Country artist Becca Bowen was sitting in the pickup line, waiting for her daughter to get out of school on a recent afternoon. And in a true example of mother’s intuition, she instantly knew something was wrong.

As her 14-year-old daughter approached the car, Bowen could quickly see that she had been crying, all because she had been bullied at school that day simply because she was wearing her favorite cowboy boots.

“She’s always loved wearing her cowboy boots…it’s just a part of her Southern upbringing,” remembers Bowen during a recent interview with Taste of Country. “I looked at her, and I told her point-blank that you have to be who you are. I don’t care if you wear Converse or cowboy boots, you are beautiful because God made you that way. He does not make mistakes.”

It’s a sentiment that Bowen has long shared with her children. And it's that same sentiment that serves as the emotional backbone of her new single “Just Be You,” debuting Wednesday (Jan. 6) with Taste of Country.

“I burst out in tears when I first heard the demo,” says Bowen, who is also known as the “Country Barbie” on social media. “The song basically says everything I have ever told my children. I had to record it. This, to me, is a gift to them.”

Bowen could have easily written her sophomore single, but she actually did not. That job actually went to songwriters Ronnie Bowman, Kylie Sackley and Lance Miller. However, as the single mom of two teenagers, Bowen has long known the importance of guiding her girls not only by example, but through advice that they can take with them throughout the remainder of their life.

“I have always taught them to be who they are,” says Bowen, who began singing at the tender age of five years old. “I’ve always told them not to try to be anyone else. Be who you are. That’s where your happiness comes from.”

Granted, life hasn’t always been easy.

“We have been on our own for a while,” Bowen says quietly. “You can put beautiful pics up on Instagram, but it’s not reality. Being a single mom can be tough both mentally and financially. I mean, no one sees you crying in the middle of the night, trying to pay the bills, you know?  The truth is that being a single parent can be quite a burden. There is so much pressure to do everything perfect because you really do want to make a difference in their life. You want to make an impact on them.”

Bowen is doing just that. Not only is she relishing in her role as a single mom, but she’s also relishing in her role as an up and coming music artist and television personality. In addition to the release of “Just Be You,” Bowen is also set to star in the upcoming season of the Outdoor Channel's show titled For Love or Likes, premiering in April 2021.

“I’ve always been an outdoors girl,” Bowen says with a chuckle. “What people didn’t understand is that my brother taught me how to fish and hunt, so I could take care of my kids. It was a way to feed them and provide for them during the hard times.”

But now that things have turned around for Bowen, she says she has no patience for anything but positivity, especially when it comes to her girls.

“This world can be so cruel,” reflects Bowen, who plans to have more new music out in March. “They can criticize and pick at you, but I will always encourage my girls to be who they are.”

And yes, her daughter wore her cowboy boots to school the very next day.

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