Mollie's feel-good feed: Heatwave edition

There's no better fime for feel-good, summery tunes

Mollie King - Mollie's Feel-Good Feed
(Image credit: Getty Images)

There's no better fime for feel-good, summery tunes

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.

Happy Friday! I hope you’re one of the lucky ones who like me, has had blue skies and long days of sunshine this week. It certainly lifts the spirits, doesn't it?

Many of us have also welcomed some small changes to our daily lives; this week was the first time I’d seen my two sisters since lockdown began, just spending a few hours together in the garden. For a lot of us it’s starting to feel like things are slowly but surely heading back towards normality.

So this week, with the feeling of a lovely hot summer flirting with us, it seemed only right to recommend a song that’s guaranteed to get us all dancing in the sunshine, as well as some beauty products to get our skin glowing as we welcome those rays.

Singles

Let’s start with a song to get your feet tapping or hips moving – especially if you’ve ventured onto TikTok during lockdown – Daði Freyr with Think About Things. Surprisingly enough, it was a Eurovision Song Contest entry, which would not normally be a hit in the UK charts!

However, Iceland’s entry has been gathering more and more momentum, as even though the show itself had to be cancelled, the entry songs have still been released. This one definitely lifts your mood in these strange times!

How are your vocals feeling this week? Have they been sounding good in the shower? Well, my next song comes from some of the most powerful lungs in pop, Ella Henderson, so getting your vocals warmed up before taking on this number is highly recommended.

I’ve been a fan of hers since she released her huge hit Ghost back in 2014, and last year she gave us back-to-back hits with This Is Real alongside Jax Jones, and We Got Love with Sigala. She has one of those voices that really draws you in to what she’s saying, which I think is such a gift. Take Care Of You is the kind of song we all need right now, it brings us a little warmth and pure summer vibe... what’s not to love?

Album

It’s not every day you come across a pop star who is already writing huge hits for the likes of Katy Perry. Let me introduce you to Norweigan singer songwriter, Dagny. Having co-written Perry’s leading single Never Really Over last year, she’s definitely someone who knows how to deliver a pop banger.

The first six tracks from Strangers/Lovers are out now, with the second half of the album coming in September. If you’re a fan of Robyn, I definitely think you’ll be on board with Dagny. Wind those windows down and blast this out, it will make for a great road trip soundtrack (with a few inevitable interruptions from the sat nav, of course).

TV shows

Are you ready for hair and make-up envy? This week I had the pleasure of speaking to Cheryl Hole – that’s not a typo, I do mean Cheryl Hole – one of the favourite contestants on the first UK series of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

The hugely-anticipated show was a big hit here in the UK – there are now a whopping 12 seasons in the US – with huge personalities and a fabulous line up of judges; Graham Norton, Alan Carr, Michelle Visage and the star of the show, RuPaul Charles.

Each week the contestants compete in challenges and lip sync battles in a bid to win the series and become the ultimate drag queen. This show is the epitome of feel-good and will have you walking into a room with that extra bit of sass you’ve always desired.

Self care

Over the last few weeks I’ve been introduced to products from The Ordinary. I’d been reading about them for a while, as friends of mine had been singing their praises, so I thought it was time to give them a go myself. There are, of course, different products for different skin types, but the product I’ve fallen in love with is the 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil.

I’ll be honest, I’m always up for giving an oil a go, I love the feel of it on my skin and feel like it absorbs in the same way that the Diet Coke guy drinks up that can. It loves it! This oil has become a cult product and is quite possibly the go-to formula for radiant skin and that glow for those make-up free days, or even for applying under make-up. More dewy, more glowing, let’s go!

Thanks so much for reading this week’s Mollie’s Feel-Good Feed – check back on Marie Claire every Friday for more of my feel-good recommendations. Take care and stay safe.

Mollie King

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.