Rachel Platten Says 2016 Was the Year She “Toughened Up”

December 15, 2016 ABC News Radio

Getty Images via ABCYou’d think that someone who scored a hit with a tune called “Fight Song” would be pretty feisty, but Rachel Platten says it’s only been this year that she’s learned to live up to her signature hit’s title.

“I think I’ve toughened up this year — learned how to be the boss, how to rely on myself,” Rachel tells Billboard. “And I’ve realized that I’m so much stronger than I thought I was. People are always like, ‘Oh, the “Fight Song” girl must be strong.’ But the truth is, I was breaking down a lot…all of a sudden, I was touring around the world — it was a crazy shift.”

Rachel says one particular use of “Fight Song” in 2016 really grabbed her attention: when Hillary Clinton used it during the Democratic National Convention.

“I was watching it at an Airbnb in Venice Beach. I’d just gotten out of the shower, and my song started playing. I had tears in my eyes. I rewound it and rewound it,” she recalls. “It was like, ‘Oh, my God, there’s a woman standing on that stage and that’s the song I wrote when I needed hope…!’ I’m so proud I got to have a little piece in almost electing the first woman president.”

“As women, we almost had our voices heard and then that got taken away,” she adds, but says she’s realized there are things that she can do on her own.

“When I notice myself getting too wrapped up in my ego, that instantly prohibits me being the best version of myself,” Rachel reveals. “So I flip the script and say, ‘Oh, yeah, I can go sing at a hospital or serve food at a homeless shelter. I can partner with another charity.’ I can do all these things and realize I have power. I’m not powerless.”