Country music icon Sara Storer on her powerful new anthem ‘Layers’

Here’s the thing about 22-time Golden Guitar winner Sara Storer: she is both a country music icon – and she has been since she released her debut album, Buffalo Bill, in 2000 and impressed audiences with her unique stories and clear-eyed view of humanity – and she’s an artist who is constantly in search of the next turn in the creative road, not so much restless with what she’s achieved but curious about what else is out there to be captured in song (or, as is the case for her now, in paintings). Interviewing her, as I’ve now done several times, there is absolutely no sense that resting on her laurels has ever been an option. Life is too interesting, she is too inherently creative, for that to happen.Storer’s last solo album was Raindance in 2019; in 2023 she released SToReR with brother Greg and they won a Golden Guitar for their song ‘Dust Kid’. Earlier this year came her latest solo single, ‘Under Darwin Stars’, which captured what she loves about her Top End home. Now she has a new song, ‘Layers’, which has quite a different story and is the reason for our latest interview. As an interviewee Storer is a delight, that curiosity of hers making her vibrant and funny, and she’s also self-aware in a way that makes her a great artist: able to draw on her own experiences to inspire or enhance a story, also able to step back when she needs to. In ‘Layers’ she takes on the persona of a teenage girl living in the digital age, when social media piles on the pressure.  The song arose from Storer’s conversations with friends and family members who shared their concerns about the impact of social media on their girls.‘I just wrote down what I thought and I just wanted to come back to the chorus and make sure it was a very positive message,’ she explains. That chorus encourages listeners to look beyond the surface and see the unique, beautiful, and perfect individual beneath the ‘layers’. ‘I just wanted to sing for the girls and I want you in that moment to just go, hey, you know, let's think about who we are underneath all these layers. We're one of a kind, we're unique, we're perfect, we're beautiful.’As the parent of four school-age boys, Storer certainly has a perspective on the challenges facing young people, and she hopes that her music can provide a source of encouragement and empowerment. That comes through in the interview as well, when Storer reinforces the message for the young people who may hear her song: ‘You are unique. You're beautiful, you're you. And believe in yourself, because we do.’ Part of Storer’s power as an artist is that she also believes in herself and her work – and that conviction allows the audience to go with her, because we know she won’t let us down. And she’ll take us there with humour, because while she takes her work seriously, she doesn’t take herself too seriously. It’s part of the reason why she’s always so entertaining to talk to and, hopefully, for you to listen to or watch. Listen to ‘Layers’ on Apple MusicListen to ‘Layers’ on SpotifyFor more Sunburnt Country Music:InstagramFacebook YouTubewebsite Substack Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.