Phone a Friend: Advice from Pale Waves.

"In today’s society we are slowly starting to realise the importance of self-reflection and analysis with more attention focused on mental health, acceptance of yourself and others outside the 'norms' that society places, and having more open conversations in these areas," says Pale Waves frontwoman (and musical empath) Heather Baron-Gracie about the importance of prioritising one's own self and evolution. She continues, "But I think as a whole, society is still struggling to recognise this as we put such an emphasis on external success. I feel like being self critical is pretty hard and it takes time to recognise parts of yourself that need to change. As a species we can get so mixed up in the fast consumer-driven world, but the real meaning and importance to life, the kind that will make a difference, as small or as massive that difference may be, does come from within."

Pale Waves release their dynamic new album 'Who Am I?' today, which Baron-Gracie describes as: "A self-confessed journey of my emotional growth. I feel like this album is super important not just for me but for people who are going through similar situations in their lives. I start to embrace who I truly am within this album - especially in songs like 'She’s My Religion' and 'I Just Needed You'. This album is for people who don’t fit society's 'norm', and I hope it is an album that will help empower women and to strip away traditional societal standards."

On working with New Zealander Sam de Jong, Baron-Gracie shares: "The first album was written with just Ciara and I, and we had both only really exclusively written together and when we started writing the second album we kinda hit a wall so at the time I was going out to LA a lot to visit my girlfriend and I just was finding myself writing a lot more lyrically and really starting to find my voice for this album. I didn’t want to do the whole session everyday thing because I’m not that kind of writer or person. I keep my circles really small in life and writing is one of the most vulnerable places so I had a bunch of these ideas and needed a producer. Sam was working at this amazing studio that overlooked LA. It was a dream and once we went in together it just instantly clicked. We basically did the whole album in a month. He is definitely now in my close circle and I think he’s extremely talented as well as becoming a good friend!"

And because sharing is caring, what follows below are some heartfelt life lessons from Heather to read while listening to your favourite new Pale Waves songs today...

ADVICE FROM A GIRL WHO NEVER WANTED TO 'JUST FIT IN':

Take a deep breath. In these uncertain times, anxiety is heightened even more so for the majority of us. It’s important to disconnect from the madness of life and spend healthy relaxing time with yourself. I find yoga and meditation is a huge life-saver for me.

Be who you truly are. Unfortunately society tries to mould us into the same person with its tenancies of not liking anything that seems different. Don’t let other people define you because you are wonderful the way you are. Tell them to get fucked if they say anything different!

Be kind - even online. We’re all only humans that are looking for constant approval and validation - from partners or peers or the wider world. We’re all sensitive little beings, so words hurt even online. So be kind because you don’t wanna go to hell!

Don’t beat yourself up over silly mistakes. Hey, we all mess up in life that’s all part of it, we’re not going to be flawless and perfect 24/7. We’re going to screw up now and again and that's okay because we’re only human and that’s what humans do.

Find things that bring you the right kind of happiness. It took me a while to work this out and I’ve still not fully accomplished it, but in the past year I’ve definitely stripped things out of my life and changed a lot of my priorities for the better. Life’s all about self-discovery and finding what works for you and what doesn’t.

Pale Waves' new album 'Who Am I?' is out now - listen below: