The Hardest Part

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Athens-based band The Overjoyed to go behind the scenes of their track “Party Eyes,” exploring the songwriting process, music production, and the emotional realities that shaped it.  The song begins with a deeply personal place: sleepless nights, hangovers, and the emotional comedown that can follow moments of excess or difficult periods in life. What starts as a reflection on insomnia evolves into something more vulnerable, touching on mental health, isolation, and the quiet, often unspoken moments where everything feels overwhelming. We break down how the track came together, from the initial riff to building the structure around a feeling rather than a concept. We also discuss how songwriting can act as a form of release, and why revisiting difficult moments through music can feel cleansing over time. The band also perform an exclusive version of the song for The Hardest Part at the end of the interview.   Guest: The Overjoyed Host: Kieron Banerji Creative: Giovanni Alimonte and Callum Baker Mixing Engineer: Max Walker Studio: The Thin White Duke, London.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Hardest Part podcast, Tigercub break down the songwriting and creative process behind their track, "Fall In Fall Out". The track sits at the centre of their new album’s core tension, exploring contradiction, cycles, and the difficulty of articulating feelings that don’t fully make sense yet. Jamie explains how the song began with melody on acoustic guitar, before any clear meaning was attached. From there, the process became one of discovery, using stream of consciousness writing, dream journals, and notebooks filled with fragments to uncover what the song was actually about. Kieron and Jamie explore the balance between instinct and editing, the challenge of writing without overthinking, and how meaning often reveals itself only after the song already exists. They also discuss the influence of dreams, literature, and film, and why leaving space for interpretation can make a song more powerful. Guest: Tigercub Song: Fall In Fall Out Host and Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji Creative: Callum Baker and Dylan Roberts Recording Engineer: Giovanni Alimonte  Mix Engineer: Max WalkerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes the hardest part of songwriting is figuring out what you are actually feeling. In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Madi Diaz to break down the making of her track “Heavy Metal” and the songwriting process behind it. The song began as a feeling she could not fully access while finishing her record, something unresolved that she knew was there but could not yet put into words.  Madi reflects on the challenge of writing when you feel emotionally heavy, and the patience required to keep peeling back layers until the meaning reveals itself. The conversation explores how melody can arrive before clarity, how repetition can carry emotional weight, and how songwriting can become a way of understanding yourself in real time. Guest: Madi Diaz Song: Heavy Metal Host: Kieron Banerji Produced and Distributed by Palm Tree Island Creative: Callum Baker and Dylan Roberts Engineers: Giovanni Alimonte and Max Walker Recorded at The Thin White Duke Studios, LondonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Julia Cumming and Nick Kivlen of Sunflower Bean breakdown the songwriting and production process of their song, I Knew Love.

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Foy Vance to explore the realities of songwriting and the role ego plays in the creative process. The conversation focuses on how ego can shape, and sometimes block, the way songs are written. Foy reflects on the importance of stepping back, letting go of control, and allowing the song to take the lead rather than forcing it into a preconceived idea. They discuss the balance between confidence and humility in songwriting, and why some of the best work happens when you stop trying to prove something and start listening more closely to what the song actually needs.  This is a thoughtful discussion about creativity, process, and what it really takes to write something honest and meaningful.   Guest: Foy Vance Host and Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji Creative: Callum Baker Recording Engineers: Giovanni Alimonte Mix Engineer: Max WalkerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.