In a new interview with Mens Health, Stormzy has reflected on his fitness and physique building journey, and how he prepared for his iconic headline performance at Glastonbury.
Speaking about the monumental festival slot, he said “I was trying to get in a shape I’ve never been in in my life.” He said of preparing physically, “I was taking my body and my nutrition to this entirely new place, while also trying to create this flipping iconic, legendary set. I had headlined Wireless, but this was a whole new beast. This was pulling all the stops out.’
While he’s not been shy to show his muscular build before, going shirtless in live performances and an album cover, he says he wasn’t always so athletic – “I’m not someone who grew up super fit. I’ve always been kind of bog standard.”
His highly praised set at Glasto was a milestone achievement – the first UK rapper to headline the festival, as well as the first Black British solo artist. He used the platform to deliver messages about politics, social equality and knife crime, all the while giving a blistering performance featuring a choir, a live band, and even ballet dancers.
He tells of how he assembled a team to get him looking in the best shape possible. One of those involved was performance nutritionist James Collins, who’s also worked with Olympians and footballers. James recalls Stormzy saying “I’m headlining Glasto, I need to have energy to go from a normal 60-minute set to a 90-minute set and also I need to look like I’m in the best shape, so when I take my top off it needs to have real impact.”
The Croydon MC was inspired to get a nutritionist and work on his fitness after watching Beyonce’s Homecoming film, following her preparation and performance for Coachella. He was mesmerized by her ability to sing so well and do the most “insane choreography”, saying that she’s an inspiration on and off stage, and “the best to ever do it.”
The “Shut Up” songmaker was recently shouted out by Gareth Southgate in his selection for Desert Island Discs. The ex-England manager told Radio 4 that he chose Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You” remix featuring Stormzy, saying that he thinks he’s “another amazing British artist”, and that one of the “reasons to be proud of our nation, music talent is one of those things.”
Stormzy has been involved with the football world before. In November 2022, he teamed up with Adidas and other brands to form “Merky FC”, a programme to help Black British youth find jobs in the football industry. Seeking to create leadership positions in the football industry, their website says it was “Created in response to the fact that currently only 6.7% of leadership positions in football are held by those with Black Heritage.”
His interview with Mens Health also mentions that he’s staying in LA, currently working on new material for his fourth album. He says of the chaotic feeling of creating, ‘Every time I make an album, I’m like, “Okay, let’s start this fucking tornado and let’s get over it.”’ You can read the full interview here.
