Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitzis an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop, folk, and ballads. In addition to singing lead and backing vocals, Kravitz often plays all of the instruments himself when recording...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionFunk Singer
Date of Birth26 May 1964
CityNew York City, NY
CountryUnited States of America
I think kids in Europe have developed a deeper knowledge of music and of black music in particular. You go to Europe, and these kids know about all this obscure funk and soul that kids over here wouldn't know. I think it's getting better in the States, though, with the age of the Internet.
I think that we have to be very careful and get back into the loop, get back to nature. Get back to God and not let the technology send us somewhere that we're going to regret.
I think it'd be a real nightmare to put a record out and sell 20 million copies and then that's it.
There's definitely an old school element to my music, but I also think it's modern.
People see my photos and think I labor over my image and I'm this cool, brooding artist. But I'm just having fun with it.
People don't realize it, but no one lives that rock and roll life 24-7. They think it's hundreds of bottles of champagne flowing and private jets and money. But there's a lot of time when you're traveling - time to think, time to be lonely. Sometimes it gets to you.
I never sit down to write. When I'm moved, I do it. I just wait for it to come. You just hear it. I can't really describe writing. It's in my head. I don't think about the styles. I write whatever comes out and I use whatever kind of instrumentation works for those songs...A lot of people don't listen to the lyrics, really. A lot of people pretty much only listen to the chorus.
I don't think about the styles. I write whatever comes out and I use whatever kind of instrumentation works for those songs.
If you heard my records and no one told you, I don't think you'd know whether it's a band or one guy.
My career has been a gradual climb. I think that's part of the reason why I've had longevity.
I don't like to approach people that much. There's been times when I wanted to say something to somebody, in a quick moment, but didn't. Then you think, man, who knows?
They think I'm being serious when actually I'm a very big clown. But you have to know me to see that. I'm constantly cracking up and cracking everybody else around me up.
I always try to keep the circumstances in my life fresh. I like to change the physical environment I live in, change the people around me and try to experience things for the first time. I think that keeps one on their toes, creatively and spiritually.
You need to open up so that more comes through. And you can just feel that when your ego is not in the way and when you're letting it be what it wants to be. You have to let it be what it wants to be as opposed to what you think it should be.