Takin' A Walk - Music History with Buzz Knight

Raine Maida from Our Lady Peace: Transforming Pain into Healing Through Music and Emotional Resilience

Date: December 17, 2025
Host: Lynne Hoffman (guest hosting “Music Saved Me” episode)
Guest: Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace frontman)

Overview

This intimate episode centers on the healing power of music—specifically how Our Lady Peace’s Raine Maida has transformed personal pain and struggle into emotionally resonant art over a three-decade career. The conversation traces the early moments that shaped Maida’s artistic identity, explores vulnerability, creativity under pressure, and the everyday work of emotional resilience—in solo work, in a long-term marriage with fellow artist Chantal Kreviazuk, and in ongoing philanthropic efforts.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. First Connections: Music as More Than Entertainment

[03:56 – 06:15]

• Raine describes his first transformative experiences with live music:
  • First major concert: Van Halen (1984 tour)—rock spectacle, pure entertainment, “secondary high” from all the pot smoke.
  • Soon after: Peter Gabriel—profoundly different, engaged with global issues and activism:

    “It really made this difference to me… there is entertainment… but there also was this more kind of like, consciousness towards music… you could have this platform as well that went beyond music.” (Raine Maida, 04:52)

  • This show was a “purpose” moment.

2. Personal Struggles: Music as Lifeline

[06:15 – 09:48]

• Details on his difficult adolescence:
  • Parental divorce, displacement to a school he hated, isolating loneliness.
  • Sanctuary found in a “box of CDs”—Peter Gabriel, Springsteen, the Stones, Neil Young, Rush, early U2, R.E.M.
  • Lyrics became “religion”; music allowed channeling of feelings and creative writing into storytelling:

    “Listening to those lyrics, I felt like… this is something where I can direct my feelings and my emotions, express myself. And music felt like, wow, this could be a viable thing where I could really tell my story.” (Raine Maida, 07:28)

• Deciding to fully commit to music even “against a lot of people’s wishes,” including his family.

3. Artistic Identity & Transformation

[09:02 – 10:48]

• Adopted ‘Raine’ as his stage name during this period, symbolic of a rebirth as an artist:

  “It felt like this rebirth… it really allowed me to, like… put a seriousness of what I’m doing and saying, ‘Hey, I am transformed.’” (Raine Maida, 09:52)

4. Early Our Lady Peace: Escapism & Spirituality

[10:49 – 12:06]

• Early songs like “Starseed” and the album Naveed came from late high school and college years:

  “Naveed was probably… the most spiritual album we had, because it really felt like that exploration, you know, when you’re just starting to explore things, they're so front of mind.” (Raine Maida, 11:44)

• Influence of transcendental meditation and martial arts; blending Eastern philosophical practices into music.

5. The Importance of Originality & Experimentation

[12:06 – 15:10]

• Maida refused to play cover songs, seeking authenticity and originality.
• The naive, pre-industry days of writing and recording Naveed professionally for the first time—late-night sessions in the studio.

  “That was the only barometer for success at that point: did it make the hair on the back of your neck stand up?” (Raine Maida, 14:06)

6. Vulnerability in Songwriting

[15:10 – 16:48]

• “4am,” a song about his complicated relationship with his father, was a breakthrough for openly personal songwriting:

  “I think it realized in me this idea of that vulnerability is what really… that’s when you really connect with people.” (Raine Maida, 16:17)

• Contrasts to contemporaries whose music was “angry;” Clumsy focused on introspection and emotional honesty.

7. Navigating Industry Pressures and Band Dynamics

[16:48 – 18:34]

• Difficulty with industry expectations post-Clumsy; pressure to reproduce commercial success but choosing creative integrity instead:

  “We’ve just never been that band… always about this experimentation and trying to get away from what we just did.” (Raine Maida, 17:18)

• Band’s unity through creative ups and downs; pride in their arc, even with commercial ups and downs.

8. Creativity, Darkness, and Songwriting

[22:19 – 23:04]

• Maida’s creative process is fueled by working through turmoil, never happiness:

  “I’ve never written a song when I’m happy… exploring something like turmoil… makes me want to pick up a guitar or sit at the piano.” (Raine Maida, 22:31)

9. Creative Partnership and “I’m Going to Break Your Heart”

[24:22 – 28:58]

• On collaborating (emotionally and professionally) with wife Chantal Kreviazuk:
  • Describes her musical successes and inspiration from witnessing her creative process.
  • Deep dive: their documentary I’m Going to Break Your Heart—documenting not just songwriting, but the tensions and fights of their marriage while creating art together:

    “The documentary really became more about a couple trying to connect creatively… the most authentic thing… wasn’t pretty, was sometimes brutal.” (Raine Maida, 27:22)

  • Bowie quote on courage and art; willingness to show their “mess” as true bravery.

10. Vulnerability and Decision-Making in Releasing Music

[30:11 – 31:04]

• Maida now embraces radical vulnerability:

  “I’m happy to release those things now. I think the world needs that… as an artist, that’s the only way to be original, is to tell your story.” (Raine Maida, 30:31)

11. Songs as Healing Mantras

[31:04 – 32:14]

• “I Can Change,” written and recorded with Chantal, born directly from emotional pain, has become therapeutic for him and audiences:

  “It is like… holding a mirror to yourself.” (Raine Maida, 31:47)

12. The Healing Power of Music: Listener & Science

[32:14 – 34:13]

• On healing through music, especially during COVID and times of upheaval:

  “Music was a comfort… I realized how… we kind of disvalue music. It is that healing force in our lives.” (Raine Maida, 33:01)

• Mentions research on music helping stroke and Alzheimer’s patients, and the deep, neurological/emotional impact of song.

13. War Child & Advocacy

[34:13 – 35:12]

• Advocacy for War Child, an organization aiding children in war zones:

  “97% of every dollar donated goes to the programs… they’re very music oriented.” (Raine Maida, 34:46)

14. After 30 Years—Does Music Still Save Him?

[35:12 – 36:51]

• Music still “saves” him daily, keeping the mind sharp, emotionally open, and feeling youthful.
• The ritual of driving and being immersed in music is “so spiritual” and restorative:

  “That four hours will get me through the next four weeks.” (Raine Maida, 36:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Discovering Purpose in Music

  “With Peter Gabriel, I felt like, oh, I think I found some purpose.”
  (Raine Maida, 06:06)

• On Songwriting as Healing

  “I don’t think there was anything else I could do… it was saving me.”
  (Raine Maida, 08:30)

• On Vulnerability and Impact

  “That vulnerability is what really… that’s when you really connect with people.”
  (Raine Maida, 16:17)

• On Intimate Collaboration

  “To be art, we had to show that other side of it, which wasn’t pretty, was sometimes brutal.”
  (Raine Maida, 27:22)

• On Advice for Healing with Music

  “As an artist, that’s the only way to be original is to tell your story, you know?”
  (Raine Maida, 30:31)

• On Driving and Music as Spiritual Escape

  “That drive will be magical… that four hours will get me through the next four weeks.”
  (Raine Maida, 36:44)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• First musical epiphany (Van Halen vs. Peter Gabriel): 04:10 – 06:06
• Music as a survival tool during adolescence: 06:33 – 09:52
• On spiritual/exploratory themes in early music: 10:49 – 12:06
• Recording and creative innocence on Naveed: 13:07 – 14:21
• Discussing vulnerability with “4am” and “Clumsy”: 15:10 – 16:48
• Industry vs. artistic integrity: 17:12 – 18:59
• Creativity, turmoil, and process: 22:19 – 23:04
• Marriage, songcraft, and “I’m Going to Break Your Heart”: 24:22 – 28:58
• Philanthropy and War Child: 34:13 – 35:12
• Reflecting on music’s continued role in his life: 35:37 – 36:51

Conclusion

This episode is a raw, honest, and insightful look at how music becomes both a shield and a tool for healing—a recurring, evolving theme in Raine Maida’s life and work. Through stories of personal darkness, artistic courage, vulnerability, and resilience (both individual and shared with his wife, Chantal), Maida gives deep testimony to music’s transformative potential. His journey is proof that creating and experiencing music—as an artist or a listener—can save, heal, and change lives, one song at a time.