Raised on a farm in the small town of Quincy, Wash., Holly Starr is not afraid of hard work. In fact, the farm girl in Starr much prefers the dirt and grime to the glamour of the spotlight. That’s why she’s still confounded as to how she arrived at this place in life, releasing her second full-length record, Tapestry, and working with one of the industry’s most sought-after producers (Dove Award-winning Rusty Varenkamp).

Named after her grandmother, Starr definitely lives up to her name, though being a “star” is the furthest thing from her mind. “Grace is so real in my life, and I can’t even express that in words,” the 19-year-old says. “I have felt so inadequate and unprepared for every single thing that has happened from day one. I live in Quincy, first of all; there’s no one in the music business there. How in the world did this happen?”

Growing up on a farm in Washington state, Starr learned about hard work and long hours, and she continues to prefer this over the spotlight when it comes to her music ministry. At just 19 years old, she has become an established songwriter, shared the stage with country superstar LeAnn Rimes, and performed at numerous major festivals and churches across the nation, buiding a solid fan base. I got the chance to interview Holly to talk to her about her song, "Undertow."

Please tell me the personal story behind writing the song "Undertow."

I’ve been writing this song for years based on experiences in my life. Am I crazy if I tell you that I have struggled with being addicted to people's perception of me? If so, then consider me crazy. Over the last few years, beginning in high school, a fear was set in my bones that made me anxious about every word I said, every shirt I put on, and specifically how in-shape I appeared, because I was an athlete. It would be easy for me to tell you that my struggle was only my image, but it wasn't. It was more. I deeply feared being misperceived and misunderstood. It would often leave me limp and broken when I was alone, meditating only on how I messed up--again. What was the reason for this? I am still praying about it.

“Undertow” was written with that struggle in mind, as well as the lessons I am still learning. I felt God calling me into a music ministry. I graduated from high school and recognized that I still have this deep rooted fear of what people think of me. I have felt God’s assurance that it does not matter. The horizontal issues of my life are not what I should be worried about. The song is about ridding myself of my addiction of wanting approval and self-image issues.

Do you have a life verse or any Bible verses you used in writing the song?

My life verse, which goes perfectly with this song, is Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart    and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

What's the takeaway message for listeners regarding the song?

I have always dealt with the issue of worry and fear I my life. God has shown me with my life verse that I need to trust Him completely. I was in a conversation with my brother, Luke, one day about my fear of being perceived wrongly, when he said something that will rock my life for a long time. He said, "Holly, every day you will get up and look at yourself in the mirror. You can either choose to live your life serving the one staring back at you, which is already dead and dying through Christ, or you can focus on the eternal life that you have been given." After this conversation, my mind started rolling, and still is. What a habit I have had to serve what I see in the mirror everyday, instead of what really matters: the eternal life within me.

Here are the lyrics:

Addicted to this habit
I pretend that I don't have it
Right now it's hurting more than ever before
I fall down I'm gonna hit the bottom floor
I can't do this anymore

This isn't easy
Fighting these feelings
I try but I'm caught in the undertow
You are my rescue
I'm numb from my black and blue
I try but I'm caught in the undertow
Pull me up
Out of the undertow

Break down what I can't let go
Shut out the fears that haunt
Times up, I can't hold my breath anymore
Speak now, Your words will bring me back to the shore

Here’s Matthew Henry’s commentary on Proverbs 3:5-6: “We must trust in the Lord with all our hearts, believing He is able and wise to do what is best. Those who know themselves, find their own understandings a broken reed, which, if they lean upon, will fail. Do not design any thing but what is lawful, and beg God to direct you in every case, though it may seem quite plain. In all our ways that prove pleasant, in which we gain our point, we must acknowledge God with thankfulness. In all our ways that prove uncomfortable, and that are hedged up with thorns, we must acknowledge Him with submission. It is promised, He shall direct thy paths; so that thy way shall be safe and good, and happy at last.”

What a great message that we all need sometimes. I recently studied Proverbs, and there are many great songs based on Proverbs 3:5-6, including the hymns “Trust And Obey” by Big Daddy Weave, “Pass Me Not” by Fernando Ortega and “You Are My Hiding Place” by Selah, as well as the mega-hit song “Free To Be Me” by Francesca Battistelli. For me, the most encouraging part of the song “Undertow” is the message that I don’t have to be perfect or worry about people’s perceptions of me. I know that God loves me just as I am. Amen.