Originally from a little town in Arkansas, Rachel Hale moved to Nashville to attend Belmont University. In 2013, during her senior year of college, she auditioned for "American Idol" season 12. “Because of online auditions, nearly half a million people auditioned, and it was at that time the most people that had ever auditioned for a season,” she says. “It really was a miracle if you made it on the show.”
Rachel not only made the cut, but she also ended up being one of the top 20 female finalists. One of the most memorable moments would be her very first audition before the judges, who at that time were Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban. “Before that audition, I prayed that God's joy would be in the room, and during that audition, that's what they talked about,” she says. “They said the moment I walked in, they felt so much joy.”
During the show, Billboard Magazine ranked her performance of Grace Potter’s "Nothing But The Water" as one of the top moments of the season. It was a dream come true and opened many doors on her journey to musical success.
Since then, Rachel has shared the stage with Peter Frampton and Ricky Skaggs, and opened for stars including Tracy Byrd, Joe Nichols, Joe Diffie and Chris Cagle. In 2022, she released her single, "A Man," and has more new music coming out soon.
In addition to singing and writing songs, she’s also a great cook, and turned her love of healthy food into a series on Instagram. “I took a break from music for a bit and went to California to finish school,” she says. “I graduated during the pandemic, and was missing music every day. We had mandatory stay-at-home orders and everybody was just depressed. I'd been eating a paleo diet pretty consistently for about three years and my friends were always asking for recipes. Since my last name is Hale, I started a cooking show called "Hale’s Kitchen," a spin on Gordon Ramsay’s "Hell’s Kitchen.”
In the series, Rachel teams up with paleo companies and has celebrity guests join in the fun. “It's just one of those planes that I’m building in the air,” she says. “I really love it and I'm grateful for it.”
She truly believes in giving thanks. “When you’re thankful, you see just how much you have and how blessed you are. You feel empowered to actually change the situation around you. When you face an obstacle, instead of knocking on other people’s doors for help, figure out how to build your own door. That door is actually going to be your platform.”
Rachel’s also paired with Katie Dixon, a finalist on Master Chef and Food Network Star, for a show called "Bibles and Biscuits" on Instagram Live, and she was just booked for a live taping of the "Huckabee Show" in Hendersonville on August 30.
RachelHaleMusic.com and Instagram @rachelhalemusic.
"When you face an obstacle, instead of knocking on other people’s doors for help, figure out how to build your own door. That door is actually going to be your platform.”