When GQ reached Anderson .Paak, we caught him in the middle of getting ready for his summer tour: He’s intermittent fasting, drinking tons of water, and at least thinking about getting to the gym. The eight-time Grammy winner would love to work out more, but there is a ton to do before he’s set to hit the road at the end of May. Luckily, he puts the same energy into rehearsals as he does his shows, so all those calories burnt (and tank tops sweat through) while putting on a show are a reasonable substitute.
The multi-talented musician ran us through and average day of eating, his recent partnership with Häagen-Dazs, his favorite snacks to have while on tour, and the rest of his daily routine.
For Real-Life Diet, GQ talks to athletes, celebrities, and other high performers about their diet, exercise routines, and pursuit of wellness. Keep in mind that what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.
GQ: What does a day of eating look like for you?
Anderson .Paak: First, I have to get a coffee before anything. Beyond that, it just depends. I’m about to go on tour, so I’m trying to get a diet and regimen together. I’m doing this intermittent fasting now and I’m usually my hungriest in the morning, but now I can’t eat until about 2 p.m. I have this window to eat, so I try and get everything I can within that window. I don’t eat any beef or pork but pretty much everything else is on—it just depends on what I’m feeling. I do love breakfast—eggs. And Japanese food, like ramen, toro sushi, and anything tempura. Usually I’ll end the window with something sweet because of my sweet tooth. I’ll get some tacos for dinner and I’ll get the Häagen-Dazs Butter Cookie Cone with some vanilla and caramel and that’ll be it until the next day.
Ice cream sounds like the go to snack here.
Yes—my mom loved it when I was growing up. Ice cream has to be it, especially in the summertime. A lot of the dance music? The fun comes in the summertime. And when I think of summertime, I think of ice cream. I think it works hand in hand with my brand and music, and just spreading that love and feeling.
So your new partnership with Häagen Dazs must be a dream come true.
Truly. I’ve loved the brand since I was little. I feel like they’re such a playful and fun brand. We share the same mission in uplifting people and giving them access to the arts, which is what .Paak House is all about. This is going to be the biggest .Paak House yet because of Häagen Dazs and their amazing contribution: Over half a million dollars. The number of families that we’ll be able to help, the activities we’ll be able to do, and the music we’ll be able to share are all things they’re a part of, and I’m really proud and happy to collaborate with them on this.
What are some of the snacks you got to have on with you?
I like Hippeas—the white cheddar ones. I like honey-roasted cashews and popcorn. There has to be hummus and cheese. Sometimes, I’ll take a bite of cheese and eat it with the chips. I’ll have some fruit and pressed juice. I’ve been on coconut water a lot heavy lately.
With the tour coming up, do you begin to get in the gym more just to prepare for the physical demands of performing?
That’s my plan. Executing that is a little different (laughs). I do use a lot of energy on stage, so that’s a good thing. I’m usually sweating a lot. We rehearse so much that it’s kind of like a workout and that works well. I’m planning on having a packed schedule, where I’ll have a workout before rehearsal or the rehearsal will be my workout. I’ll build my stamina for a show, because putting on an hour-and-a-half show is a lot, and keeping the energy is important. Making the crowd feel like they’re a part of the show is important to me as well—just the flow of the show is what I’m always thinking about. How can I involve the crowd in certain parts? Moving around on stage I’m breaking a sweat—hopefully I’m burning a lot of calories as well.
Over the years of being a father, husband, and artist, how have you found a way to balance those competing responsibilities?
I just owe a lot to my family. I have a big family—my wife and my sisters. They’re all very supportive and understanding of my schedule—my kids as well. My kids are being raised by a whole pack of strong women. I have mostly sisters that live within the same area. They have kids as well. We’re just like a big army, and we all help each other out. They help me out tremendously because I’m traveling a lot, and doing different things, and it can become very unbalanced. If it was just me, I don’t think I would be able to do it. I owe a lot to my family because they hold me down, keep me humble, and focused, and let me know what things are really important. You can get really distracted easily with other things. But when I’m home and around my family, that keeps me grounded.
Can you walk me through what you’re doing on the day of the show?
Usually, I’m late to wake up. I have a hard time sleeping and once I can finally sleep, it’s usually when I have to wake up. [Anderson’s road manager] Molly will bust into my room and wake me up. I’ll take a dook. After that, I’ll drink some water with my daily vitamins—seamoss, zinc, vitamin d3, testosterone and vitamin C. I’m usually trying to get some food right after that. When I’m on tour, I’m usually with my group the Free Nationals. But not all of them are usually wanting to get up and do something. Usually, my trumpet player [Maurice Brown] is always down to have brunch or lunch. I’ll meet with him and have some food.
We’ll usually go somewhere in the hotel or Yelp a place where the locals eat. I try to eat something light because I don’t like to eat too much before the gig. After that, we usually have to go to soundcheck. We’ll do that and hopefully, that goes smoothly. Sometimes, you’ll have to stay longer because I have to work out a lot of different things with the drums, and vocals, and learning the stage. After that, I’ll have to do interviews, or sometimes or things for the fans.
I’ll knock that out and I start warming up. I’m listening to music throughout the day. I walk around with a JBL speaker and getting in my vibe. I’m playing Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, and Chaka Kahn. I’m playing along to my drum pad to warm up and maybe I’ll do a few pushups. I’m also drinking water throughout the day—I have a gallon jug that I try and get through by the end of the day. An hour before showtime, maybe we’ll go over the set with my band in the green room. We take the walk to the stage, play the show, and crush it.
After the show, I’ll take a shot of SelvaRey. I’ll go to the freezer and grab a Butter Cookie Cone and take a big ass bite from it. I’ll sit on the couch and think about how sick the show was. Molly comes and gets us ready to go back to the hotel or to dinner. If there’s a show the next day, I’ll go back to the hotel and eat some more ice cream while I watch a movie. I’ll fall asleep while that movie is on—then wake up and do it again.
