Exclusive: Steve Moakler Discusses Unique Origin of New Single ‘Born Ready’

Steve Moakler released his new single, “Born Ready,” in early February, and the driving, anthemic tune already has fans eager to hear the rest of the singer’s upcoming work. Born from Moakler’s partnership with Mack Trucks, “Born Ready” speaks to hours spent on the road, something both Moakler and the truckers he wrote the track about can relate to.

In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com., Moakler revealed the origin of the song, sharing that while he originally wrote the track about other people, he soon found the lyrics speaking to himself.

“The song has a very, very unique origin,” he said, explaining that a song on his previous album, Steel Town, detailed a bar in his grandfather’s basement. That song led Moakler to a partnership with Mack Trucks, and he began writing a song for them. At first, he thought of the track as a job, but it quickly turned into something more.

“Little did I know, I start writing the song for them, and it ends up, I feel like, ‘Wait a second, I love this song. I want to put this on my record,’” he said. “It kind of struck a nerve. I felt like I related to it. I was really writing the song about long-haul truck drivers, but the last two years I’ve been on the road so much. We’ve been at truck stops. We’ve been side by side with them. In a lot of ways, I felt like I identified.”

“This song is kind of what, I kind of said, ‘Hey, I think that’s the lens of this whole record.’ There are so many songs that are inspired by the road, and kind of closing the distance between where you are and where you want to be. That was why we chose this to be the leadoff song.”

Moakler shared that “Born Ready,” as well as his upcoming album of the same name, reflect the hard-working values of Steel Town.

“It’s the same kind of values I think as Steel Town, but those things are all tried, you take them on the road,” he said. “Our identities, our dreams, our emotions, everything is, I think, tried on the road. I think the road refines you, it clarifies.”

Hear “Born Ready” below.

Photo Credit: CN Records (Creative Nation Records)