Drake Approaches Club Paradise Tour 'Like An Athlete'

Club Paradise isn't just about what you see onstage. Drake wanted to create a tour vibe that could be felt in the crowd and backstage as well. Take his posh dressing room, with its candles, wine-colored couches and matching OVO throw pillows or his branded Club Paradise Styrofoam cups. For Drizzy, it's all about the detail.

"Everywhere you turn, there are different rooms, different vibes. It's kind of like I wanted to create a real atmosphere before show and after show," Drake told correspondent Sway Calloway during his May 17 tour stop in Houston. "We paid very close attention to detail this tour, but all just for the greater good of the energy and the vibe."

Still, most fans don't get to experience Club Paradise's backstage magic, where on any given day tourmates J. Cole, 2 Chainz, Meek Mill, Waka Flocka Flame and French Montana can be found milling about. So while out onstage, Drake gives each show his all. The hour-and-a-half set is very taxing. "I think going onstage for me now, it's a very physical thing. It's 90 minutes, and I like to deliver records so that they sound like the actual song," the Young Money shining star explained. "To be able to maintain that stamina is very difficult, and it's become a profession in its own for me, as far as mastering my breathing, working out every day, eating different, not drinking as much, just taking my life a bit more serious."

Drake came a long way from his first headlining tour in 2009. "So Far Gone Tour was just a blast. We were young, we were going place to place; now it's very much like I treat my mind and my body in this whole approach like an athlete. I think that's maybe the evolution that we're talking about," he explained. "Along with working with my vocal coach, just trying to get better, watching great performances and special moments."

During his Houston stop, Drizzy brought out Rick Ross, and while in Atlanta on May 20, Drake welcomed hometown hero T.I. to the stage. "I feel like we've been pretty consistent on this tour with giving each city their own special moment," he said confidently. "The performance is another element to my career that I want to challenge myself and get better at."

What's your favorite Drake performance? Tell us in the comments!