Rachel Ashley Platten 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 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, was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and featured the follow-up singles "Stand by You" and "Better Place". Her second major-label album, Waves, peaked at number 73 in the United States of America.
Early life
Platten was born on May 20, 1981, in New York City to Paul and Pamela Platten, and grew up in Newton Centre, Massachusetts and attended the Mason-Rice Elementary School. She was raised Jewish. She has a younger sister, Melanie. 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. At Trinity College, she was a member of the Trinity College Trinitones, the college's first all-female a cappella 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 Monarch finals 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 political science in 2003. She then moved to New York City's Greenwich Village performing in a Prince and Sly and the Family Stonecover band called Dayz of Wild. She performed her solo music around the Village and eventually began touring the country. She has worked with numerous charities: Musicians on Call for 11 years, Music Unites, Ryan Seacrest Foundation, and Live Below the Line, a call to end world poverty.
Career
2011–2014: ''Be Here''
Her first album, Be Here, was released from Rock Ridge Music in 2011 due to the 2003 album Trust in Me cannot appear. Her 2011 single "1,000 Ships" peaked at number 24 on the US BillboardAdult 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. 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, Platten debuted "Fight Song" on the music social network We Heart It as part of an artist spotlight.
2015–2017: ''Wildfire''
On February 19, 2015, Platten released "Fight Song" from Wildfire. The song has been used in various media, as well as serving the official anthem for the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. It reached number six on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two on the Australian Singles Chart, number six in Ireland, number eight in New Zealand, number nine on the BillboardCanadian Hot 100 and number one on the UK Singles Chart. It has quintuple platinum sales in the US. Platten's 2015 Fight Song EP reached number 20 on the Billboard 200. Platten served as a support act on Alex & Sierra's 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 second single named "Stand by You" from Wildfire. It has peaked in the top ten on charts in Canada and the United States, and has peaked in the top twenty on charts in Australia and Poland. The song has since been certified Platinum in the United States. After the Orlando nightclub massacre, 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. In October 2016, Platten sang The Star Spangled Banner prior to Game 1 of the 2016 World Series between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs. On New Year's Eve 2016, Platten co-headlined the Times Square Ball festivities in New York City's Times Square alongside Gavin DeGraw, where she performed "Fight Song", "Stand by You", "Beating Me Up", and John Lennon's "Imagine". In 2017, Platten served as an opening act for two Los Angeles shows and one Las Vegas show on Faith Hill and Tim McGraw’s.
2017–2018: ''Waves''
"Broken Glass", the lead single from her fourth studio album, Waves, was released on August 18, 2017. The album was released on October 27, 2017. In 2018, Platten was the main musical attraction at the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular. Along with performing her singles "Stand By You", "Better Place", and "Fight Song", she also reminisced of her childhood in Boston.
2019: Tour
Platten toured with the musical band Pentatonix as the opening act across North America May–July 2019, and she wrote a children's book titled You Belong, named after her 2018 single.
Personal life
On July 31, 2010, Platten married Kevin Lazan in a Jewish ceremony. In July 2018, Platten announced that they were expecting their first child, a girl. Platten gave birth to their daughter Violet Skye Lazan on January 26, 2019.
