Amy Shark on health, wellbeing, diet and exercise while on tour
Following a national tour in support of her chart-topping third album, Sunday Sadness, ARIA Award-winning singer-songwriter Amy Shark reveals her secret to balancing health, diet and wellbeing on the road.
Following a national tour in support of her chart-topping third album, Sunday Sadness, Amy Shark, 38, an ARIA Award-winning singer-songwriter based in Sydney, spoke with The Australian about what it’s like balancing her health, wellbeing, diet and exercise while on the road.
What have you learned about staying healthy while touring?
The biggest lesson that I learned was balancing everything – which is the hardest bit, because it’s so easy to fall off the rails when you’re tired, and you feel like you’re always in a rush, and you would rather grab a burger or a pizza, than try and think about a better option. And then you get caught up in having a good show, so instead of having one drink, you have, like, nine. So for me, it was just trial and error; burning out, and also, looking like shit, basically. [laughs] Seeing myself on a morning show and being like, ‘Wow – that’s not it.’
Over time, I’ve put more effort in to be disciplined, because it’s the only way to stay fit and healthy, and also feel good, too. I’m not strict; I’m not a vegan that doesn’t drink. It’s a lot of work, because only I know where I’m up to; only I know that yesterday I had Maccas because I was in a rush, and I really felt like it too, so I did it – but now, for the next couple of weeks [on tour], I’ve got to try and not do that.
How does your current approach compare to earlier tours?
With [breakthrough 2017 EP] Night Thinker, I was off the rails completely. I had no idea what was going on; you quit your job and you’re just so excited about having a life, being a musician. And then [2018 debut album] Love Monster: not completely off the rails, but just being really busy and experiencing a lot of international touring, and enjoying that way too much as well. By [2021 album] Cry Forever, that was where everything changed: I started really focusing on where to party and where to have fun – and then some nights, maybe just get straight in the car after the show or the event. But just as a normal woman, I’ve started listening to my body. It takes the weirdest turns and changes: I used to be fine eating that, and now I’m not. It’s taking note of what feels okay when I eat it now.
In terms of exercise, what are you fond of?
I like to keep it short and sweet, but I also make sure I do it every day. I do 10 minutes of running, and then I’ll do a bunch of weights, and space it out between arms and legs. Your whole body gets a workout during shows, and also, now that I’m on television [as a judge on Australian Idol] and in front of so many people at a time, when you look good, you just feel good. It’s a tale as old as time, and that’s how it really is. When I go to fittings and I can fit into shit, and I’ve done the work – I’m just a better, happier person to be around.
What about diet?
I can’t do bread or rice anymore. I can’t do milk anymore, so I do piccolos instead of having heaps of milk. I eat heaps of eggs, because they just don’t show up anywhere, and they keep me energised. I eat heaps of salmon – I love sashimi – and I might have a steak once a week. It’s also who you live with: my husband’s gone pescetarian for the past two years, so I end up looking more for that ‘pescy’ option as well. He’s the annoying one at restaurants, and I’m kind of cruisy.
How do you stay mentally fit while on tour?
I’ve started reading a bit. Reading just makes you feel less like a loser. When I sit on my phone and I look at a million things, we all know it’s not right; it’s not healthy. It’s pretty amazing how much better you feel when you just read for a bit – anything that’s not on a screen just makes me feel so much better. If I play guitar and try writing, that makes me feel better. I love getting massages and facials. I definitely try and treat myself when I can; it’s pretty sad what little things can cheer you up and make you feel refreshed again, you know? [laughs] It’s ridiculous how excited I get for little things now, when I can squeeze them in on tour or while shooting something.
In 2022, you played 60 regional concerts – what were some of the health and fitness challenges on that run of shows?
Every place we went, it was my drummer’s job to sign us up for a gym, for $10 a day. We’d usually arrive in the middle of the day, and there’s nothing else to do in those towns anyway, so might as well go to the gym and get a workout in. I travel with a bunch of dudes, and they don’t really care what they look like on stage – where I’m trying to be a pop star. [laughs] So I can’t really hit the bakeries as hard as they do. It was being strict about going to [supermarkets] in these tiny towns, and I’m lucky where I’ve lived like a broke teenager before, so I can do it if necessary. I like tinned tuna; I can eat really shitty food and be satisfied. I’m not really a foodie; I enjoy going to restaurants, and nice food, but I can also slum it if I need to. So I would go get noodles, or get a makeshift salad – just things that aren’t Maccas or a pie. Much as I would have rather joined the crew in whatever they were eating, it was just having to be disciplined.
Are there downsides to having a public profile?
Sometimes where you just want to nip into a supermarket, or go somewhere and get something, you don’t really want to do a face of make-up. I’ve dressed homeless for a really long time, where I’m just in trackpants, an oversized T-shirt and a baseball cap. That’s me; that’s my ultimate comfortable outfit. Once I started getting recognised, I felt really bad: I just looked like shit, and then I’m getting photos with people, and I’m like, ‘Ugh, now that’s going to be posted of me looking like shit…’ That can actually spiral; there was a time there where I really didn’t want to go anywhere because I just lost energy. I’m not the type of girl to love getting glammed up; I really don’t enjoy it, and so I would just not go anywhere, and that’s not healthy, either. I just have to find a balance of making myself look presentable enough in case someone comes up and says, ‘Hey’ – and when you’re in these small towns, you’re who they’re looking for. They know you’re there; I was always found. [laughs] It’s not really a downside – it’s just a part of it.
How do you guard against the common music business trap of losing yourself in alcohol and substance abuse?
It was a case of living through it, and just being like, ‘I really don’t want to do this anymore.’ It starts arguments, it starts me feeling sick, it starts me looking like shit; I just learned the hard way. My whole life changed, and I was so happy – and then you mix that with celebrating all the time. There’s always something to celebrate at the start, because your songs are going really well, and you’ve got all these people [around you], because you’re the new exciting thing. It felt like every day there was a new thing: a [US] Late Show, or a tour offer, or a big show, or another song went platinum. And you don’t have a routine; you’re not getting up at nine and leaving at five. You have days where you might not have anything on, and you’re in f..king Boise, Idaho, and it’s like, ‘Yeah, sure, let’s start drinking at 11!’
I don’t think there’s any other way to fix it, if that’s what you’re doing, until you hit your own rock bottom, if that makes sense. [laughs] It’s just listening to your body, and putting good people around you to be like, ‘Hey, we probably should start getting some hobbies for the road’. Just being more disciplined, really: finding the strength to do it, not just for you, but for the people around you – because you’re not a cool person when you’re either wasted or hungover. I love being the best version of me.
Lastly, how have you learned to maintain your relationships while being a public figure?
That can be a challenge, because if people don’t understand, they can get really offended that you’re not writing back to them, or that, at shows, you can’t go out for dinner with them. Some people just really don’t get it: they think you go and do the show, and you should have all this spare time. It’s been nice to invite people into my world every now and then, to show them, so they see how many different tentacles there are to everything. It’s been good for my brother to come on the road and be like, “Wow, sis – I can’t believe how busy you are leading into a show, it’s non-stop’. When close family members live it a little bit, they understand it, so that when we don’t see them for a bit – or if we’re not on the family [group] chat – it’s because of all these reasons. But when you do make the time, like when I FaceTime my nieces and nephews, that’s a really big lift for me. It’s a nice feeling to keep in touch with people, and make sure that you’re not drifting away. And having other conversations apart from music and that showbiz world; it’s really healthy for me to talk about f..king Paw Patrol, or some movie that they’re interested in.
I really used to love calling my Nan, because she would tell me about what plants are now working really well, or what recipe she’s tried. It’s nice to have other conversations with people that don’t give a shit about charts or whatever. You can become obsessed with talking about music, and your career, and what’s happening in the industry, and all this stuff that all your old friends don’t really relate to, so then you drop them and start hanging out with people in the industry, and it’s not necessarily always the right answer. I’ve got some really nice friends in the industry I’ve made over time – but now I want to go and talk to my friends and see how their office job’s going, and that chick they can’t stand in marketing, and other shit. [laughs] I want to hear other people talk. I really do get sick of myself sometimes, where I just want to go and hear anything else than my music, or Australian Idol; anything but me.
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