Eighteen-year-old country artist Rachel Holt's latest pro-life song topped Billboard charts.
"I Was Gonna Be," released late last month, topped Billboard's Country Digital Song Sales reaching #9 on the outlet's chart. The song also reached #20 on Billboard overall Digital Song Sales and is currently ranked #21 on Billboard's Emerging Artists chart.
The song, written by Chris Wallin and produced by Nashville-based Baste Records, is sung from the perspective of an unborn child who falls victim to abortion and features and hopeful, albeit melancholic message as the unborn child reminisces on their missed opportunity at life. Exciting news! Rachel Holt's "I Was Gonna Be" has officially debuted on the Billboard charts! https://t.co/OxlI013Ceu pic.twitter.com/C0JWO2ZWW5
— Baste Records (@basterecords) July 3, 2024
"I Was Gonna Be" has been sponsored by conservative wireless provider Patriot Mobile.
"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 and we need more conservative messaging in the arts as the music industry is a very important part of today’s culture war," said Patriot Mobile CEO Glenn Story in a press release.
Shortly after its release, Holt's song reached #5 on iTunes' country charts. “I Was Gonna Be” is number 5 on the iTunes Country chart! pic.twitter.com/hu9R0aICPL
— Baste Records (@basterecords) June 23, 2024
Wallin, who serves as head of A&R for Baste Records, said he was "humbled" by the commercial response to "I Was Gonna Be."
“When I first started writing this song I didn’t think anyone would ever actually sing it. I wrote it because I thought something had to be said," Wallin told Breitbart News. “Now with the help of patriot organizations like Breitbart, Timcast IRL, and Patriot Mobile we are currently sitting at #9 on the iTunes Charts."
“Thank you for actually standing behind your values with actions. It’s rare these days," the songwriter added.
In April, Baste Records produced Afroman's parody track "Hunter Got High," co-written by Wallin. The track is a reprisal of Afroman's 2000 classic "Because I Got High," which humorously describes a chronic cannabis smoker's inability to carry out mundane tasks because he's constantly high on his drug of choice. Similar to the vein of Afroman's original track, "Hunter Got High" mocks President Joe Biden's son's controversial escapades, including the infamous "laptop from hell" and mysterious cocaine found at the White House last summer.
The song surpassed over 2 million views on YouTube and reached the number #5 spot on iTunes' Hip-Hop chart and #3 on iTunes' top music videos spanning all genres.
Baste Records describes itself as a “platform for conservative musicians and artists to reach a wider audience and share their beliefs and values through their music." The record company further describes itself as an alternative to the “mainstream music industry [which] is often dominated by liberal or progressive values.”
