One year ago, Newton singer Rachel Platten was just beginning to see a strange spike in sales of her feel-good anthem, “Fight Song.’’ The track had been played during an episode of “Pretty Little Liars,’’ and the exposure seemed to be fueling downloads.

“It had just started to sort of catch in a very small way,’’ she remembers.

By the spring — after a Baltimore radio station put the tune on rotation — Platten had signed with Columbia Records. By summer, she was sharing stages with big names such as Taylor Swift. On Dec. 31, she performed as part of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in Los Angeles. And on Jan. 1, she celebrated the release of her new album, “Wildfire.’’ As of Tuesday, her latest single, “Stand by You,’’ was No. 50 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, just a few steps away from Adele’s track “When We Were Young.’’

It’s a high for Platten, 34, who had a minor hit in 2011 with “1,000 Ships,’’ but has been waiting years for a big break. “I refuse to give up. That was never going to happen,’’ she told us.

Tuesday afternoon, Platten was at the Hanover Mall, where a pack of young female fans waited to get her autograph, or, more likely, a picture. “They want selfies,’’ Platten said, of her fans, while she waited in the mall management office before her appearance. “Autographed phone cases. A lot of them want to tell me their stories. I try to listen as much as I can.’’

Platten told us that she wouldn’t be in Hanover for long. She had plans to head to New York for gigs that include a “Today’’ show performance Thursday morning. There was just enough time to see her family, including her 93-year-old nana, Mildred.

A Newton note: Platten did confirm that she went to Buckingham Browne & Nichols with Mindy Kaling. She said they were in the same singing group, and traveled together internationally.