Gyrogy With Strings,” but Tom Power caught up with her during her last album cycle for “Hello! How Are You?” She joined him to talk about her influences and her love of scatting.

We’re remembering Canadian icon Graham Greene (Dances With Wolves, The Green Mile, Wind River), who died yesterday at the age of 73. Graham was one of the most recognizable Indigenous actors in North America. He was recently honoured with a Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award from the Governor General's Awards, which recognized his prolific career on stage and screen. In this career-spanning inter...

In “Andor” — the latest series in the “Star Wars” franchise — actor Stellan Skarsgård (Dune, Nymphomaniac, Mamma Mia!) plays Luthen Rael, a charming but ruthless rebel leader who fronts as an antiques dealer. Earlier this year, Stellan sat down with Tom Power to talk about the new season of “Andor” and why he’s drawn to morally complex characters. Plus, he shared a beautiful story about his time w...

A few years ago, cartoonist and writer Gabrielle Drolet developed a condition that made her unable to use her hands. It kept getting worse over time, and as Gabrielle searched for a diagnosis, she also had to find new ways to make art. She joined Tom Power to talk about her new memoir, “Look Ma, No Hands,” which tells the story of an artist coming to terms with disability, adapting to the unexpect...

A few years ago, the Toronto band The Beaches were dropped from their record label at around the same time that the band’s lead singer, Jordan Miller, was dumped by her boyfriend. After rallying around each other, The Beaches came out the other side with a life-changing hit, “Blame Brett,” which propelled them into the spotlight. What they didn’t anticipate was the feeling of impostor syndrome tha...

After more than a decade away from the spotlight, Melanie Fiona is back with a new EP, “Say Yes.” It’s the Canadian singer’s first major release since 2012, when she won two Grammys for her work on CeeLo Green’s song “Fool for You.” Melanie tells guest host Talia Schlanger how intense burnout led to a spiritual awakening, how losing her voice taught her to speak up for herself, and why she’s sayin...

In 1956, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong released “Ella and Louis” — the first of three classic albums the two jazz greats would record together. Now, a Canadian production is paying tribute to these records and these artists with a new stage show called “Ella and Louis,” which is running at this season’s Shaw Festival. The award-winning Toronto singer and actor Alana Bridgewater co-created th...

Raphael Bob-Waksberg has a way of conjuring up big feelings, sometimes even when you’re least expecting it. His acclaimed animated series “BoJack Horseman” (about an anthropomorphic horse who happens to be a washed up sitcom actor trying to make his comeback in Hollywood) was an emotional gut punch. Now, Raphael is back with a new Netflix series, “Long Story Short,” which is about the joys and los...

Shirley Moorhouse was 65 when she decided to pursue a Master of Fine Arts. Though she’s been creating art for more than three decades, now, at age 69, she’s finally having her moment. This year, the Labrador-based Inuk artist is on the longlist for the prestigious Sobey Art Award, a major solo exhibit of her work is currently on display in St. John’s, and one of her wall hangings will be shown at...

Ikky is a Canadian musician and producer who’s bringing Punjabi music to the world — and putting the spotlight on Canada in the process. The international hitmaker has racked up billions of streams and worked with artists both at home and in India. Now, he’s back with a new single, “Tell Me,” which is a bilingual collaboration between OneRepublic and Karan Aujla. Earlier this year, Ikky sat down w...

Billianne is a Canadian singer-songwriter who got her start after she posted a viral TikTok cover of Tina Turner’s iconic hit “The Best.” Since then, she’s released an EP, performed on “The Today Show” and “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” and was called a “young Adele” by Rolling Stone. Billianne sits down with guest host Gill Deacon to talk about her blossoming career, her relationship to her family an...

The acclaimed musician and composer Jon Batiste is putting his mark on Americana music with his new record, “Big Money.” It looks at capitalism, the power of community and love. It even has a Randy Newman duet, which happened all thanks to a cold call. Jon joins guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about connecting to his creativity, working with Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show” and why he says maki...

For years, TV writer Patrick Tarr has been writing scripts for shows like “Murdoch Mysteries,” “Cardinal” and “Saving Hope” — but his dream was always to write a book. Now, that dream has become a reality. Patrick’s debut novel, “The Guest Children,” is a chilling supernatural tale inspired by real-life history: the evacuation of 6,000 British children to Canada during the Second World War. He joi...

John Fogerty is the vocalist, lead guitarist and principal songwriter behind the legendary rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. With chart-topping hits like "Proud Mary" and "Fortunate Son,” he’s helped shape the sound of American music. But for decades, John didn’t own the rights to his own songs. That changed recently when he decided to re-record new versions of his biggest hits. In this care...

What do you do when the world around you is anything but calm? For the Juno-winning Indigenous blues artist Crystal Shawanda, the answer was to go inward. Back in May, she joined Tom Power to talk about her powerful and deeply personal new track “This Peace,” which channels her family’s strength, her culture and her own journey of self-discovery to find calm in the midst of life’s storms.

Andrew Barr is a comedian and recovering addict who’s preparing to record his debut comedy special, “The 13th Hour,” in a packed Toronto comedy club this weekend. But just before that, he plans to push his body to the limit by running on a treadmill for 12 hours straight. The show is a metaphor for how addiction slowly breaks down a person’s body and isolates them from their loved ones. His hope i...

In a chaotic world filled with uncertainty and suffering, what’s the point of giddy, toe-tapping musical theatre? Winnipeg's Kimberley Rampersad directs the musical comedy “Anything Goes” at the Shaw Festival this season, and she makes a powerful case for the role of joyful art in hard times. Kimberley joins guest host Gill Deacon to talk about her journey to directing, the importance of theatre’s...

What happens when a comedian makes a movie about climate change with survivors of the most powerful typhoon ever recorded? Seán Devlin answers that question with his surreal new film “Asog” — a Canadian-Filipino production made with zero trained actors and a guerilla crew of five people. The Vancouver-based comedian and filmmaker sits down with Tom Power to talk about his personal connection to th...

The award-winning Canadian rapper Haviah Mighty is known for writing songs that tackle heavy subjects like racism, power dynamics and equality. But now, Haviah is entering a new era — one that’s focused on positivity and good vibes. She joins guest host Gill Deacon to talk about her new chapter and her latest single, “Lucky.”

For more than 35 years, Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer has used her voice to make award-winning, critically acclaimed music — but that’s not all. She’s also been a vocal advocate for important environmental and humanitarian causes, both in this country and abroad. At the Juno Awards in Vancouver earlier this year, Sarah was honoured with the Humanitarian Award, and now she’s a recipient o...

In the 1980s, Rick Astley became a global superstar with hits like “Never Gonna Give You Up” and “Together Forever.” But then, at age 27, he quit the business. That could have been the end of the story, but then the Rickroll meme of the mid-2000s brought him back to the world’s attention. In his memoir, “Never,” Rick opens up about his strange and incredible life. He joins Tom Power to share some...

The Montreal band Ribbon Skirt released their debut album, “Bite Down” earlier this year. Now, it’s on the Polaris Prize short list. Lead singer Tashiina Buswa joins Tom Power to tell us how the record was inspired by grief and reconnecting with her Indigeneity, how her first exposure to music was in the church, and the difference between knowing you’re free and actually feeling free. Plus, she te...