Leon Bridges is, if not a man without a country, a man rarely in his own. The 33-year-old, who was raised in the South and calls Fort Worth, Tex., home, Zoomed in from Australia, where he’s embarked on the Oz leg of his The Boundless Tour. It might be more apt to call it the endless tour: He’s been on the road since February, supporting his 2021 record Gold-Diggers Sound. And to be honest, Bridges’s team wonders whether “Real Life Diet” is even a good fit—he’s into whiskey and eats for enjoyment. Counting calories? Not really his thing.

But get him talking and there's plenty here: At the mercies of travel delays and gourmet excesses, when he does return home, all he wants are slow mornings and comfort food with a Texas bent. And so GQ got into his philosophy, getting a firsthand recounting of the rigors of a lifestyle more associated with biting the head off a bat than chewing through a chopped salad. 

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: Growing up Louisiana and Texas, what was eating like in your family? What were you into?

Leon Bridges: My family is from New Orleans, so I was really able to get down on that cuisine. And I was really into all the sugary cereals and candy, but unfortunately my mom wasn’t into us eating junk food, so she tried to have us eat somewhat healthy food growing up.

So what was your favorite sugar cereal?

Fruity Pebbles was my jam. Still is. [Laughs.]

What did your mom cook instead?

She used to make oatmeal and Cream of Wheat — that was my favorite. She would totally kill it. I would try to make it myself, but it just didn’t have the magic of how my mom would do it.

You grow up, get out of the house, start to play shows. How does your diet change as you become an adult?

The thing about people who experience success and fame, you get exposed to some really awesome food. Being in this world, I feel like my palate is definitely better.

Do you remember the first time you were wowed by a great meal?

Yeah, it’s interesting, because, growing up in Texas, specifically in Fort Worth, they’ve been slow in incorporating really good food. Chili’s [the casual dinning chain] was the pinnacle. I was shopping different [record] labels, and I went to New York for the first time. My mangers, they took me to this little oyster spot, and I had oysters for the first time then, and just became hooked.

Big into oysters.

Oh, yeah. That’s my shit.

Raw? Steamed? Baked?

I had oysters as a kid in New Orleans. In New Orleans, the thing is baked oysters. But I like the raw oysters over that. First time I had a raw oyster [in New York], I was totally in love with it.

Musicians are infamous for lives of excess. What principles do you live by when it comes to what you eat and drink now? 

Musicians, we’re always in transit, so it’s really hard to maintain a healthy diet. For so long, I was careless about what I ate—until I started gaining a little bit of weight. That’s just not sexy as an R&B singer. It’s like, Trey Songz and Chris Brown, y’all can’t have all the abs. [Laughs.] I used to be really into whiskey, and over time I just gained weight because of that. I would just eat whatever. And so I try to be mindful these days about what I eat—I guess it’s just all about balance. There’s days where I’ll try to avoid carbs. But every now and then I like to get down on a burger or the shitty foods.

[Laughs.] So what “shitty foods” are you most into when you get back to the States?

I’ve been on the road since February, and I rarely get to spend time home, but when I’m back, my go-to is Tex-Mex. That’s a genre of food that I could be full and still munch down on some chips and salsa and queso.

What’s your secret to eating en route?

I normally try to get up early enough and eat the breakfast at the hotel so I can avoid eating in airports. But these days I’m normally kicking it in the lounge at airports—I do like the cheese and meats and coffee. But I try to avoid airport food because it’s pretty underwhelming—though I guess it depends on what airport you’re in.

Oh, so there’s a favorite airport? What’s your pick when it comes to eating?

I’m telling you, for the longest, London Heathrow, the Wagamama there. For me and my crew, that was the restaurant we would look forward to. As soon as we get in, we’re going straight to it.

You’re in Australia now, and you’re no stranger to international tours. What’s it like eating in the various countries your find yourself?

I try to experience the food that’s unique to the region. I’m honestly not sure what Australia’s thing is, but there’s not a shortage of food, that’s for sure. I went to a spot out here, I think it’s called Mr. Wu? And that was really rad. They were completely sold out. One of my friends called and dropped my name, which I wouldn’t personally do, but it was awesome.

Entertainers face so much pressure when it come to appearance, with self-image and diet and the like. Why do you think you haven’t been as susceptible to it?

I do what works for me. Touring can be physically and mentally taxing. My peace of mind is not having a strict diet and eating whatever makes me happy. But it’s all about balance: When I notice I’m getting a little tubby chubby, I try to hold back.

I mean, you’ve got to feel just a little pressure, like prior to taking the campaign images for your new Wrangler collab. Do you make any changes prior to a photo or video shoot?

Now that I look back on the Wrangler shoot and all the visuals that I shot for Gold-Diggers, I guess I put on that pandemic weight. Because I look back on it, and I’m like, damn, I have a little bit of a fat face. [Laughs.] And before I shot the video for this song called “Motorbike,” I grubbed out on some fried chicken and mac and cheese, and it definitely showed in the video. And so in the future I want to prepare a little bit more for things like that, prepare a little more. I think for my next campaign I want to incorporate a health regimen.

Self-motivating diet, food choices, whatever, is harder alone. How do the people you surround yourself with help you follow your principles?

I’ve been grateful to have some really solid friends in my life, and I’ve actually brought some of my family and homies on the road with me. I got my sister doing my hair, I got one of my best friends who does security for me, and another one of my good friends is singing background vocals. And so I’m really lucky those guys keep me on track and hold me accountable if I ever making decisions that just aren’t healthy. They definitely keep me in line with that.

Australia is famous for its barbecue. But so is your home state of Texas. Let’s talk hypotheticals: What would it take for Oz to beat Texas on the grill?

I despise gatekeepers—I’m just not one of those guys. Texas is definitely known for its barbecue, [but] I’ve had great barbecue in St. Louis, and I’ve had great barbecue in other places. I’d love to see what they’re talking about out here. It might beat out Texas—we’ll see.

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