George Ezra: ‘I don’t have a diary but I do have a sister, or “assister” as I call her’

Sleep
This isn’t very rock’n’roll, but I am useless unless I get plenty of sleep. I get off stage and go straight back to the tour bus. It’s more important to get my head down than to please selfie-hunters. I’ll probably fall asleep listening to a 20-hour audiobook on my minor obsession, the Tudor monarchy. At home, I put my phone on airplane mode by 9pm, get into bed, read and drift off. I set the alarm for 8am and rise with the day.

Eat
I see food as a reward system. If I do half an hour in the gym, I’m allowed to eat rubbish. My parents are vegetarian, so I didn’t eat much meat growing up, and don’t cook it often now. For breakfast I mix Rice Krispies with muesli. I have lunch on the fly: today a salad from the record label canteen. I love fish and roasted vegetables for dinner. I put on Radio 4 as I cook.

Work
People think singers sit around doing nothing unless they are on tour, but you need to create online content and go through artwork and video concepts. I do the boring stuff in the morning. I don’t drive, so I walk everywhere listening to demos or voice memos of songs, to see what’s worth pursuing. I’ll play around with an acoustic guitar until dinner. I don’t have a diary, but I do have a sister, or “assister”, as I call her. Jess travels with me. That’s lovely when everything’s crazy.

Family
I live with my girlfriend, who is a songwriter. It’s not easy on tour; we have special nights out to catch up. Hopefully, she’ll join the next one.

Fun
I love walking and the countryside: I got a month off after my first album and walked the Cotswold Way alone. I read: I love Haruki Murakami and Philip Pullman. I like to go to the pub with friends. The first year of touring I indulged – it’s hard not to at 19, and people want to show you the best party every night. But it catches up with you. Peers of mine drink every night and it doesn’t affect their performance, but I am not that guy. If it’s my name above the door and I can’t sing, there’s no point the show going ahead.