Rachel Platten

Posted July 2, 20168 yr

Rachel Ashley Platten was born on May 20, 1981 to parents Paul and Pamela Platten. She was born in New York City but grew up in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. She studied classical piano from the age of 5 and then took up guitar in high school. She attended Buckingham Browne and Nichols high school, where she sang in the school's singing group. At Trinity College, she was a member of the Trinitones, the college's all-female acappella group.

As a part of a study abroad program, she went to Trinidad to do an internship at a diplomat's office and at a record label. While she was there, she sang backup for a friend's band in front of over 80,000 people at the International Soca Monarchfinals in 2002. According to Platten, from that moment on she knew she had to pursue music full-time. Platten graduated from Trinity College with a degree in international relations in 2003. She then moved to New York City's Greenwich Village where she cut her teeth playing with a Prince and Sly and the Family Stone cover band called Dayz of Wild. In 2010, she married Kevin Lazan in a Jewish ceremony. She performed her solo music around the Village and eventually began touring the country. She has worked with numerous charities, Musicians on Call (where she sings bedside to hospital patients) for 11 years and she is an ambassador for Music Unites. She also works with the Ryan Seacrest Foundation and was an ambassador for Live Below the Line (a call to end world poverty).

Rachel Platten released her debut studio album Trust in Me in 2003 – which she has called "a collection of demos". Her second album, Be Here, was released from Rock Ridge Music in 2011. Her 2011 single "1,000 Ships" peaked at number 24 on the US Billboard Adult Top 40 chart, also playing at various radio stations. An earlier song, "Seven Weeks", was used for the film The Good Guy. The theme song for ABC Family's Jane by Design, "Work of Art" was performed by Platten on hire. Also, her song "Begin Again" was used in the hit ABC Family TV show Pretty Little Liars 100th episode "Miss Me x 100". Her song "Don't Care What Time It Is" was used in VH1's Basketball Wives. Her song "You're Safe" was used in MTV's Finding Carter in September 2014. On June 27, 2014 Rachel debuted "Fight Song" on We Heart It as part of an artist spotlight.

She is now signed to Columbia Records, with an official Vevo account, and in the spring of 2015 released the single "Fight Song" (co-written by Platten and Dave Bassett) from Wildfire. The song is a midtempo anthemic pop song, a self-affirmation song whose music is stylistically in the vein of such top pop artists as Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, and Taylor Swift. The song was used in the Christmas episode of Pretty Little Liars' fifth season and in promos for the fourth season of Revenge on the Seven Network in Australia. She released the news to her fans through a Facebook post that read, "To every single person that's ever believed in me, to every mile that I've driven across the country, you made this moment that much sweeter. Proud to have just signed to Columbia Records. Time to spread the love." In May 2015, the song was featured in the trailer for the then-upcoming CBS TV series Supergirl and is also being used in a commercial for Ford cars.

"Fight Song" climbed the chart and reached number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number 2 on the Australian Singles Chart, number 6 in Ireland, number 8 in New Zealand, number 9 on the Billboard Canadian chart and number 1 on the UK Singles Chart. It has also reached double platinum sales in the US, selling over 2 million copies. Platten's 2015 Fight Song EP reached number 20 on the Billboard 200. Platten served as a support act on Alex & Sierra and Andy Grammer's "The Good Guys & A Girl Tour" in early 2015. She then toured with Colbie Caillat and Christina Perri on their "Girls Night Out, Boys Can Come Too Tour" throughout the summer of 2015. On September 11, 2015, Platten released a new single named "Stand by You" from Wildfire, through Sony Music Entertainment. Hillary Clinton plays "Fight Song" when she walks onstage during her Presidential rallies. Platten announced on the [Today Show] that proceeds from the new acoustic version of her “Fight Song” will benefit the National Compassion Fund, working to support the needs of people impacted by the Orlando nightclub massacre.