Tania Kernaghan Better Worn In Interview

Tania Kernaghan Releases Powerful Ode About Self-Acceptance and Aging Positively

Country music sweetheart Tania Kernaghan is 100 per cent comfortable within her own skin. The singer-songwriter, who recently celebrated her 50th birthday, has never felt more secure within herself, and with her direction in life – and it shows. Embracing that infectious positivity, Tania is sharing her message of self-acceptance with a powerful new single, Better Worn In. Written and recorded with Nick Wolfe, of The Wolfe Brothers, in his Tasmanian studio, and co-written with her sister Fiona Kernaghan, the track is an exciting new direction for the multi-award-winning singer. It epitomises her 'glass half full' outlook on life and will certainly resonate with music fans on many levels.

When Tania sings 'oh it's a beautiful thing when you feel alright in your own skin', she is creating an anthem for anyone who has ever doubted themselves, and has now come out the other side. It is a powerful statement and one that is important to the Golden Guitar winner – the fact that getting older is a gift and one that has given her a different, sharper perspective.

"It's the ultimate reality check," says Tania. "I know I'm more confident and comfortable with myself now than I've ever been. I don't obsess about the past much anymore or worry about how much life has already gone by. I'm more wondering, 'what else might life have in store for me?' Its an ongoing conversation – once it's on your radar, it seems to come up a lot, that peace and clarity that comes with age. You develop a different idea about what beauty is and even what sexy is. That's really empowering. You realise that old Hollywood stereotypes are a joke, real life is way more interesting."

Better Worn In isn't just a track about feminine aging either. It crosses sexes and it helped having Nick Wolfe to pen the track with Tania and Fiona, giving a male perspective. In fact, the message behind the song translates to just feeling great within yourself, full stop. "To me, self-acceptance and a happy heart are qualities I really admire," says Tania. "I feel so comfortable in my own skin. Every line tells a story. I'm proud of those lines. This is where I am in life. The glass is more than half full, it is overflowing. It is all about being positive, there is a great life out there to embrace – get on board everyone, it is going to be one hell of a ride."

The track was the first time Tania has written and recorded with long-time friend Nick. The idea actually came about at his wedding last year, which Tania – who is a registered civil celebrant – presided over. In the studio they discovered a fresh sound that enabled the established singer-songwriter to explore a new direction, while still adhering to her country roots. "It is like I have shed a new skin," says Tania. "It is a whole new chapter turning over in my life, I love Nick's energy and talent. He is a musical genius."

For Nick, producing Better Worn In was an exciting project. "Working with Tania on her new music has been an absolute honour and a blast," he says. "She set out to explore some new territory, in terms of sound and feel, and I reckon we've achieved that while not losing sight of what her fans love about her as an artist. I'm so excited to see the reaction of Tania's fans to her new material."

Just like the song narrates 'life's like your best pair of boots, better worn in', and Tania certainly feels that for her, the next part of her life is really only just getting started. "We were laughing about how Fiona thinks its great I've turned 50 and somehow still feel like I'm just getting warmed up," she says. "I do feel great, and I can't wait to hit the road. I've got a lot of living to do and a lot of songs to sing. Its actually more fun now than ever!"

Tania Kernaghan's new single Better Worn In is released to radio on Friday 7th June 2019.
For more information, please visit www.taniakernaghan.com

Interview with Tania Kernaghan

Question: Can you tell us about Better Worn In?

Tania Kernaghan: Better Worn In is a song about positive ageing and that content feeling of being comfortable in your own skin! As the lyric narrates, "looking in the mirror in a whole new way check out the laugh lines and a few new greys….oh it's a beautiful thing when you feel alright in your own skin…."


Question: What message do you hope Better Worn In spreads?

Tania Kernaghan: Getting older has never been better! It's where all the good stuff begins, embrace it and love it. I believe self-acceptance is something that can't be taught, it only comes with living life.


Question: What originally inspired you to write about seeing life from a new perspective?

Tania Kernaghan: I have always written songs about real life situations whether it is stuff that I have experienced on a personal level or people and places who have inspired me.

The idea for Better Worn In, came from my sister Fiona. We were laughing together about how I'd recently celebrated my 50th birthday and somehow I feel like I am just starting to get warmed up. Fiona said, 'yeah life's like your best pair of boots, better worn in" and that's where the song began.


Question: What was it like co-writing with your sister?

Tania Kernaghan: Fiona and I are no strangers to writing songs together. We started collaborating 28 years ago. Fiona was 17 and I was 22. We could never have imagines back then, in our humble little family home in Albury the songs we would write together would be heard around world. When it comes to any success I have enjoyed as a recording artist, I attribute so much of that to the wonderful songs Fiona has written for me over the years. Her amazing talent has been integral to my career and I can't imagine recording an album without Fiona being on board.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Tania Kernaghan: Undoubtedly Australia. I am inspired by its people and magnificent landscape. That combined with real life stories always makes for a great song.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Tania Kernaghan: I enjoy being in the recording studio and hearing my newly written songs being transformed into radio hits, that's a pretty fantastic feeling! But funnily enough, it's on stage where I get my biggest buzz. I just love singing and entertaining people.

Question: Which is your favourite song to perform and why?

Tania Kernaghan: Definitely A Bushman Can't Survive on City Lights - I always dedicated this song to our farmers and those folks in regional and rural Australia. They are the most resilient people I have ever met with hearts bigger than Queensland's Outback. I still get goose bumps up the back of my neck when I sing this song, the lyrics are so powerful.


Question: Which music/artist are you currently listening to?

Tania Kernaghan: I am really getting into Kane Brown at the moment. Previously, I was hooked on the Nashville band Midland so much so that I had to limit my listening time, their music was becoming quite addictive, they are sensational.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Tania Kernaghan: I have collaborated with some amazing writers over the years including Keith Urban, Andrew Farris and Garth Porter. I would love to write with Dolly Parton, she writes hit song after hit song, what an inspiration!


Interview by Brooke Hunter