Food of music: David Kitt on fueling his creativity

Singer/songwriter David Kitt likes to keep a close eye on his diet. Always on the move, his focus is on energy, not weight.

“To write and be creative you need an extra gear of energy — I’m very conscious of the fact that you need to eat the right food to get results,” he says.

He’s one of the rare few who finds it easy to keep his mid-life waistline in check.

I have good genes. I’m in my 40s now you do notice that you need to watch it a bit more but I still have a pretty fast metabolism.

Living in Dublin, he shares his Phibsboro home with long-term girlfriend, Australian musician Margie Jean Lewis, who also plays with him on stage.

For a musical treat, check out their performance of Long Long Stares on YouTube.

Take a closer look and you’ll see a striking resemblance to his dad, retired politician Tom Kitt.

The former Fianna Fáil chief whip has doled out nuggets of wisdom over the years. “Stuff the begrudgers — is one of his best ones.”

David has worked with singer-songwriter Kean Kavanagh and future-afro soul vocalist Fehdah to create the summer anthem, ‘Follow the Sound’ as part of Three’s Made By Music initiative

What shape are you in?

I run. It’s a seasonal thing. When it starts to get into the summer I’m probably healthier.

I have an app thing that I do every day — 10 minutes stretches and yoga.

Then I go for a run, probably three times a week. We’re talking about 15 minutes running as fast as I can.

Close to where I live, there’s a sports track and I just go out there.

What are your healthiest eating habits?

I eat a lot of brown rice and quinoa and lentils and salads.

I’ve always been pretty much vegetarian but, at home, I’d cook the odd steak maybe once a week or once every two weeks.

In order to work and do what I do, I’ve always been conscious that you need a different kind of energy.

And eating healthily really helps.

What are your guiltiest pleasures?

Probably booze — I love Guinness and Beamish when I’m in Cork. I’m a big wine fan too.

Drink is the one thing I probably have to watch more than anything else. I find it very hard to say no.

I like the craic as much as I like a pint.

When I was a teenager and in my early 20s I wasn’t a particularly a big drinker, through performing I probably got more into it.

What would keep you awake at night?

I’m not a very good sleeper. I’m a bit of a vampire — I tend to wake up at night.

Generally, it’s because there’s a lot of music going around my head.

I find it hard to stop the creative juices because they tend to start going at around 10 or 11 o’clock every night — some alarm goes off and everything comes to life.

How do you relax?

The thing that probably works best for me is running.

I’ve tried meditation — I’m just not great with the discipline of doing things regularly.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin — that would be a good party.

What’s your favourite smell?

I love the smell of fresh herbs — coriander, lemongrass, ginger, rosemary.

If you grab a big bunch of lavender, rub it in your hands and have a big sniff of it, it calms you down.

What would you like to change about your appearance?

I’ve keloid or raised scars which for my teens, 20s and 30s I was very self-conscious of — but now I accept it.

They are the result of injuries and acne and are on both knees and both shoulders and there’s one on my back.

What traits do you least like in others?

Dishonesty or people being loose with words.

What traits do you least like about yourself?

I’m a workaholic. The work side of life never seems to end.

Do you pray?

I do sometimes, in my own way. For people I’m close to, I try to project good wishes into the cosmos — whatever it is.

What do you do to protect the environment?

Trying to eat less meat is the big one at the moment. Also, we are trying to find a way to filter water and I haven’t really found an effective way yet, unless you spend 300 or 400 quid.

I try to use less plastic and bring my own lunch in a Tupperware.

What would cheer up your day?

Breakfast is very important to me — I like to get the coffee right, get the granola and the fruit right and then I’m off to a good start.

I use an AeroPress which I find very handy because you can take it anywhere.

It’s become my favourite way to make coffee.

Soma in Cork has some of the best coffee in Ireland.