Scarlett Rabe is not afraid to be who she is.

Today, the crimson-haired singer-songwriter is proud to stand up for what she believes in, penning songs with hauntingly poignant lyrics that deliver the kind of raw truth that many young pop stars shy away from. But that wasn't always the case for Rabe, who lived the majority of her life feeling restricted and stifled.

Growing up as the oldest of eight in a strict, religious household, Rabe, who was trained as a classical pianist, felt such pressure to live up to her parents' expectations that she remembers wishing so strongly that she could "cut this part of my heart out and take it away," she tells PopCrush, choking up at the memory. Her family was so rigid that she grew up without a television and had no exposure to pop culture -- or pop music -- at all. In fact, it wasn't until a friend introduced her to Queen and other artists that she found her true calling in life as a pop musician -- a decision that forced her to venture out on her own, leaving behind her life in Arizona to head to Los Angeles.

"I'd rather just live without the people that love me and be able to live the life that is mine," Rabe recalls, thinking about the liberating and life-changing moment. "I just got to the point where I couldn't live somebody else's idea of what my life was going to be."

That is the message behind the anthemic 'Battle Cry,' Rabe's explosive single that courageously explores the idea of facing your fears -- and yourself. In the tune, Rabe pays tribute to strong female icons of the past, including Amelia Earhart and Joan of Arc.

Exclusive Premiere: Watch Scarlett Rabe's 'Battle Cry' Lyric Video

"The fire is what ultimately took Joan of Arc's life, and the ocean is what ultimately took Amelia Earhart's life," Rabe explains about the decision to mention the figures in her song. "But the point is that they weren't afraid of those things. And we remember them because they weren't afraid."

And lyrics -- like those of 'Battle Cry,' which you can see in the exclusive lyric video premiere here on PopCrush -- are not something that Rabe chooses lightly.

"I really search and dig for the way that I can say it just right," she tells us about her songwriting process, picking and choosing words that "perfectly paint a picture."

For something as significant as the 'Battle Cry' lyric video, Rabe had a clear picture in mind.

"I wanted something that would show the lyrics because there is so much emphasis on that," Rabe explains fervently. "I just wanted it to look really raw and stripped [and] have this undone [look]. I love how it came out."

But lyrics aren't the only thing that the 'Battle Cry' singer is passionate about when it comes to her career. When asked what she hopes to accomplish with her music, Rabe does not hold back about the connection that she wants to have with her fans.

"I just want to perform every single place on the entire earth where there is one person who wants to listen," she tells us candidly. "I have this recurring dream of millions and millions and millions of mouths singing my lyrics back at me."

With over one million Facebook fans, Rabe is well on her way. And with the premiere of her 'Battle Cry' lyric video, Scarlett Rabe is one step closer to accomplishing her dream.

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