Boyzone singer Ronan Keating on raising his children in Dubai: 'This is our home and kids can be kids here'

Dubai: "I love the way the kids can be kids here. They go out and they cycle their bikes until the street lamps come on and they come in when they're hungry, like when we were kids."

For Irish singer Ronan Keating, who moved to Dubai three years ago with his wife Storm and their children, Cooper and Coco, it's these everyday freedoms that make the city feel like home.

"This is our home! Kids go to school here. Cooper and Coco love it. Stormy and I, we love it here. It's amazing," the former Boyzone star told Gulf News on Thursday during an interview at Dubai Fitness Village at Kite Beach.

And while the singer has spent decades travelling the world with his music, his plans for Thursday evening were decidedly simple: dinner with the family.

"It's a fabulous place to bring up kids, you know, and that's what's really special. There's a very wholesome environment."

"I'm leaving here now in 10 minutes and I'm going home to have dinner with the kids. So, you know, I make sure that we're always around the dinner table."

His eldest son and granddaughter are expected to visit Dubai next week.

'A lot of my friends are moving here'

Ronan says his enthusiasm for Dubai has also influenced friends back in Ireland, many of whom are now considering relocating to the UAE.

Asked whether his friends were surprised that he continued living in Dubai amid uncertain times, the singer was quick to respond.

"You know what? No. You know, they take my word for it."

He also spoke about the negative social media coverage.

"We saw a lot of negativity on social media, which was scaremongering. And when you get here, you realise none of that's actually happening or going on in any shape or form."

He said he passed on his own experiences to friends, many of whom are now keen to move to Dubai.

"I've got a lot of friends who are calling me up saying, can you help me get in? Can you help me get visas? Yeah, and it's a hundred times a day I get messages."

Despite having lived in Dubai for three years, Ronan says everyday brings in a new pleasant surprise.

"I've been here three years and this amazing city still surprises me. I still find new little places to go for coffee and, you know, great padel courts or gyms."

Asked what he would change about Dubai, he was visibly struggling to identify anything he would seriously want to change.

"I wouldn't change much. What makes it special is, you know, is all of its different, you know, the atmosphere, the different feelings. It's very special once you're here."

He added: "You don't meet a lot of people that come and move to Dubai and leave. Everybody that comes here stays here."

A Dubai routine built around school runs and family dinners

For someone who has spent decades touring internationally, Ronan's description of an ordinary day in Dubai is strikingly domestic.

"I train every day. I get up in the morning, bring the kids to school and go to the gym, get some work done, some emails and then pick the kids up from school. And then they do their homework and we have dinner around the table and then off to bed."

Weekends often involve visits to Kite Beach, where the family walks or runs together.

"We try to get down here, down to Kite Beach and go for a walk or a run on the weekends with the kids. They love it down here. It's magic."

Ronan believes visitors who spend most of their time in Dubai's luxury hotels sometimes miss places such as Kite Beach.

"People who come to Dubai, they stay in the fabulous hotels but they don't really know about Kite Beach and that this exists. Once they come here, they're like, I had no idea, this is where I want to be every day. It's a great space."

Ironically, he admitted he had only just discovered the Dubai Fitness Village activities, despite regularly visiting the beach.

"I didn't know this was here. This is the 10th year that this has been happening. For the last two years, I didn't know it was here."

He plans to return with his children this weekend.

"I'm delighted and I want them to try out some of the stuff at the fitness village. They'll have a great time."

Turning 50 and rethinking his lifestyle

With his 50th birthday approaching, Keating says he has become increasingly conscious of his physical health.

"I'm 50 next Marc and I have never been this aware of my fitness, my health, my body!"

Interestingly, long before he became a pop star, Keating had ambitions of pursuing athletics.

"I was the Irish champion over 200 metres. So, when I was 12, 13 years of age, my brother was on a scholarship to America. He was a 400-metre runner. So, it was kind of where I was going."

His sporting ambitions took a different turn when he joined Boyzone as a teenager.

"And then I joined a band and ruined that, didn't I?" he joked. But he was always known for his squeaky clean image.

Ronan tells Gulf News that he had avoided drugs throughout his career, attributing that decision partly to his young age when he entered the music industry.

"I've never gone near it. I was 16 years old when I joined the band. I was a kid and I think it was fear that kept me away from it, which I'm very grateful for now."

More recently, he has also made changes to his drinking habits.

"About three months ago, I became keenly aware that I'm getting close to 50. And I just thought to myself, I need to pay more attention to my body and maybe back off a little bit. So, I stopped drinking frequently."

He said the decision had already made a noticeable difference.

"I feel better than I've ever felt. But I'm not going to give it up forever. But I definitely just needed to back off. And it was one of the best decisions I made."

Of Salt burgers, shawarmas and finding balance

Despite training daily and paying closer attention to his health, Ronan isn't opposed to the occasional indulgence.

During our interview at Kite Beach, I pointed out that a Salt burger outlet was right behind us and asked whether I should work out or give in to temptation.

"Work out and then eat the burger," he replied.

"Don't do it the other way around, because it might get messy."

He also believes there should be room for the occasional break from a strict fitness routine.

"You're allowed a cheat day and that's crucial. You can't work out every day."

His familiarity with Dubai extends to its neighbourhood food and coffee spots.

Asked where he would recommend a good shawarma, Ronan spoke of a great gem.

"There is a great place in Al Quoz where you get the best shawarmas. Plus, there's a great coffee shop called Intellect Coffee. Great coffee in there [Goshi Warehouse]."

As the interview ended, I asked Keating for some practical fitness advice for people who might find the prospect of a burger more appealing than a treadmill.

His answer was brief.

"Do what makes you happy."

Even if that meant heading straight for the Salt burger?

"If it makes you happy, go do that."

For Ronan, who has spent three years building a family life in Dubai, the city continues to offer new experiences alongside the routine of school runs, exercise and family dinners.

And when asked whether there was anything he would change about living here, his answer was equally straightforward.

"I wouldn't change anything."