Last year Broken Hill, NSW/Wiljali country singer-songwriter Sharna Burcher released ‘Backwards Town’, the first and title single from her forthcoming album, which reached #1 on the iTunes Country chart. The second single from that album is ‘The Hardest Parts’, a song that leaves an indelible impression, of grief, of the timelessness of love for those who’ve left us and also for those who are still here. Burcher’s pain, and her love, are clear in her vocals, and they come from her own experience.
‘”The Hardest Parts” is one of the most personal songs I have written, and also my first positive love song,’ says Burcher. ‘The inspiration came from losing my mum and my partner losing both of his parents. We lost all three within two years of each other and all quite young. It was a hard and very emotional time for us … [The song] is a reflection on how much our lives have changed in the last few years, and how their loss has made us stronger both as individuals and as a couple.’
The song was recorded at Troubadour House Studios in Nashville Tennessee and produced by Bill Chambers who, along with son Nash, plays on the track. The younger Chambers produced the new album. Burcher, a graduate of the CMAA Academy of Country Music, released her first album, Livin’ on Borrowed Time, in 2013. Since then she has played support slots for Fanny Lumsden, Catherine Britt, Robyn Ludwick and Aleyce Simmonds, amongst others, as well as appearing at various music festivals.
