After breaking out into a folk-rock sound and experiencing emotional viral success with songs like “Scared to start,” rising singer and songwriter Michael Marcagi has quickly become one of the hottest new artists in music. But while his career is taking off, Marcagi is learning that life on the road requires the same discipline and patience as any athlete.
For Markagi, life on tour these days is a lot different than it was when he was growing up in Ohio. Now based in Boulder, the Midwest native says the move has completely changed the way he approaches health, fitness and recovery while balancing a busy schedule.
Between hiking, running, and spending more time outdoors, the Colorado lifestyle was a welcome adjustment.
“Coming from the Midwest where the winters are cold and gray, I’m outside almost every day,” Markagi said. Muscles and fitness. “It was really good.”
Before music became his full-time career, Markagi was a competitive golfer in college, and while travel has limited his time on the course, he still plays at an elite level.
“My defeat may have gone up a bit,” he says with a laugh. “But I’m probably still at ground zero, which I’ll accept.”
However, this competitive background still shapes the way he prepares for performances.
Touring is “hard on the body.”
Markagi says one of the biggest misconceptions about hiking is how physically demanding it can be.
“A lot of people don’t talk about it, but being on tour is hard on the body,” he says. “Especially for me, I have to sing every night. You have to find ways to take care of your voice, whether it’s what you eat or how much you sleep.”
Markagi admits that it’s easy for artists to fall into unhealthy routines while on tour. Especially when your “workday” doesn’t actually start until noon and the adrenaline will keep you awake long after the show is over.
“It’s very easy to fall into the ‘2am Uber Eats’ cycle,” he says. “Your whole schedule gets thrown off because your day starts later than most people.”
Instead, the singer is more intent on creating structure while on the road. It’s selective about behind-the-scenes cooking requests, prioritizing real meals over snack food, and trying not to let his sleep schedule completely spiral while on tour.
“You can only eat potato chips so many nights in a row,” he jokes.
Physical fitness also applies to protecting her voice, something she says has become a top priority over the past year and a half. Markagi revealed that she no longer drinks while on tour and instead focuses on routines that help her stay fit from show to show.
“I try to eat normal foods and take care of myself,” she says. “When you start taking care of your voice like that, the anxiety of the show really goes away.”
This preparation has helped him perform mentally night after night, especially as his audience grows.
“You realize you’re never going to be perfect on stage,” Markagi says. “Mistakes happen, and sometimes they become the most memorable parts of the show.”
Full of healthy community
Long before life as an artist, Michael Marcagi competed on the golf course for the University of Cincinnati, where he played golf in college before eventually pursuing music.
Even now, with a rapidly expanding touring schedule, sports remain a major part of his lifestyle. The singer is already looking forward to many rounds to come during his upcoming tour with Noah Kahan, who according to Markagi has recently taken up the sport himself.
“He was already texting me and saying, ‘We should play golf every day on the road,'” Markagi says.
Markagi also played golf with Wesley Schultz of The Lumineers, describing the rounds as relaxed and easy, just the kind of environment he enjoys now that golf is no longer about competition.
“He’s very gentle and we always have a good time there,” Markagi says.
When asked to build his dream golf course, Markagi didn’t hesitate. Along with Kahan and Schultz, he says professional golfer Jason Day rounds out the group.
“I’ve always wanted to play with Jason Day,” he says. “I have a feeling he’s going to have some amazing travel stories.”
These days, golf is a very different thing for Markagi than it used to be. What used to be an individual sport has become more about communication, conversation and community.
“I’m definitely more of an extrovert,” she says. “It’s easier to motivate yourself and enjoy it when you have people around you.”
Why running became important to his mental health
While golf remains a passion, jogging has become Michael Markaghy’s biggest fitness tool on the road, something he says was inspired by his girlfriend. Gabby Jenningswho is a professional runner. What started out as a way to stay active quickly turned into an important mental condition during the chaos of the travel life.
During a six-week European run earlier this year, Markagi and his tour manager built a regular morning routine to get out before the day was consumed by venues, buses and show prep.
“We tried to walk three to five miles every day,” he says. “When you’re touring, you’re either on a bus, in a green room, or on stage. You’re not always hanging out in the nicest indoor spaces in the world.”
For Markagi, running became less about exercise and more about creating balance. Touring can often leave artists indoors alone for hours, working irregular schedules and taking the mental stress of late-night shows. The morning routine has helped create a structure in lifestyle that is rarely anticipated.
He admits there was a period when the anxiety surrounding the show consumed his entire day.
“I spent all day talking about the show,” he says. “The whole day was like work because I was just focused on doing that night.”
Now he has a different approach to the tour.
“If I can get out and run, eat lunch and clear my head a little bit, I feel better mentally and physically,” Markagi says. “It helps me compartmentalize things instead of having the show take on every thought all day.”
The routine also helped him manage the emotional swings that come naturally with performing in front of thousands of people night after night. Markagi says the adrenaline rush before stepping on stage is real, and the crash afterward can be just as intense.
“You leave the stage absolutely energized,” he said. “Your body doesn’t really know how to process that adrenaline.”
Instead of getting too down after the shows, Markagi and his crew devised smaller ways to get back to normal after the show was over.
“After that, we play video games, watch a movie, or just do something to relax,” he says. “You have to find ways to bring yourself back down to earth because you’re going to wake up the next day and do it all over again.”
This balance between movement, routine and recovery has become one of the biggest reasons Markagi feels more grounded on tour now than he did earlier in his career.
“It gives me a better mental space,” he says. “I feel like I have more energy and I’m not one-sided all day.”
Red rocks are still dreaming
After performing in stadiums, including his hometown NFL venue for the Cincinnati Bengals, Markagi says one bucket list venue still stands above the rest: Red Rocks Amphitheater.
“Now that I live in Colorado, it would be amazing to play at Red Rocks,” he says. “It’s definitely a dream location.”
Until then, Markagi will continue to balance the travel life with adventures, road trips and outdoor recreation as much as possible. Places like Rocky Mountain National Park and Grand Teton National Park remain high on his list.
But beyond music, fitness or travel, Markagi says his motivation always comes back to the fans who show up night after night.
“Tickets are expensive. People hire babysitters. People work the next day,” he says. “I can never believe that people try to get into the show.”
That mindset, he says, is what keeps him disciplined.
“I just want people to leave feeling like it was worth their while.”
