Gabrielle Mooney on her “super emotional country song”: “Pray For You”

Country singer Gabrielle Mooney released her single “Pray For You” last year which is the follow up to her previous single “Come On In.” The song was co-written with Jimmie Deeghan and Zach Lockwood and was inspired by a challenging relationship in her life. She recently released a new single “Bad” on February 19. She fills us in on the background for “Pray For You.”

Can you tell us a little bit about “Pray For You” and the story behind the song?

“Pray For You” is a song I wrote about a boy that wasn’t loyal to me while I was with him and ended up getting married and having a baby with the other woman. But the story that inspired the song was actually a crazy story; we were at the county fair, and I had dyed my hair and looked completely different at the time. So I walked past him and his wife with their baby, and he checked me out, turned completely around, and said, “Oooh.” He had no idea who I was, and I was just so taken aback, and in that moment, I just felt so bad for his wife. So I wrote a song based off of that experience, and I think it’s something everyone can relate to.

Do you have a favorite part of the song or perhaps a favorite lyric?

The line ‘I was borderline breakdown when I found out it belonged to you’ is probably my favorite because I just loved the emotion and subtle message it sends to listeners of stating the situation without stating the situation. I just thought it encompassed all of the emotions I felt in that moment, and I’m proud of that line.

Can you take us through what the songwriting process looked like for “Pray For You”?

So I actually wrote it with Jimmie Deeghan and Zach Lockwood at RaeLynn’s house when we lived together at the time, and still to this day; I will say she’s the best roommate in the world. We would have a lot of our writing sessions in our living room, and the boys just came in and started this amazing riff together. Both of them are extremely talented guitarists, and I just told them, “Y’all, I want to write a super emotional country song.” So then we just started writing, and everything flowed out so naturally; it was a really cool experience. I held onto it for almost five years, and then I finally got with Jamie Kenney, and we decided to produce it, and it came out amazing, I think. It’s just wild recording something five years after the fact, but I’m so proud of how it turned out.

What do you hope your fans and listeners will take away from listening to your music?

I hope they’re able to connect with it. I hope they can listen to it and think, “This is exactly how I’m feeling” or “I can’t believe I’m not the only one who has felt this way,” I just love that people are able to hear and feel my emotions and connect them with their own. And I know that I listen to songs over and over again to feel that same feeling and just ride out that emotion. So I hope that people are able to feel that way with my songs as well.

What is your advice for young women who hope to work in the music industry?

I would say to stand your ground, understand your audience and just make those connections with people, and feel confident in yourself and your craft. But as a female in the industry, remember your worth and your value because our minds are very valuable, and you don’t need guys to tell you what to do or how to get into the industry. Lead your own path and trust your gut.