Rachel Platten's rise as a singer-songwriter is 'nuts'

From supermodels to sport stars and other musicians, Taylor Swift has not been short of a special guest on her 1989 tour.

But for Rachel Platten, being able to sing her break-out track Fight Song in front of 70,000 people was a dream come true.

She'd been travelling in a van for nearly 13 years playing to small crowds.

Then the 34-year-old wrote a song about not giving up and things changed.

Rachel Platten performing with Taylor Swift in Philadelphia on her 1989 tour

"This has been nuts," she excitedly tells Newsbeat.

"Six months ago I was in a van about to play to 20 people, we were in the middle of a snowstorm.

"Fight Song had started to get play on one radio station and it was shazaming very quickly after 10 spins.

Rachel Platten's break out track Fight Song has sold more than one million copies in America

"My manager called me and said, 'You need to get to LA.' And I was, 'Yeah, yeah, ok sure.' He's like, 'No, no tomorrow.' And within 72 hours I was signed."

She fondly remembers those years travelling around the States playing any gig she could, even the 1am to 4am slots.

"It wasn't until very recently that I got so frustrated and so much self-doubt that I wrote Fight Song," she explains.

"It is about that feeling of do I give up on myself or do I keep believing?

"Once I wrote that song and made that decision, it took a little while, but funny enough that made my dreams come true."

Taylor Swift singing Fight Song with Rachel Platten in her dressing room

The song has sold more than one million copies in the States, is now an anthem for the Girl Scouts in America, plus Taylor Swift loves it.

"Taylor is a sweetheart, it has been really awesome getting to know her," Rachel says of her new friend.

"I was playing a pre-show for her show in Pittsburgh, basically playing the parking lot outside of her stadium," she explains.

Rachel Platten performs on her The Girls Night Out, Boys Can Come Too Tour 2015 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

"My manager and her manager know each other and I was like, 'I would love to meet Taylor.' And it turns out Taylor was a fan of Fight Song.

"She was like, 'Yeah I would like to meet Rachel too.' And so we hung out and we connected and bonded."

Bonded so well, Taylor posted an Instagram video of them singing Fight Song and then invited her to come sing at her Philadelphia gig.

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