Q: The Podcast From Cbc Radio

There’s a very personal story behind P.E.I. singer-songwriter Jenn Grant’s new song, Jim Cuddy Dress. Jenn sits down with Tom Power in the Q studio to talk about meeting Jim Cuddy from Blue Rodeo at the 2012 Juno Awards with her late mother, how she honoured one of her final wishes, and all the ways her mother turned some tough times in Jenn’s childhood into adventures.

The Governor General’s Award-winning performing artist Sandra Laronde is bringing her novel She Holds Up The Stars to the stage. The story, about an Indigenous girl who forms an unexpected bond with a spirited horse, is performed using multi-disciplinary elements like a full orchestra, movement and a muscular horse puppet. Sandra tells Tom how she saw her novel as a stage show from the very beginning, why she believes the arts shouldn’t be siloed, and how Indigenous stories can help all Canadians know themselves better.

The Emmy and Peabody Award-winning show Scrubs was special for the way it balanced comedy, satire and surrealism, all while being grounded in a very real story about medical interns at a fictional hospital. Now, as the show returns for a tenth season, Tom talks to main cast member Sarah Chalke about the legacy of the show, her friendships with her castmates, and how it felt to step back into the halls of Sacred Heart Hospital more than 25 years later.

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 the record.

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.

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 record Piano Book, 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 piano in our studio to discuss the album, and his life in music. He tells us about the teacher who didn’t believe in him, how he got past that early rejection, and how he found the right people to support him.

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 The Pairs join Tom Power to set up their devastating new track, Past My Prime.

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 few years converting an old church in rural Newfoundland into a community music hub.

Murray Lightburn and Natalia Yanchak are a husband-and-wife duo who lead the acclaimed Montreal rock band The Dears. In the early 2000s, they put a heavy stamp on indie pop music in Canada. Now, they’re celebrating their 30th anniversary as a band with the release of a new album, Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! Murray and Natalia sit down with Tom Power to talk about their hopeful new record, their partnership and that very unique time in Canadian music when they got their start.

After years playing U.S. President Donald Trump on the news parody show This Hour Has 22 Minutes, comedian Mark Critch has come up with a few ideas on how Canada should deal with him. He’s just released a new book, Sorry, Not Sorry, in which he argues that it’s time for Canadians to park their apologies and match the president’s bravado with some of our own. Mark joins Tom Power to share his unapologetic look at what makes Canada worth fighting for.

Jacob Collier is heading on tour with his latest album, The Light For Days. It’s a stark contrast to his last project, Djesse — a sprawling eight-year saga built on collaboration and voices from around the world. Now, he’s stripped it all back to just Jacob and his guitar. The musical polymath joins Tom Power to talk about the album, making music alone once again, the magic of his live performances and why human connection is still at the heart of everything he does.

Growing up in Grande Prairie, Alta. and listening to her parent’s old record collection, Tenille Townes has always turned to music to make sense of the world. Now, she’s a Nashville-based singer-songwriter touring with artists like Shania Twain and Miranda Lambert. After going through some major career shifts, she’s back to making music to help her process uncertain times. Tenille Townes joins Tom Power in the Q studio to talk about her song Enabling, off her new record called The Acrobat.

Dan Levy is returning to TV with his new show Big Mistakes, which follows siblings who get mixed up in an organized crime ring. Dan joins Tom Power in the Q studio to talk about why family dynamics were on his mind, and how his own lineage has shaped his path in the industry. Plus, he’ll reflect on his early days at MTV, and his award-winning show Schitt’s Creek.

The acclaimed theatre director Nina Lee Aquino joins Tom to talk about bringing Cicadas, a radio play she directed, to the stage, and why she wants to challenge expectations around how we tell environmental stories with this eco-thriller. Plus, Nina opens up about why she believes theatre has the power to make the world a better place — and why she says it’s something AI just can’t touch.

Ahead of the 55th Juno Awards in Hamilton, Ont., Tom Power hosted a special live audience taping of Q at the historic Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton. In this episode, you’ll hear interviews and performances from that night featuring musicians like Sister Ray and Jade LeMac, and comedian Adam Christie.You can find the first part of this live show, featuring on-stage interviews and performances from Begonia, the cast of It’s a Good Life if You Don’t Weaken, and TOBi, Jully Black and Saukrates, here.

A new documentary shines light on the early years of the hugely successful Canadian wildlife painter Robert Bateman. The Art of Adventure peels back the layers of how the artist fell deeply in love with the natural world and launched a lifelong fight to protect it. Yet, critics often dismiss Robert’s art. He’s received the Order of Canada, but has never been invited to show at the National Gallery of Canada. At 95, Robert looks back with Tom Power on an unusually artistic career which has been both celebrated and misunderstood by his home country.

Montreal artist Magi Merlin is carving out a sound all her own — blending punk, R&B, neo-soul and electronic music into what she calls “broken R&B.” With an already global and growing following, Merlin is releasing her debut album, Powerhouse, this July. Magi joins guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about finding her sound, and what it means to be an artist right now.

After 70 years in the music industry, Paul Anka has more than 900 songs to his credit. The prolific Canadian songwriter is also the only artist in history to have a song on the Billboard Top 100 during seven consecutive decades. In the new HBO documentary Paul Anka: His Way, Paul recounts his life as a teen idol in the ’50s, writing some of the most memorable songs for artists like Buddy Holly and Frank Sinatra, and how he’s managed to evolve through the trends of each passing decade. A few months ago, Paul joined Tom Power to talk about his life in music, having a good cry after he wrote My Way, and meeting the Beatles back when they were a cover band.

Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk is known for her distinct voice and gift for writing songs rooted in honesty and vulnerability. It’s a talent that’s earned her a Grammy and multiple Junos. But you might not know that beyond her career as a successful solo artist, Chantal has also penned songs for some of the world’s biggest artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Gwen Stefani and Kelly Clarkson. Now, she’s reimagining those songs on her new cover album, In My Own Voice. Last fall, Chantal joined Tom Power at the piano in the Q studio to talk about the hits that made her a star in Canada, and why she wanted to reclaim some of the songs she’s written for others.

Amanda Peet plays a character maybe a little bit too close to home in her new film Fantasy Life. The film brings up questions about aging, art and relevancy — all things on Amanda’s mind — alongside the complicated debate around cosmetic surgery. Amanda tells Tom Power about how the search for validation can lead you down some dark paths.