Rachel Platten Receives Diamond Award for “Fight Song”

Ten years after its release, Rachel Platten’s global anthem “Fight Song” is entering a historic new chapter. The empowering hit, which has inspired millions around the world, has received Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), marking over 10 million units sold in the United States.

In celebration of this special milestone, Sony Music Publishing hosted an event last night in Hollywood, CA. Rachel Platten is the 25th female songwriter in history to achieve this milestone, placing her in exceptionally rare company alongside icons like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. There are only 215 songs that have reached Diamond status. However, it’s important to note that Rachel’s “Fight Song” is only the third song that was initially released as an independent record to reach this achievement.

Erin D. D. Burr from RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) shares:

“Rachel Platten released ‘Fight Song’ nearly ten years ago, and her hopeful lyrics like ‘a small boat on the ocean, sending big waves into motion’ have resonated ever since. Now, officially crossing 10 million units in the US alone, the powerful anthem has earned her first RIAA Diamond certification. Congratulations to Rachel and her team for reaching such an incredible milestone that has touched countless of patients through her work with Musicians On Call and inspiring everyone struggling through life’s tough moments.”

Released in 2015, “Fight Song” became a defining anthem of perseverance, widely embraced across cultures, from charity campaigns and sporting arenas to political movements and personal stories of triumph over adversity. But the story behind the song’s creation is just as powerful as the message it carries.

Rachel wrote “Fight Song” in 2011 at a breaking point, unsure if she should even continue her music career. Instead of quitting, she poured everything into the song, rewriting it time and time again until a deeply personal turning point: after her grandfather passed, she used the $10,000 he left her to finally record it independently with producer Jon Levine. Even then, labels rejected it, so Rachel self-released it online, where it slowly gained traction through emotional connections; TV placements, hospital performances, and word of mouth. The breakthrough came in 2015 when a Baltimore radio programmer, moved by his sister’s cancer battle, played it repeatedly, sparking an immediate listener response and launching it into the charts. What followed was a label bidding war, global success, and a decade-long legacy as an anthem of resilience – proof that the song that almost never happened became one of the most powerful personal rallying cries of its time.