Welcome to the Music Industry (Taylor’s Version). On Monday (Aug. 25), Rachel Platten announced that she’s taking a page out of Taylor Swift‘s book by re-recording some of her biggest hits — including 2015’s Billboard Hot 100 smash “Fight Song” — in an effort to reclaim her voice, just like the pop superstar did.
Sharing her new project’s black-and-white cover art with the title Fight Song (Rachel’s Version), the New York native revealed in her caption that she will release a collection of new takes on a handful of her older songs on Sept. 26. The LP will also feature some live recordings, plus a “surprise from the vault” — much like Swift’s Taylor’s Version releases, each of which included previously unreleased “Vault” songs that had been scrapped from their respective albums’ original tracklists.
“As we celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Fight Song, I had no idea when I wrote these songs in moments of vulnerability that they would go on to change my life,” Platten wrote in her caption. “For a decade, they’ve lived out in the world, carrying their own weight. They’ve been parts of your moments of strength, doubt, and connection.”
“I’ve gone back to some of my originals, not to change them, but to reclaim them,” she continued. “This is about more than just new versions of old songs; the new Rachel’s Versions are infused with the voice I have now, the wisdom I’ve gained, and the undeniable pride of owning my own masters. I’m grateful to @TaylorSwift for bringing this conversation to light and empowering artists to take back control over their work, their stories, and their futures.”
Released in 2015 via Columbia Records, “Fight Song” spent months climbing the charts before peaking at No. 6 on the Hot 100 that August. One person who was definitely a fan of the track just so happened to be Swift, who brought Platten out onstage with her to sing it for thousands of fans at a 1989 World Tour show in Philadelphia more than a decade ago.
“Fight Song” has since become one of the world’s best-known anthems for perseverance in the face of hardship, serving as Hillary Clinton’s campaign song the year after it was released. It would find a home in 2016 on Platten’s album Wildfire, which reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200.
And while Platten is just starting out on her journey to take back ownership of her life’s work, Swift recently reached the culmination of hers. In a move that wrapped up six-plus years of oftentimes tense negotiations between the 14-time Grammy winner, Scooter Braun and Shamrock Capital — during which time she re-recorded four of her first six albums, bringing discussions about artist rights and fair recording contracts into the general public’s consciousness — Swift was finally able to purchase the rights to her back catalog earlier this year.
“To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,” Swift wrote in a letter on her website announcing the deal in May. “I’m extremely heartened by the conversations this saga has reignited within my industry among artists and fans. Every time a new artist tells me they negotiated to own their master recordings in their record contract because of this fight, I’m reminded of how important it was for all of this to happen.”
See Platten’s post below.
