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, London

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 &ldquo;Heavy Metal&rdquo; and the songwriting process behind it.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;
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, London

Hosted by Kieron Banerji, The Hardest Part dives deep into the most challenging songs ever written. Every two weeks, an artist joins Kieron in the studio to break down the struggles, breakthroughs, and raw emotions behind their toughest songwriting experiences. From overcoming creative blocks to tapping into painful memories, these conversations reveal the delicate balance between self-expression and self-protection.

Each episode wraps with an exclusive live performance of the song—raw, real, and sometimes heard this way for the first time.

Follow the Hardest Part wherever you get your podcasts, and watch footage from the show on our YouTube and socials.

Hosted by Kieron Banerji,&nbsp;The Hardest Part dives deep into the most challenging songs ever written. Every two weeks, an artist joins Kieron in the studio to break down the struggles, breakthroughs, and raw emotions behind their toughest songwriting experiences. From overcoming creative blocks to tapping into painful memories, these conversations reveal the delicate balance between self-expression and self-protection.
Each episode wraps with an exclusive live performance of the song&mdash;raw, real, and sometimes heard this way for the first time.
Follow the Hardest Part wherever you get your podcasts, and watch footage from the show on our YouTube and socials.

The Hardest Part

Hosted by Kieron Banerji, The Hardest Part dives deep into the most challenging songs ever written. Every week, an artist joins Kieron in the studio to break down the struggles, breakthroughs, and raw emotions behind their toughest songwriting experiences. From overcoming creative blocks to tapping into painful memories, these conversations reveal the delicate balance between self-expression and self-protection.

Each episode wraps with an exclusive live performance of the song—raw, real, and sometimes heard this way for the first time.

Follow the Hardest Part wherever you get your podcasts, and watch footage from the show on our YouTube and socials.

Hosted by Kieron Banerji, The Hardest Part dives deep into the most challenging songs ever written. Every week, an artist joins Kieron in the studio to break down the struggles, breakthroughs, and raw emotions behind their toughest songwriting experiences. From overcoming creative blocks to tapping into painful memories, these conversations reveal the delicate balance between self-expression and self-protection.
Each episode wraps with an exclusive live performance of the song—raw, real, and sometimes heard this way for the first time.
Follow the Hardest Part wherever you get your podcasts, and watch footage from the show on our YouTube and socials.

HP #36: Madi Diaz on the songwriting process behind “Heavy Metal”

What happens when you enter the studio with a song that is not finished and no time to figure it out?

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Julia Cumming and Nick Kivlen of Sunflower Bean to break down the making of their track “I Knew Love” from the album Mortal Primetime.

The song was one of the only tracks that was still being developed once the band entered the studio. With time, budget, and pressure all in play, they found themselves building the structure in real time, chasing a feeling they knew was there but had not fully landed yet. They talk about the origins of the song, from experimenting with open D tuning to pulling influence from artists like Nick Drake and Sonic Youth, and how collaboration helped unlock key moments in the track when ideas felt incomplete.

This episode is about the reality of self-producing, from trusting instinct under pressure to navigating disagreements and knowing when to push forward with an idea even if others are unsure. They also reflect on how a single lyric, “I knew love and it shined on me,” gave the song its emotional center and allowed everything else to fall into place.

Guests: Julia Cumming and Nick Kivlen of Sunflower Bean

Host: Kieron Banerji

Creative: Callum Baker

Produced by Palm Tree Island

What happens when you enter the studio with a song that is not finished and no time to figure it out?
In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Julia Cumming and Nick Kivlen of Sunflower Bean to break down the making of their track &ldquo;I Knew Love&rdquo; from the album Mortal Primetime.
The song was one of the only tracks that was still being developed once the band entered the studio. With time, budget, and pressure all in play, they found themselves building the structure in real time, chasing a feeling they knew was there but had not fully landed yet. They talk about the origins of the song, from experimenting with open D tuning to pulling influence from artists like Nick Drake and Sonic Youth, and how collaboration helped unlock key moments in the track when ideas felt incomplete.
This episode is about the reality of self-producing, from trusting instinct under pressure to navigating disagreements and knowing when to push forward with an idea even if others are unsure. They also reflect on how a single lyric, &ldquo;I knew love and it shined on me,&rdquo; gave the song its emotional center and allowed everything else to fall into place.
Guests: Julia Cumming and Nick Kivlen of Sunflower Bean
Host: Kieron Banerji
Creative: Callum Baker
Produced by Palm Tree Island

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

HP #35: Sunflower Bean on writing “I Knew Love” in the studio.

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 Walker

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.&nbsp;
This is a thoughtful discussion about creativity, process, and what it really takes to write something honest and meaningful.
&nbsp;
Guest: Foy Vance
Host and Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji
Creative: Callum Baker
Recording Engineers: Giovanni Alimonte
Mix Engineer: Max Walker

HP #34: Foy Vance Unpacks How Ego Affects Songwriters.

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Sam Fischer for a behind the scenes look at the songwriting and music production behind his track “Sweet Contradiction.” The conversation dives deep into the songwriting process, the emotional reality of creating music, and how a studio writing session meant for another artist turned into one of Sam’s most personal songs.

From the first lyrical idea to the final acoustic performance, Sam breaks down how the song came together and why the theme of contradictions became the core of the track.

 

Guest: Sam Fischer

Guitar: Marton Bisits

Host: Kieron Banerji

Produced by: Palm Tree Island

Creative: Callum Baker

Engineers: Giovanni Almonte and Max Walker

Recorded at The Thin White Duke Studios, London.

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Sam Fischer for a behind the scenes look at the songwriting and music production behind his track &ldquo;Sweet Contradiction.&rdquo; The conversation dives deep into the songwriting process, the emotional reality of creating music, and how a studio writing session meant for another artist turned into one of Sam&rsquo;s most personal songs.
From the first lyrical idea to the final&nbsp;acoustic performance, Sam breaks down how the song came together and why the theme of contradictions became the core of the track.
&nbsp;
Guest: Sam Fischer
Guitar: Marton Bisits
Host: Kieron Banerji
Produced by: Palm Tree Island
Creative: Callum Baker
Engineers: Giovanni Almonte and Max Walker
Recorded at The Thin White Duke Studios, London.

HP #36: Madi Diaz on the songwriting process behind “Heavy Metal”

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