Health Hacker: Singer Pete Murray ready to play live music again

Singer-songwriter Pete Murray is keen to once again hit the road to bring his music live to his fans, saying the pandemic proved you can’t take anything in life for granted.

Work hard, spend your money wisely, and then, if you’re lucky, hang up your boots with enough time left on the clock to really enjoy your retirement. Some travel, some relaxation, maybe some more time with the grandkids, all the good stuff.

At least, that’s how it’s supposed to go, right? But as we know, it doesn’t always work out that way. And it was a lesson learned the hard way for Brisbane born singer-songwriter, Pete Murray.

“I have always lived by the motto ‘work to live, don’t live to work’,” he tells Health Hacker.

“My dad died at 47 and I was 18 at the time. He worked his whole life building his business up and he got to the point where he and Mum bought a caravan and they were going to semi-retire and travel around Australia for 12 months.

“Unfortunately, about one month after he had sold his business and they were about to start their trip, he had a heart attack and passed away. This was a big lesson for me. From that moment I wanted to make sure I was going to have a job that I loved and that would give me time to have a great lifestyle.”

Singer Pete Murray is looking forward to performing to live audiences again.

With live music venues shut down and no audiences to play to once COVID-19 hit, 2020 proved to be a particularly challenging year for musicians who were used to making a living playing gigs.

Despite a sizeable fan base built over a two-decade career that has seen him release seven chart-topping albums, hasn’t been able to connect with audiences in more than a year.

“It has really hit the music industry hard,” he says.

“Most of the industry live off live music income and to have that completely taken away has been extremely hard to handle. Even not knowing what is going to happen this year is concerning.”

As for what’s in store for 2021, Murray is keen to once again hit the road — and he’s quick to add that the coronavirus is yet another reminder to not take anything in life for granted and to do what you love — an attitude he’s been carrying for years.

“I’m looking forward to hopefully getting back out and there and touring my new music,” he says.

“I think every musician is looking forward to playing live again. You realise how much you miss something when it is taken away from you.”

PETE MURRAY ON …

Diet

“I start the morning with fruit salad and eggs. Lunch is fish or chicken with salad and dinner is more fish or chicken but with veggies. The five things you’ll always find in my fridge are fruit, greens such as broccoli, organic yoghurt, fish and kombucha.”

Pete Murray likes to keep fit. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

Exercise

“I love training hard and one of the hardest exercises I do is a routine called ‘man makers’ using kettle bells. It’s super hard. It’s like a burpee with a push-up and a row on each arm but using 16-18kg kettle bells. I do four to five sets of 12 with one minute recovery. I only do this exercise about once or twice a week.”

Routine

“I like to do different things most days. I’m not one for routines – I find they really bore the hell out of me. The only thing I do every morning is make my bed. This might sound strange but it seems to always get me off to a good start.”

Mindfulness

“The only thing I do for mental health is make sure I get into the ocean every day or at least ever few days. This seem to reset everything for me and if I am stressed it takes it away. It’s a very powerful thing if you don’t just think of it as a swim.”

* Pete Murray’s EP The Night is out March 5 and is available for pre-order now

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