How Magi Merlin created her own kind of “broken R&B”

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.

When Adam Sturgeon was walking around his neighbourhood in London, Ont., he kept seeing all these construction signs saying “big changes are coming,” which got him wondering if those changes would be good ones. So he wrote some new music to process his feelings about it. You can hear those songs on his band Status/Non-Status's latest album called Big Changes. Adam joins Tom Power in the Q studio to talk about his band’s new record, and how he went from a life in professional hockey to being an artist and community worker who uses music to heal.

Canadian actor Shamier Anderson leads the new mockumentary series Hate The Player: The Ben Johnson Story. He and his brother, fellow actor Stephan James, founded Bay Mills Studios, the production company behind the series. Shamier stops by the Q studio to talk about why he wanted to portray the controversial athlete, and why he calls the comedy series “chocolate-covered vitamins.”

Rolling Stone has called Charlotte Cornfield “Canada’s best kept secret.” But now, with the release of her sixth record featuring artists like Feist and Buck Meek of Big Thief fame, it’s safe to say the secret’s out. Charlotte talks to Tom about writing her first record since becoming a mom, collaborating with one of her favourite artists, Feist, and why she’s feeling optimistic in her songwriting these days.