Q with Tom Power

Blake Shelton is back with his first new album in nearly four years, “For Recreational Use Only.” The country star joins Tom Power to talk about retiring from the hit TV show “The Voice” after 23 seasons, feeling burned out, and being unsure about whether he would ever release a new record. Plus, Blake shares how an unexpected collaboration with Post Malone helped him fall back in love with music. If you like this conversation, check out Tom’s interview with Gwen Stefani from last year.

Saya Gray might have just released her debut album earlier this year, but it’s far from her first foray into music. She’s been gigging since she was a teen, performing alongside much older musicians at Toronto jazz clubs where she had to use a fake ID to get in. Eventually, she started touring with the likes of Daniel Caesar and Willow Smith. Now, her debut album, “Saya,” has just been shortlisted for the 2025 Polaris Prize. Back in February, Saya sat down with Tom Power to tell us what it’s like to learn to play music before learning to speak, what making experimental music means to her, and where she’s going next in her music career.

When Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords, Our Flag Means Death) started to notice the way AI had sunk its teeth into Hollywood, he decided to speak up. In his new stand-up show, “The Legend Returns,” the New Zealand actor and comedian sets out to prove that robots could never do what he’s doing live on stage. Rhys joins Tom Power to tell us what’s been on his mind when it comes to AI in the arts, plus, how he got his start on “Flight of the Conchords.”

When Jessica B. Hill was a kid, she saw a play at the Stratford Festival that she found so inspirational she wrote the word “Stratford” on a piece of paper and put it on her ceiling. Now, she’s an award-winning actor and playwright who’s appearing in three plays at Stratford this season: “As You Like It,” “Sense and Sensibility” and “Dangerous Liaisons.” Jessica sits down with Tom Power to talk about her life in theatre, her meaty new roles, and her own play about Shakespeare’s alleged muse and collaborator, Emilia Bassano.

After 16 years as a stay-at-home mom, Zarna Garg felt like she needed to reinvent herself. She tried a few different business ventures (disposable toothbrushes, vegan chilli and matchmaking), but none of them stuck. Then she decided to give comedy a go and everything changed. Now, Zarna has released a new stand-up special, "Practical People Win,” which highlights her unlikely journey into comedy. She joins Tom Power to talk about her business-oriented approach to her work, and how it sometimes pays off to take big risks when life tells you to play it safe.

Last summer, Queens of the Stone Age became the first-ever band to perform inside the Catacombs of Paris, where the remains of six million people are kept. That performance was captured in a new concert film and live five-song EP, “Alive in the Catacombs.” Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme joins Tom Power to talk about the project, his lifelong fascination with death, and how performing inside the Paris Catacombs made him think about his own life in new ways.

Little Simz is one of the most acclaimed rappers in the world right now. In 2022, she won the prestigious Mercury Prize for her album “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert.” But after falling out with her longtime producer and collaborator, the British rapper started thinking maybe music wasn’t for her anymore. Little Simz joins Tom Power to tell us why and how she turned that around to create her latest studio album, “Lotus.”

In his new book, “Richard Manuel: His Life and Music, from the Hawks and Bob Dylan to The Band,” renowned music archivist and podcaster Stephen T. Lewis explores the life and legacy of Richard Manuel, one of Canada’s most talented and influential musicians. Stephen joins Tom Power to tell why he was so enthralled by the story of a self-taught musician from Stratford, Ont., who became a rock and roll legend.

When actor Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Castle, The Rookie) was growing up as a quiet comic book kid in Edmonton, he never imagined he would one day be up on the big screen with Superman. Now, he’s living out his childhood dream with his latest role as Guy Gardner — one of the characters known as Green Lantern — in the new “Superman” movie. Nathan joins Tom Power to talk about his path leading up to this pinch-me moment, how he got over his shyness, and why his advice to emerging actors is to “pretend to be bold.”

What if the bad guy in your nightmare didn’t chase you, but tried to tickle you to death? That’s just one of the Inuit legends reimagined by the Inuit throat singing duo PIQSIQ on their haunting new album, “Legends.” Sisters Tiffany Ayalik and Inuksuk Mackay of PIQSIQ join Tom Power to talk about the record and why they’re embracing Inuit traditions in non-traditional ways. Plus, they set up their new song, “Mahaha: Tickling Demon.”