‘I have less than 18% body fat and a six-pack, but I have a belly that bloats. I guess we all have our imperfections, eh?’

My Weekend with singer and songwriter Ciaran Lavery

The best time to get up at the weekend is?

I wake up at the same time every morning, roughly 5am, when I promptly read for an hour — right now it’s My Men by Victoria Kielland — then I’ll make myself a coffee and check emails. I’ll also look at my pre-sale numbers for my upcoming album Light Entertainment and ticket sales on www.ciaranlaverymusic.com

​Breakfast or brunch?

I like to earn my breakfast, so I’ll just have some green powders that I mix with brain octane oil, a collagen powder for my hair and nails, and some protein. It’s all quite Ballyhackamore really. By 9am it’s breakfast, which usually consists of porridge, a little hazelnut milk, vanilla paste, hazelnuts (I love them), goji berries, a vegan protein powder and a cup of tea, builder’s style (milk, two sugars, biscuits).

​What does an ideal Saturday look like?

I’m down at the gym half an hour before it opens. Luckily, they let me in early so I can have a swim and sauna by myself. Then I’ll review my to-do list while walking on a treadmill. No sweating. I aim to cover around 7,000 steps per day. I have less than 18% body fat and a six-pack, but I have a belly that bloats. I guess we all have our imperfections, eh?

​What would your perfect Sunday be like?

I’ve tried sitting on the sofa eating biscuits and I don’t find it fulfilling. I guess what I really cherish is reading or watching a film on the laptop with my partner Nikki.

​Do you prefer to be indoors or outdoors?

Outdoors. We have two dogs with a lot of energy, so I like to go for a hike while I listen to some Nirvana or Stone Temple Pilots.

​How have weekends changed as you have gotten older?

With age I have become a bit of an amateur historian. I spend two hours in my home office playing Red Dead Redemption Two, set in 1899. I prefer open-world strategy computer games to fast ones that require reflex. My reflexes have really gone downhill. If I have time to head out, we usually go to Hearth, as it’s our local and the dogs can enjoy it too.

​If you could eat out anywhere tonight in NI, where would you go and why?

Good Fortune in Ballyhackamore or The Derryhirk Inn, Aghagallon. People say to me ‘I didn’t expect to see you here’ but I’m honestly a down-to-earth guy. For me, it’s all about expectation when it comes to food. I’ve regularly been disappointed in three-star Michelin restaurants around Europe but never in Good Fortune or The Derryhirk.

What would you have?

My diet is 90% plant-based so I’ll only eat a really good piece of red meat maybe once a month. It might seem silly, but I’ll sometimes look at a cow and think that’s the most beautiful thing ever. I digress… I usually have the chicken goujons or the prawns. Both are excellent.

​At weekends you’ll always make time to…

Chat with guru. I had this remarkable opening chapter to my career (check out Shame on Spotify), for which I was only semi-present. Without my guru I could have easily come off the rails. I’ve been changing their narrative in my head and feel that I can be their driver of my own train, if that makes sense? I can light it up, set it on fire and also be there when it’s burning out.

​Do you sometimes work at weekends?

I’ve actually started building Lego again. I build mostly cars and find the methodical nature of creating this little thing makes me feel like I’m achieving something else. Then I’ll do heavy weights for an hour…something to tire me out, really. Bar that, I spend a lot of time dreaming about music for myself and others — I’m trying to be a voice everybody.

​Who would you most like to go for a drink with and why?

I only drink twice a week, either for a rugby game or dinner with Nikki. I’ll start off with a pint, then have a wine, then maybe a whiskey or brandy. I’d love to have any of those drinks with Gregg Wallace or Orlando Bloom.

​Are you a weekend cook? If so, what’s your specialty dish?

I cook dinner for the family once a week — grilled fish from the fishmonger at St George’s Market. I like bass, sole or crab to make sandwiches with chips.

​What’s your dream Sunday dinner?

Whatever my partner Nikki will have ready on the table when I come home from the gym. Her white bean soup with a crust of bread is a real family favourite!

​Who do you normally eat Sunday dinner with and where?

My partner Nikki at our beautiful home.

​Too tired to cook – what are you ordering from the takeaway?

I never eat takeaways now — I make my own healthy cheeseburgers instead (once a month. See above about my thoughts on cows).

​Heading for the cinema? What are you going to see?

We’re huge film buffs, which also led me to create my own short film for my upcoming album Light Entertainment. I’m desperately proud of it and recently had the chance to see it at The Strand. Daniel O’Donnell features in it. I look forward to sharing it with the world.

​Staying in… what TV/streaming/catch-up programmes are on the menu?

Awake: The Million Dollar Game. I think it was cancelled after one season, which is understandable, but still a pity.

​What are you reading? Fave type of book?

I’ll read a bit of Buddhism and then I’ll type it up and add it to my Instagram stories. But don’t get me wrong, I try to avoid my phone, so I don’t get sucked into the black hole of social media.

​Bedtime is what time?

I typically fall asleep at 9pm and wake up alone in the stark darkness of the living room, but I wouldn’t change a thing. If I get eight hours of sleep, I’m happy and so is my sleep tracker. I’ve come to realise just how precious time really is. In the past, I was always giving the aforementioned time to other people, but now I have the space to dream.