“Stop, take a moment and breathe.”
Hampstead born singer Folly Rae received over two million streams for her single ‘U’ leading to a headline slot the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury Festival last year. We caught up with her to chat about practicing self love, Kate Bush and building self belief in the face of tough times.
What are you listening to, reading and watching at the moment?
I’m reading Code Red by Lisa Lister and The Art Of Happiness by Dalai Lama and Howard C.Cutler. I haven’t watched my TV recently but I am obsessed with Queer Eye!
What has been your biggest life challenge so far and what did you do to overcome it?
I’ve had a great upbringing and there have been times I’ve had zero money and was living out of a car, which was tough! But, I found the biggest challenge was overcoming the limitations I set in my own mind, building that self belief so no matter what other people do or say, this is my journey and I am ready to rock it! No matter what challenges come my way…
What would constitute a ‘perfect’ day for you?
If I could make up a perfect day, it would be having a studio over looking the beach, making amazing music! Then, have a swim in the sea with the sun shining. Then a big dinner with all of my friends whilst watching the sunset, that sounds pretty perfect to me.
For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
I feel grateful for waking up with a roof over my head and being able to make music everyday.
Complete this sentence: “Ace mental health for me means…”
…feeling good from the inside out, overdoing the self-love and being able to let go of the things that don’t bring me happiness.
What do you eat to stay healthy?
I make fresh juices in the mornings and have lemon & water. I love fruit and veg so my meals mainly consist of that. Also, gotta have some dark chocolate though, thats healthy right?
Do you have a daily routine of exercise or do you make it up as you go along?
I do. I’ve got to be organised otherwise I wouldn’t work out! I wake up, down a coffee and go to the gym that’s just round the corner from me! I rotate my workouts depending on the day but I never stay at the gym for longer than an hour! I also use a yoga app if I can’t get to the gym and need some me time!
Here at The Mind Map we remember playing football and ‘tag’ – running around the playground everyday and loving it – can you share a similar memory?
One of my favourite memories is from when I was about 13. I had back to back dance classes on a Wednesday night… me and my best fried would sneak out, leap and dance our way to the shop down the road and get some sweets and dance our way back. I remember being so happy and so carefree, leaping past the cars and not even caring what anyone thought.
What three songs lift your spirits?
Cloudbusting by Kate Bush
Bathwater by Weslee
Redbone by Childish Gambino
What is your favourite self-help book, or motivational quote?
One of my favourite quotes ‘Feel it, the thing you don’t want to feel, feel it and be free.’
What advice do you offer to friends when they are feeling overwhelmed?
To stop, take a moment and breathe. If there is something we can do in that moment to sort the situation out, then I help to do it. If there’s nothing we can do, I try to be a good listener, give them a cuddle and take their mind off of it.