Rachel Ashley Platten[1] (born May 20, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and author. After releasing two albums independently in 2003 and 2011, she signed with Columbia Records in 2015 and released her mainstream debut single, "Fight Song", which peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, topped charts in the United Kingdom, and peaked within the top ten of multiple charts worldwide. Platten won a Daytime Emmy Award for a live performance of the song on Good Morning America. Her major-label debut studio album, Wildfire (2016), was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and featured the follow-up singles "Stand by You" and "Better Place". Her second major-label album, Waves (2017), followed a year later.
Outside of music Platten appeared as a model in clothing brand Aerie's advertising campaign in photos that have not been retouched.[2] She appeared on the cover of The Improper Bostonian magazine's May 2018 issue.[3] Platten has supported numerous charities, including, Music Unites, Ryan Seacrest Foundation, Autism Speaks, Los Angeles LGBT Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, BuildOn, and Live Below the Line.[4] She has worked with Musicians on Call since the early 2000s, and is part of a program where she sings bedside to hospital patients.[5] Platten has volunteered for over 50 Musicians On Call programs.[6] The organization honored Platten for her volunteer work with Music Heals Award at a benefit event on December 1, 2015.[7] Platten performed at Global Down Syndrome Foundation's virtual fashion show on November 14, 2020.[8]
Early life
Platten was born on May 20, 1981, in New York City to Paul and Pamela Platten,[9] but grew up in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, where she attended Mason-Rice Elementary School and Oak Hill Middle School.[10][11] Her mother is a therapist.[12] She was raised Jewish. She has a younger sister, Melanie.[13][14] Platten 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.[15] At Trinity College, she was a member of the Trinity College Trinitones, the college's first all-female a cappella group.[15]
As part of study abroad programs, she studied in Rome, Italy for a few months and went to Trinidad for a full semester to do an internship at a diplomat's office and at a record label.[16][17] While she was there, she sang backup for a friend's band in front of over 80,000 people at the International Soca Monarch finals in 2002.[12][18] According to Platten, from that moment on she knew she had to pursue music full-time.[19]
After the Orlando nightclub shooting, Platten announced 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 event.[32] In 2016, she appeared in insurance company Nationwide's commercial, where she sang the company's jingle, "Nationwide is on your side."[33][34]
"Broken Glass", the lead single from her fourth studio album, Waves, was released on August 18, 2017.[38] The album was released on October 27, 2017.[39]ABC News wrote in a favorable review: "Platten's songs often are cemented by a strong message to believe in one’s self. It may seem cheesy to the cynical listeners, but she always sounds like she believes every word she says. You have to give her credit for attempting to turn her art into an inspiring platform. Even when she gets a little too over-the-top on the self-referencing 'Good Life,' you can’t help but root for her."[40] She co-wrote every song on the album.[41] Waves debuted at number 73 on the Billboard 200 chart.[42]
In 2023, Platten released a new song called "Girls", and performed it at the Gracie Awards on May 23, 2024.[46][47] Platten released a song titled "Bad Thoughts" on April 26, 2024.[48] Platten originally wrote it to help herself get through a panic attack.[49] Her fifth studio album, I Am Rachel Platten, was released by her own label Violet Records on September 4, 2024.[50][51]
Public image
Platten performing in 2022.
Platten worked for nearly a decade playing cover performances and recording songs before gaining mainstream recognition as an artist.[52][53] Platten's story and "Fight Song" has served as an inspiration for people around the world, who have used it as a motivation not to lose hope, when experiencing difficulties in life such as cancer, postpartum depression, and unemployment.[52][54][55] In 2017, she was presented with Gracies Impact Award, which is given to an artist who has made a positive impact on society through their music.[56] She wrote "Fight Song" at a low point, saying:[57]
It was about my own journey and my own fire that would not die, that was regardless of how much rejections I was getting, and how impossible it seemed for me to keep trying to make this dream happen, that I just wouldn't give up. The song was written at a moment of really needing to decide, "Dude, I'm 32 or 31, this is a little pathetic. I need to figure this out and get on with my life." Then I wrote "Fight Song" in this moment of just sheer desperation. I will not give up on myself. That's where it came from.
In January 2018, Platten appeared as a model in clothing brand Aerie's advertising campaign in photos that have not been retouched.[2] She appeared on the cover of The Improper Bostonian magazine's May 2018 issue.[3]
She has worked with Musicians on Call since the early 2000s, and is part of a program where she sings bedside to hospital patients.[5] Platten has volunteered for over 50 Musicians On Call programs.[6] The organization honored Platten for her volunteer work with Music Heals Award at a benefit event on December 1, 2015.[7] She performed "Fight Song" and walked the runway at the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women Red Dress Collection 2017 fashion show presented by Macy's at New York Fashion Week on February 9, 2017.[58]
Platten performed at Global Down Syndrome Foundation's virtual fashion show on November 14, 2020.[8]
Personal life
On July 31, 2010, Platten married Kevin Lazan in a Jewish ceremony.[59] Their wedding pictures were featured in Southern New England Weddings magazine in 2010.[60] They have two daughters: Violet Skye, born on January 26, 2019, and Sophie Jo, born on September 9, 2021.[61][62][63][64] She has openly discussed experiencing postpartum depression after the births of her daughters.[65][66][47]
^ ab"Fight song: The story behind the song that has inspired the world". Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture. September 7, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2022. "Your song helped me when I had post-partum depression…when I lost my job…when I didn't have any money to pay the rent…when I was in a car crash…when I was going through chemotherapy…"
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