Sara Berki Details New Song 'Tear You Apart', Going Viral On TikTok: 'It’s My Take On A Classic'

Newly minted Bundaberg-born star Sara Berki is making up for lost time.

With a prolific base of new music behind her and a growing fanbase in unlikely places, Berki’s acceptance into the Australian country scene has been swift and rewarding. Tear You Apart, Berki’s newest track was released today, marking the tenth song she has released since March 2022.

Tear You Apart follows a relationship breakdown and the trepidation to explore anything new for fear of not being in a healthy headspace.

Berki recalls the origin of the song, “I had just gotten out of a hefty relationship… it was a big one. And I guess I just had a really nice person in my life who was falling for me. I could see that he saw the potential in us.

“I mean, I’m a storyteller, but it was definitely written from a place where I was at the time. I guess it’s just a bit of a warning to say, ‘Hey, I’m not right,’ and I think that's something people can somewhat relate to.”

Berki was awarded the 2024 APRA Professional Development Award for Country/Americana and was nominated for New Talent of the Year at the 2024 Golden Guitar Awards. Berki was also the only female (in Australia and internationally) to have three tracks in the KIX Country Hottest 50 most-played songs of 2023. 

Despite Berki’s knack for writing powerful tracks quickly and in high volumes, her road to country music has been far from ordinary.

Berki acknowledges that she “came out of nowhere” and did not do the academy or busk as a child, which is the classic path most Australian country singers have followed.

Regardless of her rural background and upbringing, Berki never could have guessed that this would be her career and was surprised at just how accommodating fellow Australian country artists have been. Berki continually emphasised the close-knit community of country artists in Australia and the support she has received from peers and the industry as a whole.

“It’s almost like everyone has got their own lane, and they’re all doing their own thing, and we’re all backing each other. It’s just a really, really nice thing to see. Being so fresh, it kind of felt like I came out of nowhere, and people were like, ‘Heck yeah, this girl is having a crack!’”

She continued, “There are a few great new, younger artists at the moment: Tyla Rodrigues and Briana Dinsdale, and there [are] so many more. They are all doing so well, and I love the fact that I have been doing it for two years, and people backed me when I did, and I love to back all the younger artists. It kind of feels like we're all work colleagues because we see each other at tours and shows and all sorts of things. It's pretty cool.”

In recent history, Take Me Home, Country Road by John Denver has become the unofficial anthem of the AFL team, Brisbane Lions. Lions fans sing the ballad every time Charlie Cameron kicks a goal as a nod to the player's country roots. Earlier this year, Berki performed the 1971 hit live at The Gabba in Brisbane during the Brisbane Lions vs. Carlton AFL season kick-off, with the performance racking up more than seven million views on TikTok.

“I’ve never played in a stadium before, and that was the most people I have ever played in front of. I think it was the first time a lot of people had seen me live.

“When the Lions sent that video to me saying, ‘You can do whatever you like with this footage, and thanks for playing’. And when I watched it back, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s a video of me singing the most generic country song. Heck yeah, let’s put it on socials.’”

Berki continued, “I know it's a really cliche thing to say, but I did not think that the most well-known country song could connect with that many people in the way that it has. I don't know, it’s a very different way of hearing it as well, my version of how I sing it; I like to think it’s my take on a classic.”

Tear You Apart is out now.