Mollie King's Feel-Good Feed: 90s TV shows and cooking

Welcome to Mollie’s Feel-Good Feed, a place where each week Mollie King shares her round-up of the things bringing her joy in these strange and uncertain times. Check back each week for uplifting music, self care tips and, hopefully, a smile being put on your face.

This week saw massive positive change internationally, as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in as US President and Vice President respectively, asking for unity and peace. Back here in the UK, over four million COVID vaccinations have reached our most vulnerable.

However, despite having high hopes for January, Blue Monday reared its head this week. It's said to be the most depressing day of the year, so I do hope you’ve been ok and have been able to stay positive and look to happier days ahead in the hopefully not too distant future.

With that in mind, I’ve got lots of distractions and tips to help with escapism this week that include a new record-breaking artist, who, unbelievably, has already outdone Ed Sheeran. Let’s get stuck in!

Music

This artist may only be 17 years old, but she is already a songwriter, Disney-star and, now, pop star phenomenon. Last week, Olivia Rodrigo broke the record for the highest number of single-day streams ever for a non-Christmas song, even topping Ed Sheeran’s Shape Of You. I think she's someone here with a purpose and intends to stay. Mentored by Taylor Swift, you can tell she's already a pro at how it all works, which comes in handy as she's continually questioned about the rumours that this debut heartbreak single is about a fellow Disney star. Drivers License immediately topped the UK charts at number one last week. Maybe that's down to the fact that millions of us have felt the effects of a broken heart and the highs and lows of a relationship. Olivia, we’re big fans already and can’t wait to hear more from you!

My next music recommendation comes from an artist who's already a household name thanks to huge hits like Lush Life and Ain’t My Fault. Not only does Zara Larsson have one of the most distinctive voices in pop music right now, but she also pushes boundaries and strives for a new sound. Her latest demonstration of that is in her single Talk About Love with Young Thug. With an anthemic chorus that goes around my head all day, this is already a favourite of mine from the pop princess.

TV

This series is already very well known, but you might have been slightly too young, like me, to have watched Dawson’s Creek the first time round. With Netflix bringing back lots of our favourite 90s and early 00s shows, cue Gossip Girl and Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, it was only right to add Dawson’s Creek into the mix as well. Following a group of teenagers as they explore love, sex and relationships for the first time, this was seen as rather scandalous when it first aired. However, now it suits perfectly as a relaxing background watch to wind down a day of working from home and recovering from back to back Zoom calls. Not only is it very bingeable, it also reminds us of when Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, James Van Der Beek and Michelle Williams first hit our screens. Oh how young they all look!

Self-care

Self-care is a really interesting one. As I've said before, it's such a personal thing to each of us. What makes one of us feel good is unique to that person and differs from one individual to another. This week, for my own TLC, I’ve thrown myself into cooking. I’ll be honest, I'm a complete beginner and I've found myself in the kitchen as more of a necessity than a choice, because my fiancé, who normally does all the cooking, is away for three months.

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At first the thought of this filled me with fear, but strangely as the weeks have gone on, I’ve found myself craving that time in the kitchen. I put the radio on and really switch off whilst making whatever meal I fancy...the joys of currently living alone. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t suddenly turned into Delia Smith (I can only dream), but I’ve very slowly started experimenting with more dishes and have started to build a little bit of confidence in it. The smoke alarm isn't going off quite as much and I truly believe that having this time each evening, and actually looking forward to, rather than fearing it, has given me something to smile about in the evenings. Whether it’s cooking, exercising, meditating or bingeing the latest Netflix series, I hope you’re able to find time to look after yourself as well as the people around you. Until next time… stay safe and wish me luck in the kitchen!

Read more from Mollie:

Mollie King rose to fame as one-fifth of the multi-platinum selling girl band, The Saturdays. The last few years have seen her become a Radio 1 DJ, present across flagship TV shows and a campaign in Parliament.

During her time in The Saturdays, the group sold over five million records worldwide, achieving 13 Top 10 singles and five Top 10 albums. The band also embarked on four nationwide tours and had three primetime TV series, including Chasing the Saturdays for E! which aired in over 40 countries.

In 2018, Mollie turned her hand to presenting and after guest presenting for several weeks on Matt Edmondson’s Radio 1 show, she was offered a permanent role at the station. The duo began hosting the Matt & Mollie Weekend Breakfast show and 2021 moved their new afternoon slot. Mollie also presents her own Friday morning show Best New Pop, sharing music from her most loved genre. After only six months into her role at Radio 1, Mollie won the silver award for ‘Best New Presenter’ at the 2018 ARIA Radio Academy Awards.

In addition to Radio, Mollie has also guest presented This Morning several times, including a month-long stint in the summer of 2018. She’s covered the entertainment slot on Lorraine, and guest presented on Blue Peter. In 2019, Mollie hosted The Greatest Dancer podcast for the BBC. She also presented the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards, alongside Greg James and Maya Jama, which aired on BBC2. Mollie also took part in the 15th series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2017, making it all the way to the semi-finals.

Away from her TV and Radio work Mollie writes a weekly column for Marie Claire magazine, ‘Mollie’s Feel Good Feed’ and has worked with numerous brands including Estée Lauder, L’Oreal, Amazon, GHD and Aspinal of London.

Mollie is a proud ambassador for the Dyslexia Association, a learning disorder she was diagnosed with as a child. Mollie is very passionate about campaigning for early diagnostic tests in schools, as well as funding to support children through education with Dyslexia and spoke about this in Parliament in 2019.

Mollie is also a Born Free anti-captivity ambassador, has worked closely with the charity Mothers2Mothers and traveled to Ghana in 2014 with REDD charity to help raise awareness and funds for HIV.