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
Mar 18, 2026 • 26min
Sindhu Vee on grief, reinvention and comedy
Before Sindhu Vee became one of the most sought-after comics working today, she was a stay-at-home mom, and before that, an investment banker. Now, she’s performing to sold-out audiences around the world. After a brief hiatus, Sindhu is back with a new tour, Swanky. She joins Tom Power to talk about returning to the stage, navigating the profound loss of her parents and sister, and why humour matters more to her now than ever.
Mar 18, 2026 • 21min
It’s a movie about killing your father — but that’s not what will haunt you
Alireza Khatami’s new film, The Things You Kill, begins as a quiet family drama set in Turkey before taking a sharp, surreal turn into psychological thriller territory. It follows Ali, a university professor who returns home to a complicated family dynamic. After the suspicious death of his ailing mother, he coerces his gardener into carrying out deadly revenge on his father. The film won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award at last year’s Sundance Film Festival and was Canada’s official submission to the Academy Awards. Alireza sits down with guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about making films that linger in the mind — and why he asked his family in Iran not to see this one.
Mar 17, 2026 • 40min
How a fatal skin disease is fueling Eddie Vedder’s fight
After the life threatening skin disease Epidermolysis Bullosa affected a family friend, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder and his wife Jill founded an organization to help find a cure. That was 15 years ago, and today, they hope they are close to succeeding. Their journey is documented in a new concert film called Matter of Time which follows both Eddie and Jill’s story and several kids living with EB. Canadian director Matt Finlin spent years putting the film together. Both Eddie and Matt joined Tom Power to talk about “the worst disease you’ve never heard of” and how art can uplift and heal, even when the world feels hopeless.
Mar 16, 2026 • 25min
Hanumankind brings a global influence to his rap music
Following his 2024 breakout hit, Big Dawgs, Hanumankind has become a global rapper. Born in Kerala, India and growing up all over the world, Hanumankind quickly drew interest at local open mics in India for his Houston rap influences and his ability to freestyle on a whim. In 2023, he signed with Def Jam India and by the next year, he was playing Coachella and working with artists like A$AP Rocky. He stopped by the Q studio to talk to Garvia Bailey about his first North American tour, his album Monsoon Season and how he continues to put South Indian hip-hop on the map with his own unique sound and aesthetic.
Mar 16, 2026 • 22min
How Jeff Norton created Netflix’s latest teen drama about figure skating
Canadian television producer Jeff Norton created Netflix’s latest global hit: Finding Her Edge. It follows three sisters facing loss, heartbreak and the immense pressure of their family’s figure skating legacy. Olympic-winning ice dancers Piper Gilles, Paul Poirier and Elvis Stojko make cameos. Jeff joins Garvia Bailey in the Q studio to talk about how he adapted the series from a young adult book and created such a popular teen drama.
Mar 13, 2026 • 23min
Ian Tuason haunted his own home when making his new film
Canadian writer and director Ian Tuason’s debut feature film is Undertone. The horror movie follows a podcaster who gets sent a series of disturbing audio files that invite paranormal activity into her own life. Ian Tuason joins Q guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about the real life events that inspired the film, shooting the film on a microbudget in his family home and the multi-studio bidding war the film sparked before landing at A24.
Mar 13, 2026 • 19min
Lia Pappas-Kemps on why songwriting is like fortune telling
You might recognize Lia Pappas-Kemps from her recurring role on the CBC TV show Anne with an E, but she always knew she was meant to be a musician. Lia went from hanging out in music venues in Toronto when she was only eight-years-old, watching her older sister’s rock band, to writing her own songs and now releasing her debut record. She dropped by the Q studio to talk to Garvia Bailey about the new album, Winged, and how she turns her self-doubt into soaring melodies.
Mar 12, 2026 • 24min
Dominique Fils-Aimé isn’t finding peace, she’s building it
Two-time JUNO-award winning jazz vocalist Dominique Fils-Aimé is back with a new album, My World Is The Sun. It’s inspired by something her mother taught her: you don’t find peace, you build it. In between stops on her cross-Canada tour, Dominique stops by the Q studio to chat with Garvia Bailey about making the new album, how she fell in love with jazz and why creative freedom can lead to healing.
Mar 12, 2026 • 24min
Why Iggy Pop commemorated Canadian electronic music pioneer Nash the Slash in a song
Canadian electronic music pioneer Nash the Slash toured with the likes of Iggy Pop and Gary Numan. But he didn’t make the same splash at home. Nash the Slash was the stage name of Toronto musician Jeff Plewman, who quietly died in 2014. But his artistry is coming back into the light with a new documentary, Nash the Slash Rises Again! The doc’s director Tim Kowalski joins Garvia Bailey in the Q studio to talk about how Nash the Slash broke out of Toronto’s alternative scene in the ’70s to tour internationally, open for The Police and other big acts.
Mar 11, 2026 • 24min
Ronnie Burkett gives Shakespeare the puppet treatment
Ronnie Burkett, the Governor General Award-winning puppeteer, is back with a new show Little Willy. He joins Garvia Bailey to talk about why he wanted to do a provocative, comedic take on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Ronnie reflects on 40 years of doing puppet shows for adults with his Theatre of Marionettes and why audiences make the puppets “real.”
