• May 22, 1981
• Rachel Ashley Platten studied classical piano from the age of 5 and dreamt about music as a career but never really thought it could happen in real life. "I grew up playing classical piano and I knew I could sing but I had no model to follow creatively," she said. "The idea of growing up to be an artist seemed impossible."
• As a teenager, Rachel gravitated towards, and began to become affected by what on the face of it are two completely different genres; hip-hop and female singer-songwriters. "My CD collection was Tori Amos and Patti Griffin but then A Tribe Called Quest and Nas," she recalled. The link between the two was confessional and vulnerable songwriting.
• She graduated with a degree in international relations in 2003, but the electricity Platten felt on stage meant that the 22-year-old knew she had to pursue music full-time. Rachel immediately moved to New York City where she took up residence in the very apartment building on MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village where Bob Dylan once lived.
• Platten spent the next ten years putting in the hard yards accepting any and every gig seeking her big break. She told The Idolator this involved: "Playing 1 a.m. until 4 a.m. in New York City with friends on Bleaker St. Playing cover gigs, traveling the country in my mom's SUV. Putting out independent things and getting fired from a lot of jobs. Eating a lot of cereal, no milk. Yeah, I mean I was trying this whole time, you know, I've been trying."
• After a decade of hard work, success still seemed a long way away. During this time, a conversation with her soon to be manager, Ben Singer, helped re-ignite Platten's passion and gave her the focus she needed. "Ben helped me realize that I had to start my own fire and my songs would be the sparks," she said.
• After two years of writing, Platten hit gold with "Fight Song." The empowerment anthem was just the message people wanted to hear. It gained early exposure thanks to its placement in the Christmas 2014 themed episode of ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars and gradually moved up the charts, eventually becoming a Top 10 hit.
• Platten is Jewish through her father Paul's side: her grandparents Sumner Platten and Celia Grushka, who spoke Yiddish, and her mother's mother, Bobbi Abrams.
• Rachel first met her husband Kevin Lazan in New York City. He was a lawyer at the time. "We just clicked instantly," she told Southern New England Weddings magazine. "Kevin is kind and brilliant, he loves music and is an incredible movie-quoter, something I rate very highly."
  
  The pair got married in a Jewish ceremony in 2012.
• Rachel Platten is determined to look after her voice: "We have Jack Daniel's on our rider, but we end up never actually drinking it," she told Billboard magazine. "You have to be in amazing shape to tour like this, so you can't party too much. Instead it's usually Throat Coat tea, green smoothies and hot water with lemon."
• Platten deals with the stresses that come with success by practicing yoga. She said: "I'm a yogi. I'll do yoga in green rooms and outside the tour bus. When I'm in my hotel room, I'll pump up the heat and turn it into a hot yoga class."

Comments

More Songfacts:

The G.O.A.T.LL Cool J

With his song "The G.O.A.T.," as in Greatest Of All Time, LL Cool J popularized that saying in hip-hop. He credits the boxer Muhammad Ali, who called himself "The Greatest," as inspiration.

Dixie ChickenLittle Feat

The Dixie Chicks got their name from the Little Feat song "Dixie Chicken." In 2020 they became "The Chicks" because Dixie refers to the American South in times of slavery.

She Blinded Me With ScienceThomas Dolby

Thomas Dolby wrote "She Blinded Me With Science" so he could direct the video, which was inspired by silent films and set in a "home for deranged scientists."

We Didn't Start The FireBilly Joel

Billy Joel wrote "We Didn't Start The Fire" after a 21-year-old told him, "everyone knows that nothing happened in the '50s."

Ziggy StardustDavid Bowie

David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" was likely based on various musicians in his ambit, including Iggy Pop (zIGGY), and Jimi Hendrix, who played guitar left-handed ("He played it left hand").

RhiannonFleetwood Mac

"Rhiannon" is a Welch goddess. Stevie Nicks wrote the song, and it was a huge influence on her image, inspiring her flowing shawls and black outfits she began wearing on stage.

Editor's Picks

Danny KortchmarSongwriter Interviews

Danny played guitar on Sweet Baby James, Tapestry, and Running On Empty. He also co-wrote many hit songs, including "Dirty Laundry," "Sunset Grill" and "Tender Is The Night."

John Lee HookerSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for Bruce Pollock's 1984 conversation with the esteemed bluesman. Hooker talks about transforming a Tony Bennett classic and why you don't have to be sad and lonely to write the blues.

Who Wrote That Song?Music Quiz

Do you know who wrote Patti Smith's biggest hit? How about the Grease theme song? See if you can match the song to the writer.

The Punk Photography of Chris SteinSong Writing

Chris Stein of Blondie shares photos and stories from his book about the New York City punk scene.

Ian Astbury of The CultSongwriter Interviews

The Cult frontman tells who the "Fire Woman" is, and talks about performing with the new version of The Doors.

Donny OsmondSongwriter Interviews

Donny Osmond talks about his biggest hits, his Vegas show, and the fan who taught him to take "Puppy Love" seriously.