After signing with Nashville label Baste Records in December 2023, country music newcomer Rachel Holt was tasked with picking her debut single. Management never guessed she would pick an anthem about the sanctity of life for her initial release. Many see this as an impactful artistic statement that deserves the limelight.
Writing From the Heart
After Wallin sat down to write a song about babies whose lives are tragically cut short by abortion, he never thought it would see the light of day. When Breitbart News asked about his reasoning for penning the tune, he said, “I wrote it because I thought something had to be said.”As the head of Baste Records’ Artists and Repertoire (A&R) department, Wallin knows which songs are ripe for the picking and which aren’t. During his tenure as an in-demand country music songwriter, he’s written for musicians like Garth Brooks, Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, and Trace Adkins. Because of the traditional stance of his pro-life song, “he had no major commercial expectations” when he began penning it. Freedom from commercial implications allowed him to write completely from the heart.
But Holt had other plans. When it came time to record songs for her debut album, “Missin’ Home” (released in January 2024), not only did she choose “I Was Gonna Be” as one of the record’s featured songs, but she also chose it as the debut single.
Some don’t believe I’m a living soul Just a bad mistake that needs to go If my mama coulda just seen my face Maybe she woulda had me anyway.
The closing lines of the song’s chorus—“I was gonna change the world/ I was gonna be a girl”—are especially moving. According to The Heritage Foundation, studies show that pregnancies involving girls are terminated at a higher rate than boys. These procedures are known as “sex-selective abortions.”A Belief in the Sanctity of Life
Baste Records, which sees itself as the premier counterculture music company, began looking for a sponsor after Holt chose “I Was Gonna Be” as her debut single. Sponsorship opportunities act as a two-way street. Companies can finance music they believe in, which echoes their own beliefs and ideals, and the artist and label that receive the sponsorship get advanced funding for recording and distributing the music.
Patriot Mobile’s CEO Glenn Story spoke about why his company was so passionate about getting involved with the single:
“We got a call about this pro-life song needing a promotional sponsor and it aligned perfectly with our beliefs about the sanctity of life. It’s really a beautiful song.” The company believes the arts need to promote more traditional beliefs.
National Celebrate Life Weekend
Baste Records debuted “I Was Gonna Be” on June 21, 2024—the first day of National Celebrate Life Weekend. The event is a multiday, pro-life conference that meets yearly to commemorate the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. According to the conference website, the event also meets “to celebrate the heroes of the pro-life movement.”After the single’s release, it immediately began climbing the charts. Within days, it reached the No. 5 spot overall on the iTunes country songs chart. It also soared all the way to No. 1 on the iTunes Top 40 chart for country music videos.
At just 18 years old, Holt already has her first hit.
With her debut hit single, she hasn’t just given a voice to the voiceless. As “I Was Gonna Be” continues to resonate with country music fans, and fans of other genres, she has taken this far-too-often ignored voice and bravely amplified it.
