In 2025, the old rock-and-roll blueprint – empty bottles, late-nights, hellish hangovers, and barely-remembered shows – is getting a sobering remix, and it comes courtesy of some of the biggest names in music. Everyone from Miley Cyrus, Florence Welch, Tyler, the Creator and more are quietly rewriting the industry’s touring lifestyle, trading it for cleaner, more intentional routines on the road – think sober-friendly studio sessions and pre-show rituals designed around mental health and stamina.The goal isn’t restriction, it’s sustainability — figuring out how to stay healthy, inspired, and energized when the schedule doesn’t slow down. It’s a survival strategy, really. With festival appearances, arena dates, and nonstop concert stops packed into every year, musicians simply don’t have as much time to be battling the post-party fog anymore.
But that shift in backstage behavior isn’t happening in a vaccuum; audiences are taking a more mindful approach to drinking, too. A large percentage of Millennials and Gen Z are being more selective when it comes to alcohol intake, opting for quality over quantity with most citing mental health benefits as the biggest reason why. And whether they’re being influenced by the artists they love (or vice-versa) the results on the ground are the same: alcohol-free festival activations, wellness-minded brand collabs, and on-tour initiatives that make mindful living part of the new concert experience.
It all ties into a wider movement that’s been gaining traction recently — a more flexible approach to drinking that emphasizes choice over habit. The term “sober curious” was coined in 2018 by author Ruby Warrington to describe a mindset that questions alcohol consumption without demanding full abstinence. Since then, it’s snowballed, especially among post-pandemic Millennials and Gen Zers, who are rethinking the old social script that always equates partying with heavy drinking. This isn’t about giving up on fun, it’s about swapping hangovers for better focus and hazily remembered late nights for real connection. Social media has supercharged the trend, turning mocktails, dry-festival activations, and wellness rituals into cultural currency. But while fans scroll through recipe TikToks and Instagram feeds filled with glossy visuals of influencers at yoga retreats, artists are incorporating the movement into their work-life balance.
Some of music’s biggest names have been surprisingly frank about how dialing back alcohol helps their work. Cyrus, sober since 2019, has dubbed abstinence a grounding “medicine,” noting that the nonstop touring schedule can make staying clean complicated. In place of alcohol, she resets through more holisitc practices – meditation, regular exercise, and gardening are her go-tos. And she limits her touring schedules, preventing vocal burnout by prioritizing her physical health. For Welch, sobriety was more of a creative lifeline, crediting it with giving her more artistic freedom, saying, “I’m so much more in tune with what I want, what I like and what I want to make.”
Tyler, the Creator is an artist who has never really bought into the hard partying-rapper stereotype either. “I’ve never been drunk in my life,” he told Vice, explaining that booze and blunts feel more like distractions in the studio booth than fuel. Hip-hop peer Kendrick Lamar feels the same. “Everybody’s fun is different. Mine is not drinking,” he once told Rolling Stone, explaining he only drinks casually, if at all. That restraint lines up with the way he’s long centered mental health in his work. From high-profile headliners like Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, Kid Cudi, Logic, Jack Harlow, Calvin Harris, Coldplay, and Eminem to indie voices such as Bartees Strange, Waxahatchee, and Julien Baker, selective sobriety has emerged as a deliberate tool – an instrument artists are wielding to sharpen focus and elevate both creative output and performance.
For many musicians, “sober-curious” is less a mandate and more a flexible playbook for better habits. Functional routines are replacing backstage chaos, helping artists stay energized, sleep better, manage anxiety, and recover quickly. Stars like Rosalía juice, supplement, and train doggedly to sustain stamina during marathon shows. Phoebe Bridgers relies on yoga and EMDR therapy. Chance the Rapper incorporates spiritual practices to stay centered and avoid anxiety, and Billie Eilish credits light exercise, plant-based meals, and intentional downtime for maintaining her concert-ready energy.
Others bring adaptogenic tonics, mushroom coffees, CBD-infused topicals, vitamin stacks, and functional mocktails in their backstage kits. Some artists hire tour nutritionists or on-call herbalists, structuring meals, supplements, and sleep schedules with military-like precision. When you consider the grueling schedules, long flights, and back-to-back performances, touring musicians are basically athletes – it makes sense they’d gravitate towards rest, nutrition, mental focus, and vocal care as a part of the playbook.
Ditching the chaos doesn’t make shows boring — it makes them better, more inclusive, and worth remembering. The effect isn’t just on stage either. Non-alcoholic drinks, on-call wellness experts, and artist-led support programs are creating a new touring ecosystem. When performers embrace sustainable routines, venues and festivals follow, and fans pick up the habits too. Not every artist goes fully dry, but then again, that’s not really the point. The point is choice: everyone’s finding ways to protect their bodies, stay mentally present, and fully enjoy the ride.