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Maddie Zahm was watching Meryl Streep deliver "that is all" in The Devil Wears Prada when she had a realisation: "that's gay."  On this episode of The Hardest Part with Kieron Banerji, she opens up "Meryl," a flirty, joyful, proudly queer song about loving older women. It's a conversation about honesty as a superpower: how she came out through a song she accidentally sent to her mom, why she writes hyper-specifically, as though no one will ever hear it, and why the songs that scare her most always resonate most. At the end of the interview, Maddie performs an exclusive stripped back version of the track.  00:00 "That's gay": the Meryl Streep moment01:14 Introducing "Meryl"01:57 Coming out through a song (by accident)02:55 Writing literally — & the eyelash story05:00 Writing like throwing up05:45 Editing on gut instinct07:39 Griffin, Summer & turning the car around10:21 Does Meryl know?11:40 "I've never done a thing that I'm told"12:20 Live Session: Meryl - The Hardest Part dives deep into the most emotionally complex songs ever written. Every two weeks, host Kieron Banerji sits down with artists to unpack the creative process behind their hardest songs—exploring songwriting breakdowns, emotional storytelling, cultural influences, and moments of personal growth. Each episode ends with an intimate, stripped-back performance—raw, real, and sometimes heard this way for the first time. Produced by Palm Tree Island, a London-based creative studio known for standout music documentaries and original voices. Kieron Banerji is a seasoned producer and engineer based in London with extensive experience in music, media, and entertainment. He’s worked with Grammy and Academy Award winners, and has recorded sessions with Portugal. The Man, Jason Isbell, Katie Melua, Rae Morris, Jason Mraz, BROODS, Baio (Vampire Weekend), and more. 🎧 Follow the Podcast: https://linktr.ee/thehardestpart -#MaddieZahm #Meryl #MusicPodcast #TheHardestPart #Pride #QueerMusic #Songwriting #LiveSession See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of The Hardest Part with Kieron Banerji, the band's songwriter and frontwoman opens up "Serpent," the song that fought her hardest on The Bestiary: the one where every band member hated a different part, and the only fix was to scrap everything but the lyrics and start again. It's a conversation about ego and letting go, the first genuinely collaborative Castle Rat album, tears in the rehearsal space, the heart-to-heart that revealed her bandmates wanted to write too, and the fear that sharing even 10% of a song would void her contribution, sharpened by years of being a woman in metal whose riffs get credited to "the boys." Plus: the "creepies and crawlies" joke that killed the old chorus, a Dio-style rebuild, a 10-foot rat puppet with the wrong wings, and the "Riley filter" through which everything still passes. 00:00 "That's my riff"01:32 The hardest song on The Bestiary01:57 Tears in the rehearsal space03:39 Everyone hated a different part04:39 Scrap it, keep the lyrics06:03 "Creepies and crawlies"09:21 The 10-foot rat puppet14:09 Being a woman in metal15:15 The heart-to-heart & Franco's blindside19:27 Serpent: Full Track - The Hardest Part dives deep into the most emotionally complex songs ever written. Every two weeks, host Kieron Banerji sits down with artists to unpack the creative process behind their hardest songs—exploring songwriting breakdowns, emotional storytelling, cultural influences, and moments of personal growth. Each episode ends with an intimate, stripped-back performance—raw, real, and sometimes heard this way for the first time. Produced by Palm Tree Island, a London-based creative studio known for standout music documentaries and original voices. Kieron Banerji is a seasoned producer and engineer based in London with extensive experience in music, media, and entertainment. He’s worked with Grammy and Academy Award winners, and has recorded sessions with Portugal. The Man, Jason Isbell, Katie Melua, Rae Morris, Jason Mraz, BROODS, Baio (Vampire Weekend), and more. 🎧 Follow the Podcast: https://linktr.ee/thehardestpart -#CastleRat #Serpent #TheBestiary #TheHardestPart See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of these songs took Gently Tender three years. The other took two minutes. On this episode of The Hardest Part with Kieron Banerji, Gently Tender's Sam Fryer and Francesca Brierley opens up "Staring at Fields" and "The City of the Beast," both from their upcoming album ,This Was Once Fields. It's a conversation about a lifelong Londoner mourning the city's lost magic, think the Astoria and Madame Jojo's, and about why he keeps escaping it on foot: the hyperacusis that makes city noise painful, the walks that became meditation, the "I'm staring at fields" mantra sung alone in a dark London studio.  They talk about craft: the song he nearly binned and fought the whole band over, sneaking it onto the album after delivery, why the band always finds his real chorus, and the two-minute drum-machine stream of consciousness that produced one of his favourite lyrics he's ever written. Gently Tender perform also play both songs live and stripped back exclusively for The Hardest Part. 00:00 Two songs, one walk00:14 "City of the Beast": London's lost magic00:57 "Staring at Fields" & the walk01:43 Why the city hurts his ears03:51 Three years, many versions, nearly binned07:36 Best idea wins: how the band edits Sam10:42 "I don't understand my own songs"13:55 The Mountain Goats & concept albums15:27 Writer's block: bail the water out17:33 Mussel shoals & stream of consciousness22:52: Staring at Fields28:10: The City of the Beast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Izzy Steele had a full-time job acting on a TV soap, and left it to chase music before she knew if it would work, one of the hardest decisions she ever had to make. On this episode of The Hardest Part with Kieron Banerji, Izzy opens up "Something Infinite," the title track of her EP: a song about the frustration that comes with ambition, that awkward middle part between leaving something safe and arriving anywhere at all. Izzy talks about how honesty is a job description: years of bottling emotions and saving them for the camera, then suddenly writing songs where the character is you; teaching herself guitar because her new London flat had no piano; writing the bones of the song in half an hour and finishing the second verse on the bus home; and the chorus lyric, "you want something infinite and need it in an instant," that came out before she understood what she was saying. Plus her cure for creative block: too much writing, not enough living. 00:00 "Why am I like this?"01:29 Introducing "Something Infinite"02:44 New to guitar, needing real sound07:19 Leaving the soap for honesty11:30 Half an hour in the studio, finished on the bus13:09 The lyric she didn't understand yet14:58 Too much writing, not enough living17:27 What acting taught her about being watched20:21 Editing: addicted to the demo26:54 Full Track: Something Infinite #LittleDogStar #SomethingInfinite #MusicPodcast #TheHardestPart #NewMusic #Songwriting #LiveSession #IzzySteele See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pixie McCann convinced herself in a toilet that everyone hated her, and filled her Notes app with the evidence: "literally everyone here is rotten."  Then she woke up, read it back, and decided... this is good content.  On this episode of The Hardest Part with Kieron Banerji, she opens up "Rotting," the song that came out of that night, and the debut EP it belongs to. It's a conversation about the pocket between beautiful and horrible things: her first year making music professionally while her personal life fell apart, the pre-chorus that turned into an apology to her best friend ("I'm not that strong, I'm really sorry, take me back home"), working with her producer Joel, part wizard, part therapist, and the easter egg buried in the track: the word "rotting," sung in reverse, embedded into its veins. Then Pixie performs "Rotting" live in the studio, and tells you exactly how to listen to it: back against the door, outside the party, cigarette lit, calming down. Guest: Pixie McCannHost and Executive Producer: Kieron BanerjiPhotography and Creative: Callum BakerAudio Engineers: Max Walker and Liam JacksonRecorded at Palm Tree Island Studios, London. - 00:00 "Everyone here is rotten"01:32 Why "Rotting" is the hardest part02:27 The toilet, the Notes app & the spiral03:58 The morning after: "this is good content"04:39 "Take me back home" — an apology to her best friend05:42 The pocket between beautiful & horrible06:45 Joel the wizard: producer as therapist10:03 Drum illiteracy, Logic Loops & Espresso12:09 The reversed-word easter egg & how to listen13:24 🎸 Live Session: Rotting - The Hardest Part dives deep into the most emotionally complex songs ever written. Every two weeks, host Kieron Banerji sits down with artists to unpack the creative process behind their hardest songs—exploring songwriting breakdowns, emotional storytelling, cultural influences, and moments of personal growth. Each episode ends with an intimate, stripped-back performance—raw, real, and sometimes heard this way for the first time. Produced by Palm Tree Island, a London-based creative studio known for standout music documentaries and original voices. Kieron Banerji is a seasoned producer and engineer based in London with extensive experience in music, media, and entertainment. He’s worked with Grammy and Academy Award winners, and has recorded sessions with Portugal. The Man, Jason Isbell, Katie Melua, Rae Morris, Jason Mraz, BROODS, Baio (Vampire Weekend), and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of The Hardest Part with Kieron Banerji, Julian Pratt opens up "See You Again," from the band's new record: a song whose chorus, "I'll see you again, no grave or cemetery can keep you from me," was written for his mentor, San Diego hardcore legend Mike Down.  After it was recorded, Julian's close friend passed. Now the song belongs to both of them. It's the rawest conversation this show has had: on belief, and what happens when grief shakes it; on riding motorcycles with Noble and refusing to regret the best memories of his life; on being "terrified" of the most honest record he's ever made; and on why he sings the chorus to himself now, to remember that he'll see them again, whether he can believe it yet or not. 00:00 "I've never been so honest on a record"01:02 The hardest song: "See You Again"01:45 For Mike Down03:33 Then, Noble04:31 A father figure, and a son05:25 Motorcycles, blame & the best memories07:15 Grief across the whole record08:09 "Tonight is the first time I'll play it"10:16 His friend is on the record11:39 See You Again - Full Track - The Hardest Part dives deep into the most emotionally complex songs ever written. Every two weeks, host Kieron Banerji sits down with artists to unpack the creative process behind their hardest songs—exploring songwriting breakdowns, emotional storytelling, cultural influences, and moments of personal growth. Each episode ends with an intimate, stripped-back performance—raw, real, and sometimes heard this way for the first time. Produced by Palm Tree Island, a London-based creative studio known for standout music documentaries and original voices. Kieron Banerji is a seasoned producer and engineer based in London with extensive experience in music, media, and entertainment. He’s worked with Grammy and Academy Award winners, and has recorded sessions with Portugal. The Man, Jason Isbell, Katie Melua, Rae Morris, Jason Mraz, BROODS, Baio (Vampire Weekend), and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie Webster joins Kieron Banerji on The Hardest Part to break down the writing, meaning and performance of his song “Small Town Life.” Jamie explains how years spent touring through towns across the UK inspired him to write a song celebrating the people, characters and communities that exist beyond the country’s biggest cities, places that might look imperfect from the outside, but mean everything to the people who call them home. Jamie takes us inside his songwriting process, from keeping fragments and ideas in his phone to beginning “Small Town Life” with a musical manifesto: make it anthemic, make the chorus immediate and write something people can sing together. Jamie also discusses how growing up in Liverpool shaped him as both a person and songwriter, the passion and defiance he associates with his hometown, his working-class identity, and why speaking from the heart remains central to his music. This episode also features an intimate live performance of “Small Town Life.” Subscribe for more conversations and exclusive live sessions from The Hardest Part. - 00:00 Jamie Webster on Working-Class Life01:16 The Story Behind ‘Small Town Life’05:20 Turning Where You’re From Into a Strength08:50 Jamie Webster’s Songwriting Process09:36 Building the Perfect Chorus11:12 Finding the Idea for ‘Small Town Life’12:37 Don’t Play the Game, Change It14:38 The Characters That Make a Town15:12 A Wild Small-Town Pub Story18:18 Liverpool, Football and Finding an Audience21:15 How Liverpool Shaped Jamie’s Songwriting24:30 Paddy Pimblett and the Scouse Mentality25:27 Writing About Working-Class Life28:18 The Hardest Part of ‘Small Town Life’33:21 Why Jamie Won’t Comp His Vocals34:06 ‘Small Town Life’ – Full Performance - The Hardest Part dives deep into the most emotionally complex songs ever written. Every two weeks, host Kieron Banerji sits down with artists to unpack the creative process behind their hardest songs—exploring songwriting breakdowns, emotional storytelling, cultural influences, and moments of personal growth. Each episode ends with an intimate, stripped-back performance—raw, real, and sometimes heard this way for the first time. Produced by Palm Tree Island, a London-based creative studio known for standout music documentaries and original voices. Kieron Banerji is a seasoned producer and engineer based in London with extensive experience in music, media, and entertainment. He’s worked with Grammy and Academy Award winners, and has recorded sessions with Portugal. The Man, Jason Isbell, Katie Melua, Rae Morris, Jason Mraz, BROODS, Baio (Vampire Weekend), and more. 🎧 Follow the Podcast: https://linktr.ee/thehardestpart - #jamiewebster #musicpodcast #smalltownlife See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Le Ren almost threw this song away. On this episode of The Hardest Part with Kieron Banerji, she opens up "Die Inside" from her album Don't Be Funny Without Me, a song that was easy to write but hard to sing, about a crush that was never going to be reciprocated, and the strange courage it takes to perform the plain, un-metaphored truth. It's a conversation about honesty in songwriting: why singing it live once made her "feel like a loser," how Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" gave her permission to be vulnerable, why she tests every song live before recording. Guest: Le RenHost: Kieron BanerjiSong: Die InsideCreative: Callum BakerAudio: Max Walker -00:00 "Easy to write, hard to sing"01:51 Writing the truth, not the revenge song03:21 Bonnie Raitt & choosing to be vulnerable04:55 The hard part: making it public05:42 Why she tests every song live first08:09 "Long hair's better": brutal honesty10:05 How she actually writes12:51 Her heroes: Prine and Dolly18:20 Inside "Die Inside": the story arc20:03 Live Session: Die Inside- The Hardest Part dives deep into the most emotionally complex songs ever written. Every two weeks, host Kieron Banerji sits down with artists to unpack the creative process behind their hardest songs—exploring songwriting breakdowns, emotional storytelling, cultural influences, and moments of personal growth. Each episode ends with an intimate, stripped-back performance—raw, real, and sometimes heard this way for the first time. Produced by Palm Tree Island, a London-based creative studio. Kieron Banerji is a seasoned producer and engineer based in London with extensive experience in music, media, and entertainment. He’s worked with Grammy and Academy Award winners, and has recorded sessions with Portugal. The Man, Jason Isbell, Katie Melua, Rae Morris, Jason Mraz, BROODS, Baio (Vampire Weekend), and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rosa Walton spent over 18 months getting one song right. On this episode of The Hardest Part, Rosa opens up "Halfway Around the World" from her album Tell Me It's a Dream, her first attempt at a "straight-down-the-line" love song, and the hardest lyrics she's ever had to write. It's a conversation about craft: why literal songwriting scares her more than abstract imagery, how she knows the moment a lyric is finally right, why she refuses to explain what her songs are about ("it takes away the magic"), and the new ending she wrote just the day before this stripped-back session. Rosa performs "Halfway Around the World" live and stripped back for the show at the end of the episode. - Guest: Rosa WaltonHost: Kieron BanerjiSong: Halfway Around The WorldAlbum: Tell Me It's a DreamCreative: Callum Baker - 00:00 Intro01:43 Why "Halfway Around the World" was the hardest02:22 18 months to get the lyrics right03:33 Her first "straight-down-the-line" love song04:48 A song that works on one instrument06:06 What the song is really about09:48 How she knows when a lyric is right13:00 Why she won't explain her lyrics16:51 The new ending she wrote for this session18:09 A song as something that lasts forever - The Hardest Part is a podcast and live-session series where artists open up the one song that cost them the most, the story behind it, and a stripped-back performance. Hosted by Kieron Banerji. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tenderness didn't find "Playing Country Roads" hard to write, she found it almost impossible to hold. On this episode of The Hardest Part with Kieron Banerji, she opens up the closing song from her album: written on her late father Ivor's guitar, built on a voice memo she couldn't bring herself to re-record, and carrying two griefs at once. It's a conversation about turning loss into art without letting the performance swallow the feeling — the "healthy middle place" every songwriter has to find. Along the way: the hidden thread of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" (via the Mountain Man version), the ELO "Mr Blue Sky" memory from just before her dad's funeral, and why she refuses to change the line "it's been three months since the funeral," even six years on. Tenderness performs "Playing Country Roads" live and stripped back in full at the end of the episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Julia Cumming to discuss “Please Let Me Remember This,” one of the most personal songs from her debut solo album Julia.  What began as an attempt to write about the smallest possible moment gradually became something much bigger. Julia describes songwriting as visiting her subconscious, placing a cup into a flowing river, and seeing what comes back. But while writing this song, she found herself confronting thoughts she wasn’t ready to face.  As the writing process intensified, so did the pressure. Weeks of obsessive thinking, creative paralysis, and mounting anxiety eventually culminated in a moment that changed everything. The experience led Julia to seek help, receive an OCD diagnosis, and better understand what had been happening beneath the surface for years.  Rather than abandoning the song, she returned to it months later with a new perspective. The result became not only one of the defining songs on the record, but a reminder that sometimes the hardest songs reveal something we weren’t ready to know about ourselves.  Guest: Julia Cumming Host: Kieron Banerji Creative Team: Callum Baker With thanks to Emily Connick at Toast Press and Crista Simiriglia See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Ava Joe to break down the making of “Am I a Dreamer”, a song inspired by one of the most complicated emotions she experiences: nostalgia.   Unlike most of her songwriting, which begins with a specific experience and the feelings that follow, this song started with an emotion. Ava set out to write about nostalgia itself, drawing together memories, places, films, relationships, and moments that all carried the same emotional weight.   This episode explores why nostalgia can feel more painful than comforting, the strange experience of feeling nostalgic while living through a moment, and the fear of time passing too quickly. From watching the sea in Greece to reflecting on her teenage years, Ava explains how “Am I a Dreamer? became a meditation on memory, growing up, and the moments we know we’ll miss before they’ve even ended.   Kieron and Ava also talk about songwriting, collaboration, creative blocks, and why some of the best artistic breakthroughs happen when you stop forcing them. Guest: Ava JoeHost: Kieron Banerji Mix Engineer: Max WalkerRecording Engineer: Giovani AlimonteCreative: Callum Baker - 00:00 Intro00:55 Why nostalgia is so difficult to write about02:00 Starting with a feeling, not a memory02:45 Why nostalgia feels painful03:40 Feeling nostalgic in the present moment05:25 The memories behind the song07:10 Why time is her biggest fear08:40 Building a song from emotion10:15 Writing with producer Eddie George11:00 Finding the right collaborators12:30 The writers who ask the right questions14:00 Why she chose the nylon-string guitar15:00 Creative blocks and losing her voice16:20 Learning to stop forcing creativity18:20 How listeners hear the song differently19:50 Full session See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Metric to break down the making of “Victim of Luck”, the opening track from their latest album and the song that took longer to finish than any other. The challenge wasn’t writing it. The challenge was knowing when it was right. Emily and Jimmy Shaw tell Kieron how the song was intended to introduce the entire record, setting the tone for everything that followed. But as the album evolved, so did the song. Lyrics changed, arrangements changed, production choices came and went, and even the title itself didn’t arrive until the rest of the album was complete. At the center of the track is a deeply personal realization. What began as a fictional story about a band’s rise gradually became something much more direct: a reflection on success, anxiety, self-criticism, and the strange feeling of becoming a “victim of luck.”  This episode also features an exclusive stripped back acoustic version of the track recorded for the show.  Guests: Metric Song: Victim of Luck Host: Kieron Banerji Creative: Callum Baker and Giovanni Alimonte Produced by: Palm Tree Island See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Will White to break down the making of “6:30 AM”, a song that became the catalyst for everything that followed. Unlike most of his work, the song stayed with him for years. That alone was unusual. Will describes a songwriting process where songs either arrive fully formed or disappear entirely. He rarely revisits unfinished ideas, yet somehow “6:30 AM” refused to go away.  Kieron and Will explore discomfort as a creative tool, the mystery of songwriting, and why some songs seem to know more about your future than you do. Will also talks about how the meaning of “6:30 AM” has evolved over time, from imagining someone still awake after a long night to experiencing the same hour as a parent waking up to a completely different life.  Guests: Will White Song: 6:30 AM Host: Kieron Banerji Creative: Callum Baker and Giovanni Alimonte Produced by: Palm Tree Island See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Witch Fever break down the songwriting process and music production process behind “The Garden,” a song shaped by religious trauma, feminist rebellion, and the emotional tension of leaving the church behind. We talk about how the band nearly abandoned the song after feeling the chorus sounded “too Jesus-y,” triggering memories of Christian worship music and charismatic church environments. The band explains how growing up in a strict religious setting influenced the lyrics, which reinterpret the story of Eve as something empowering rather than shameful. We also chat about collaborative songwriting, instinctive vocal melody writing, and how producer Chris Ryan helped the band hear the full potential of the track during the recording process. LIsten to the full episode and hear the song at the end. Guests: Witch Fever Song: The Garden Host: Kieron Banerji Creative: Callum Baker and Dylan Roberts Produced by: Palm Tree Island See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.