Rachel Platten

Rachel Ashley Platten is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is best known for her diamond-certified single "Fight Song," which reached the top ten on charts worldwide, peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100, and topped the UK Singles Chart. 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."

Platten was born on May 20, 1981, in Queens, New York City, to Paul and Pamela Platten, and grew up in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, alongside her younger sister. She attended Mason-Rice Elementary School, Oak Hill Middle School, and Buckingham Browne & Nichols high school. Having studied piano from age five and guitar in high school, she later attended Trinity College, where she joined the all-female a cappella group Trinitones as a beatboxer. After singing backup at the 2002 International Soca Monarch finals during a study abroad internship in Trinidad, she decided to pursue music full-time, graduating with a political science degree in 2003.

In 2003, Platten self-released her debut R&B album, Trust in Me. She relocated to New York City's Greenwich Village, working as a waitress, jingle writer, and salesperson while performing in a cover band called Dayz of Wild. She signed with management company The Brain Music in 2009 and released her second album, Be Here, through Rock Ridge Music in 2011. Its single "1,000 Ships" charted on the US Billboard Adult Top 40, and several of her songs were licensed for film and television productions, including Pretty Little Liars and The Good Guy.

In June 2014, Platten debuted "Fight Song" on We Heart It. After signing with Columbia Records in 2015, she officially released the single, which earned her a Daytime Emmy Award for a live performance on Good Morning America. She opened for artists such as Andy Grammer, Colbie Caillat, and Christina Perri before releasing her major-label debut, Wildfire, in January 2016. The album debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200, and she supported it with her headlining Wildfire Tour.

Platten released her second major-label album, Waves, in October 2017, co-writing every song on the project. In 2020, she published a children's book titled You Belong. She released her fifth studio album, I Am Rachel Platten, through her label Violet Records in September 2024. In September 2025, she released Fight Song (Rachel's Version), an album containing re-recorded songs inspired by Taylor Swift's re-recordings. In 2026, she competed as "Pangolin" on season fourteen of The Masked Singer.

Beyond her music releases, Platten has engaged in extensive charity work. She has volunteered for more than 50 Musicians On Call programs bedside in hospitals, earning the Music Heals Award in 2015. She also received the Gracies Impact Award in 2017 and has supported organizations including Autism Speaks, BuildOn, and the Ryan Seacrest Foundation. Additionally, she modeled unretouched photos for clothing brand Aerie in 2018.