Q with Tom Power

Acclaimed Canadian theatre maker Robert Lepage is back at the Stratford Festival with a new take on Shakespeare's “Macbeth.” This new production tells the same classic story of greed, betrayal and murder, but it’s set during the brutal Quebec biker wars of the ‘90s. Robert joins Tom Power to talk about putting a new spin on this Shakespearean tragedy, his unique approach to theatre and his incredi...

Country artist Robert Adam is Calgary's self-proclaimed “Dream Angel Cowboy.” But they say celebrating queer identity isn’t always easy in their home province of Alberta or in Nashville, where they made their upcoming full-length album, “Governed by the Seasons.” Robert joins guest host Gill Deacon to talk about finding their musical community, making country music on their own terms and why their...

Alessia Cara has a unique talent for capturing the inner life of someone growing up in the digital age as they deal with love, acceptance and rejection. On the Grammy-winning Canadian singer-songwriter’s fourth and latest album, “Love & Hyperbole,” she opens up about her feelings of being an introvert in an extrovert’s industry. Earlier this year, Alessia sat down with Tom Power to talk about...

Robi Botos is a Juno-winning Canadian jazz pianist who was hugely influenced by the late Oscar Peterson — one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. He opened for Oscar in Switzerland and he even gave Oscar’s daughter piano lessons. In celebration of the Canadian jazz legend’s centenary (he would have turned 100 on Aug. 15), Robi sits down with Tom Power to talk about Oscar’s musical legacy an...

Teddy Swims first won over the internet with his viral YouTube covers of hits like “You're Still The One” by Shania Twain and “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt. But his success performing covers left him questioning whether he’d ever be capable of writing original songs that were just as good. Now, Teddy is one of the biggest artists in the world and he’s just released his debut album, “I...

Alicia Moffet grew up being told she was going to be the next big thing. She was 12 when her covers started going viral on YouTube, 14 when she won the Canadian singing competition show “The Next Star,” and 16 when she placed second on another singing competition show, “La Voix.” But during that time, Alicia learned that if you’re not prepared for success, it can disappear just as quickly as it ca...

Hannah Moscovitch is a Governor General’s Award-winning Canadian playwright whose work often takes a sharp and uncompromising look at the internal lives of women. Her play “Red Like Fruit,” tells the story of Lauren, a journalist covering a high profile domestic violence case who starts to reexamine her own past experiences with men. Hannah tells Tom Power why she describes her work as “taking a k...

Bestselling romance writer Uzma Jalaluddin is switching gears. Her new novel, “Detective Aunty,” is a murder mystery, set in a fictional neighbourhood in Scarborough, Ont. Uzma joins Tom Power to talk about the overlap between writing a romance and a “cozy” murder mystery, how writing about love is similar to writing about murder, and why she always wanted to write a mystery.

Cynthia Erivo discusses her vulnerable new record “I Forgive You”, and all the big musical theatre roles that built her career. From her childhood obsession with Brandy to her performance as Elphaba in the movie musical Wicked, Erivo talks to Tom Power about her life as a singer, and all the surprises she encountered along the way.

Hailing from Saskatoon, Katie Tupper didn’t have a big queer community to help her find herself. Now, she’s embracing her bisexuality, and singing soulful songs about the kinds of love she always wanted. Katie Tupper sits down to talk to Tom Power about bi erasure, and how fans are responding to her music.

The Phoenician Scheme is Wes Anderson’s latest feature film. And if you are a fan of deadpan screw ball humour, meticulously shot and edited behind a colour pallet of muted earth tones, you will not be disappointed. But for his thirteenth feature film, Wes is leaning a little more into action and even violence to tell his new father daughter comedy. He joins Tom Power to talk about the evolution o...

Christopher Stowell is the new artistic director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet – Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. He’ll speak with Tom about why ballet is his “family business,” his career as a principal dancer and ballet leader, and what the future holds for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

A few years ago, the 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. Her new memoir “Look Ma, No Hands” is the story of an artist coming to terms with disability, adapting to the unexpected, and ultimately learning to express her...

Whenever life got tough, Savannah Ré’s mom always used to quote a specific, motivational verse from the bible. Those words have now inspired Savannah’s new album, “Formed.” She tells Tom Power about the creative turn she’s taken on her new record, and the risks and rewards that come with going independent.  Fill out our listener survey here . We appreciate your input!

Turning 70 this year, legendary punk-rocker turned MTV Icon Billy Idol is back with his ninth studio album. “Dream Into It” reflects his life and career, with songs documenting his early days, his massive breakthrough, his drug addiction, and finally his rebirth. He tells Tom Power about why he’s looking back now. Fill out our listener survey here. We appreciate your input!

Dawn Macdonald is a poet based in Whitehorse, Yukon whose 2024 debut poetry collection “Northerny” takes an honest, raw and unsentimental look at growing up and living in Canada’s North. Now, “Northerny” is the winner of this year’s Griffin Poetry Prize, Canadian First Book Prize. Dawn tells Tom Power about growing up off the grid without running water or electricity and her relationship with the...

After over a decade away from the spotlight, Canadian singer Melanie Fiona is back with an EP. “Say Yes” is her first record since she won two Grammys in 2012. She tells guest host Talia Schlanger how her intense burnout led to her spiritual awakening, and why she’s saying yes to singing again.

When Bear Witness and Tim “2oolman” Hill of The Halluci Nation watched wrestling as kids, they had to look past stereotypes and tropes to find Indigenous heroes in the ring. Now, their new EP “Path of The Baby Face” uses wrestling to tell a more empowering story. The music duo tell guest host Talia Schlanger about their collaboration with wrestling icon Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Plus, they discuss t...

Wiz Khalifa just dropped his latest album ‘Kush + Orange Juice 2,’ the sequel to his 2010 mixtape that introduced him to the world. Khalifa joins Tom to talk about his early days as a hip-hop artist, why he’s never cared about being a celebrity, and what important lessons he learned from Snoop Dogg. 

The Alberta folk singer-songwriter Sister Ray is known for writing songs about heartbreak and sadness. But they decided to try something different with their new album “Believer”— their latest record is all about love and connection. Ella Coyes of Sister Ray tells Tom Power about how “freeing” it is to write about joy, how growing up around Métis art influenced their love of music, and why they th...

In Sook-Yin Lee’s film, “Paying For It,” a couple whose romantic attraction is waning decide to open up their relationship. While Sonny explores dating, her introverted boyfriend, Chester, opts to hire sex workers. The story is based on Sook-Yin’s real-life former relationship with Canadian cartoonist Chester Brown, who released a bestselling graphic memoir of the same name in 2011. It reflects on...

Amy Millan from the band Stars is back with her first solo record in fifteen years. Millan tells Tom how her album “I Went To Find You” was inspired by the loss of her father at five years old. Plus, she tells the story behind her new song “Make Way for Waves.”

You might not remember every song on the radio from 2007, but if you were anywhere near a club or dancefloor, you might remember the electronic duo Justice. Their debut album, with that glowing cross on the front, was impossible to ignore. Justice redefined electronic music for a new generation, and became one of the most influential acts of their time. The members of the band, Gaspard Augé and Xa...

Jennifer Archibald is one of North America’s busiest and most in-demand choreographers. At the end of May, she’ll debut her first piece for the National Ballet of Canada called “Kings Fall,” one of nine world premieres that she’ll go on this season. Archibald tells Tom Power about the commonality between chess and her journey in choreography and the ‘documentary ballet’ genre she’s become known fo...

Hanorah is a singer-songwriter from Montreal who’s opened for Mavis Staples, and grew up listening to Etta James and Joss Stone. On her latest EP “Closer Than Hell,” Hanorah moves beyond her early soul influences and explores a new voice. Hanorah tells Tom about surprising herself when she began songwriting, why she’s happy she didn’t win “La Voix” (the Quebec version of “The Voice”), and shares w...