Suu: "I made it a rule not to drink before, during, or after concerts."

Beyond your singing career, you're also a great lover of cooking. Where does this passion come from?

— I think it stems from becoming independent at a very young age and, therefore, having to feed myself living alone. I started learning how to make other dishes, beyond macaroni and tuna, which is a big deal. Then I realized I liked cooking. I'm no expert, but it's also very good for me to immerse myself in the kitchen, almost as a meditation: when I'm cooking, I'm just cooking. It makes me connect a lot.

And how did you get into the world of wine?

— I think the topic of wine has been very much a part of my friends' lives, who have always been older than me. In fact, one of the friends in my group, Òscar, is a winemaker and has made several bottles of wine himself, under the name Batussa. Obviously, wine was talked about quite a bit in this group, and I think I started to make a difference there, although I don't have much of an idea about it either. Still, I always have wine at home, and in fact, I never have beer at home; I always have wine, and water, of course.

You've spoken several times about housing insecurity, using your apartment, which is just over 30 square meters, as an example. Do you have room for wine bottles in this space?

— It's an apartment that's basically a common area between the kitchen, dining room, and bedroom; luckily the bathroom is separate, but I still make room for a bottle of wine. In fact, with friends we do something called rescuing, The thing is, when we finish a concert, we take the bottles from the dressing room, because we don't usually drink too much at concerts. With this system, we always have a bottle of wine or cava, and it's always a good resource when we have small get-togethers or parties at home.

Cava too? Sometimes there seems to be a generational bias among cava drinkers.

— Yes, I really like cava, and in fact, it's drunk quite a bit at family meals. I thought this was the norm everywhere, but when I went to Madrid, I realized that cava is a very Catalan thing. I'd almost say I like cava more than wine, although I don't snack as much. But to get here, I also had to drink the typical semi-sweet Bach for three and a half euros. Obviously, it's delicious because it's like a jelly bean, but afterward, you get a hangover that you remember. On the other hand, I think I'm in a much healthier place now. I go to the gym more and watch what I eat and snack. For example, I usually order red wine now because it's the lowest-calorie and healthiest wine you can drink—obviously, everything in moderation. If you drink two bottles, it's definitely not healthy.

Is the music world also so healthy?

— I think music is closely linked to the nightlife and, therefore, unfortunately, to alcohol, but in my case, I try to separate work and personal life a lot, I suppose also because I started early and had to be very clear about what I was doing at any given moment. In fact, I made it a rule not to drink before, during, or after concerts; I'm quite a geek, maybe. But hey, I guess it depends on who you ask. In Catalonia, for example, it's a much more conscious and healthy environment, compared to those who are still there but have been there for many years. There's a huge difference between those who ruin the big parties and those who don't. I think the younger generations are much more aware that this is a space for work, not leisure.

You just released a new album, Sensitive material. Do you remember having any special celebrations for the premiere?

— The day the album came out, we had a launch party with some fans, and when everyone had left, we stayed with the technical team doing the countdown to midnight, when the album would come out, and I perfectly remember toasting with red wine.

What is your favorite wine?

— Obviously, I'd say Batussa, which belongs to my friend Óscar. I'd also say Octopussy, which is the wine made by the restaurant where we are today, Pepa. They made a very short run, but it was delicious. It's one of those wines that if you drink it with your eyes closed, you could almost tell it's a white. The truth is, I really enjoy going to wine bars like Pepa, because they feature local produce, the wines are excellent, as is the food, and the people who work there are gorgeous. Another wine bar I love is La Bicicleta, which is at the top of Verdi, or the Tiberi restaurant, which is delicious.