The American South is home to many amazing singers—specifically, the region is known for country stars, specifically the Nashville and Texas area. Meanwhile, areas like Atlanta and Athens are home to rock, rap, and R&B musicians. Artists like Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, and Kelly Clarkson are originally from a southern state. So what better time than now—when Houston, Texas star Beyoncé has just released her country album Cowboy Carter—to take a look about how they all stay so fit?
Kelsea Ballerini is from Tennessee. She tells Bustle that skincare has become a lot more important to you. “I just pivoted into being pretty religious about my skin care, and the biggest game changer has been washing my face every night. That sounds like duh, but I used to just take a makeup wipe and let that be it — even though I’m on stage performing and sweating and wearing a lot of makeup.”
Miley Cyrus is also from Tennessee. When it comes to fitness, the singer likes to create her own routines. “Outside of music, physical fitness is my most passionate creative outlet,” she said to Harper’s Bazaar. “I find so much fun in choreographing my workouts. I think there is a greater chance of maintaining a fitness commitment if you don’t think of it as work but as play.”
Kelly Rowland was born in Georgia. She shared some of her favorite skincare products with Glamour. “As a moisturizer, I use Augustinus Bader The Cream and, depending on what the weather is outside, I use The Rich Cream. Super moisturizing. I sleep with The Rich Cream sometimes; I love the way my skin looks the next day, because it’s fully hydrated.”
Beyoncé is from Houston, Texas. She revealed to Harper’s Bazaar that she doesn’t feel like she has to prove anything to anybody. “I’ve spent so many years trying to better myself and improve whatever I’ve done that I’m at a point where I no longer need to compete with myself. I have no interest in searching backwards. The past is the past. I feel many aspects of that younger, less evolved Beyoncé could never [mess] with the woman I am today.”
Maren Morris is a Texas native. Her trainer, Erin Opera, talked about Morris’ fitness routine to E! News. “She has been playing tennis. I encourage clients to do their cardio outside of me. Sports are always the best way because when you’re chasing a ball, you’re not thinking about cardio. She’s been doing her cardio as well as lots of fun weight training.”
Texas native, Kacey Musgraves, said that she eats a balanced diet in an interview. “It is torture sometimes trying to eat healthy on the road, but I try my best. It’s all about balance and still letting my tastebuds enjoy themselves. If there’s a reason to celebrate or I’m somewhere that has some kind of food that I know I won’t be able to resist, then I try to eat lighter all around that. Also, I try to eliminate carbs and most processed foods.”
Carrie Underwood grew up in Oklahoma. She shared how she works fitness into her routine in an interview with TODAY. “I always tell people, if you don’t work out or you’ve never worked out, going for a walk is a great way to get moving,” Underwood says. “My kids are very active, they love to play outside. So, if they are already playing outside, and I’m around, instead of sitting on a bench, watching them play, it’s easy to walk around the area that they’re playing in. Or, you can do some step-ups or dips on a bench.”
Ciara is originally from Atlanta. She shared some of her wellness secrets in an interview with Shape. Ciara believes in staying hydrated as much as she can. “I also believe that drinking tons of water and flushing out your system is crucial for training. It really helped me drop the weight. I tell myself that water is my medicine and that to stay well, I have to drink a gallon of it every day.”
Normani is from Georgia. She shared her beauty and skincare routine with Vogue. “I really love being able to spend time with myself doing my skin care,” says Normani. “My skin-care routine, and also my hair, are really important moments for me and intimate moments that I share with myself…I grew up watching my mom do her hair and makeup, and I wanted to be just like her so I think that that’s where that fascination and love for makeup and hair comes from.”
Miranda Lambert is from Texas. She is all about body positivity, and talked about this in an interview with Health Magazine. “It’s so good to find your place. I don’t like being onstage worrying about my body. That’s the last thing I want to be thinking about. I don’t give my best performance when I’m distracted by my insecurities.”
Faith Hill was born in Mississippi and lives in Nashville. She shared her diet secrets in an interview with Self. “For lunch, I usually have a Greek salad with grilled chicken. I love salads for lunch. It’s light, delicious and good for you. I vary the protein and sometimes use salmon instead of chicken.”
Ariana Grande is originally from Florida. Despite her busy schedule, Grande always makes time for self-care. She shared her favorite self-care practices in an interview with Vogue. “I love meditation, taking a long bath and doing my skincare. Anything that feels like you’re giving yourself that moment of care and committing to it, whether that’s skincare before bed or a bath. Whenever I meditate, I use lavender essential oils – it immediately triggers calmness.”
Jessica Simpson spent most of her childhood in Texas. She shared how she lost the weight from pregnancy in an interview on The Real. “I call it determined patience. I believe in setting small goals for yourself, because in my life and how I’ve done it, there’s easy ways to throw in the towel and just feel like it’s impossible. So, the small goals for me are what helped me achieve the main goal.”
Ashlee Simpson is from Texas. After having her second child, she worked with trainer, Ramona Braganza, to help her stay in shape. Braganza shared Simpson’s workout routine with People. “Seven years ago, after the birth of her son Bronx, Ashlee lost 25 lbs. in two and half months. This time around, at 30, with slightly more weight to lose, what helped her drop a consistent two pounds a week was exercising five days a week and burning 800 or more calories per workout session.”
Ashanti is from Florida. She revealed to Parade that her trainer has her do a lot of different workouts. “We do weight training, cardio, running. I’m kind of a tomboy and I’m very competitive so I never want him to beat me. Sometimes he has me work on mobility, other times endurance, and then we’ll go for strength. I think it’s important to mix it up and hit different parts of your body. We’ll do the Stairmaster, lots of core work.”
Atlanta native, Summer Walker, talked about her approach to making music to Spin. She says that she is all about being authentic. “I don’t make music with the intent of anyone else hearing it. It’s for me. It’s as if someone were to write in a diary. I’m singing it and I’m going to be as open as I want to be because it wasn’t for nobody else anyway.”
Kelly Clarkson is originally from Texas. She talked about not feeling pressure to look a certain way to People. “I like putting it on sometimes ’cause you’re just like, ‘Damn, I look good. I can clean up!’ But, I love a fresh face. I love my face and I love to put my hair in a messy bun with my jeans and a t-shirt and doing whatever the hell I wanna do with my time during the day and not worry about having to look perfect all the time.”
Paramore frontwoman, Hayley Williams, was born in Mississippi and lives in Nashville. She is open about her struggles with an eating disorder, and shared her treatment secrets with People. “The most important thing for me lately is eating at a consistent time. Breakfast is at a similar time every day, lunch or dinner. When I’m anxious, I don’t really eat very much. So that is part of my daily discipline of taking care of myself and grounding myself, making good food and sitting down, enjoying it.”
Kimberly Perry is from Nashville. She opened up about starting her solo career in an interview with Audacy. “I didn’t know if they [the songwriting community] would welcome me in. It’s such a tight knit community and I’d love to be a part of that…Coming back, my womanhood has grown. I’ve just gotten so much more confident and I think that’s translated to my artistry, so, I’m so happy to be here.”
Kellie Pickler is originally from North Carolina. She shared some of her favorite ways to stay in shape to HollywoodLife. “I’m a tomboy; I love to be outdoors hiking and kayaking. I walk with 5-pound ankle weights year round.”