Jon Bryant on how joining NXIVM inspired his new album Cult Classic

A couple of years ago, Jon Bryant was looking for a fresh start. The musician moved to Vancouver in 2016 and, not long after, joined a group called NXIVM.

The group presented itself as a humanitarian community that offered personal development training sessions — but there was a lot more going on under the surface. The FBI now considers NXIVM to be a cult and key members of the group have been accused of racketeering, including forced labour, fraud and sex trafficking.

Last month, actor Allison Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering charges that came from her involvement with NXIVM and the group's co-founder and leader, Keith Raniere, is currently on trial for sex trafficking and racketeering.

Bryant wasn't a part of NXIVM's inner circle, but his experience with the group was transformative and incredibly complicated. It's something that he reflects on a lot on his latest album, Cult Classic. 

He joined host Tom Power in the q studio to bring us right back to the beginning of his unbelievable story.

If you're interested in learning more about the group at the heart of this story, check out the CBC podcast Uncover: Escaping NXIVM.

Click 'listen' near the top of this page to hear the full conversation.

— Produced by ​Cora Nijhawan