“I just wanted people to hear the voice of the voiceless,” Nashville songwriter Chris Wallin said of the new country single “I Was Gonna Be,” a powerful pro-life anthem written from the point of view of a baby that never had a chance to be born. “I truly believe this is a God thing that happened.”
Wallin, who has penned hits for some of country music’s biggest stars, including Toby Keith, Trace Adkins, Garth Brooks, Montgomery Gentry, and Kenny Chesney, said the writing process for “I Was Gonna Be” was deeply personal. In an interview with Breitbart News Daily’s Mike Slater on Sirius XM Patriot 125, Wallin said, “I started writing this song for myself. I didn’t think anyone would have the courage to sing this.” But Wallin found his muse. Halfway through the writing of the song, he met an 18-year-old newcomer from Indiana named Rachel Holt. He knew right away that he had found the right singer.
“I played her the song and her first words, she goes, ‘I’m singing that song.” She told Wallin, “I think a lot of the songs that girls my age listen to never talk about real life. And that’s what I want to do.”
But Wallin explained to the young artist that recording a song like this doesn’t come without significant risk. He wanted Rachel to understand that “I Was Gonna Be” isn’t just any song and that “there are people who are going to be visceral about this song — on both sides. Good and bad.” But the teenage singer had a very simple response that confirmed for Wallin that he had found the right artist for the song. She said “I don’t care.”
She went on to say that she fully understood the politically charged conversation abortion brings and how the debate about life is a flashpoint culture war topic, particularly among people her age.
“She’s 18 years old and she’s 100 percent traditional values and she isn’t scared to talk and sing…