TRENDING

For most teens, showcasing their talents in front of millions of prying eyes—and ears—can be frightening. But Rachel, who packed her bags and moved to L.A. with her parents a couple years ago to pursue her dreams, doesn’t seem to flinch. And even though she didn’t walk away with the top prize on FOX’s reality singing competition last year, she’s pushing through to the top, inspiring other teens to do the same.   

She just released her self-titled EP in June, has popped up on Nickelodeon in episodes of Fred: The Show and Figure It Out. Oh, yea, and she’s spending the summer on the road with Big Time Rush and Cody Simpson. Can you say jealous?!

“I’m with five boys so I feel a little left out,” Rachel jokes of her summer gig. “Cody [Simpson] is all skateboarding and surfing and Carlos [Pena] is zooming by me on his Segway while all of their dogs are running after him,” she describes life on the road. Hilarious!

Want more from Rachel? We had her spill the six biggest things every girl needs to do this summer before heading back to class. Get ready for an awesome year!

Learn to deal with mean girls. “Hold your head up,” the “Mean Girls” singer says of handling school bullies. “Just saying ‘thank you’ and walking away will really confuse them. You kind of have to look into their life and know that they’re [the ones who are] insecure.”

Perfect your back-to-school ’do. “Use a lot of conditioner,” the cutie advises other curly-haired gals. “I really like peach tree oil conditioner because it smells really good. Leave a little bit in and comb it out after you shower. And then get any kind of curly serum and let it air dry. Sometimes I’ll turn [my head] over and put my fingers through it and it will get really big. Or you can get a small curling iron and curl those [strands] that just don’t want to curl.”

Stock up on magnets. “Sometimes you’re gonna have papers you need to keep, so just get a magnet and stick it in your locker so you know where it is. Not the ones with sayings on them, though. I’ve had them before, and lots of people wanted to take them—especially boys. Just colorful ones would be good.”

Start an end-of-summer tradition. “My mother and I always had a tradition that she would take me to get my first couple of back-to-school outfits and school supplies. We’d get them and be really excited!”

Practice confidence. “It’s something [from the] inside. You just gotta put out that aura that you’re secure in your own skin. Honestly, when I see a girl walking down the street and she seems confident, I just think, ‘That is a beautiful person.’”

Catch Rachel at a Big Time Rush show. “I have this colorful, 10-foot flower on my stage, this colorful boom box and podium I stand on and these backgrounds that are just out of this world,” Rachel says of the show. “And then Cody’s got this cool, rugged metal-color look. And then there’s Big Time Rush’s background that’s like an unfinished building. There are fireworks. It’s just really cool.”

Where are Rachel Crow, Cody Simpson and BTR heading next? CLICK HERE for a complete list of upcoming tour stops.

Catch her EP right here!

by Patricia McNamara | 2/1/2016