As she counts down to the semi-final of Dancing with the Stars on Sunday evening, singer Tolü Makay has told RTÉ Entertainment that taking part in the show with professional dance partner Maciej Zięba has given her "a new life".
Makay signed up for DWTS with "zero" dance experience, but she has blossomed during the series - her partnership with Zięba going from strength to strength.
"Coming into the competition, I definitely knew that I was seeking some sort of, like, joy," she explained as she discussed her dancefloor adventures.
"The best way I can put it is Dancing with the Stars has given me a new life," she continued.
"I feel like my creative spark has come back. In the sense of, I feel I'm much more confident in pursuing anything creatively, moving forward, instead of doubting myself.
"I'm a complete student to this whole dancing world, and the fact that I'm even surprising myself each week, it's given me the confidence to at least try and dream to do something even more with the gifts that I don't even know I have."
Having already achieved the pre-series goal of making it to Orchestra Night, this Sunday's Dancing through the Decades show will see Makay and Zięba dance a Paso Doble inspired by the 1980s and Guns N' Roses' Welcome to the Jungle.
They will also "time-travel to the 1950s" for their Jive to Little Richard's Tutti Frutti, where they will team up with eliminated pro dancer Stephen Vincent.
"I don't know what else they're going to give me!" Makay laughed.
"We will see as the journey goes [on]! I mean, it's the semi-final now and final at the end! I feel like the type of dances [this week], the Jive and also the Paso, is a challenge in and of itself, so we'll see how that goes!
"Stephen will be joining us. He's amazing, he's so fun, and I feel like we kind of need that kind of personality for a Jive. You just need to be on - 'Go, go go!'"
And as for life after Dancing with the Stars, Makay added: "I'm literally just like, 'Ok, throw anything at me! Let's see where it goes!'"
Dancing with the Stars, Sundays, RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, 6:30pm
