Benjamin Jones
Lenny Kravitz always seems to exude confidence – whether on the red carpet, on stage holding a guitar or elsewhere. Many described him as the epitome of cool.
But Kravitz doesn’t feel burdened by other people’s expectations.
“Are you aware of the effect you have on people or is it something you need to work on?” King Gayle asked Kravitz during a recent interview for “CBS Mornings.”
“I don’t work on it,” said the musician. “And I don’t think about it. But I’m aware of people’s reactions.”
He spends most of his time focused on making music. On Friday, the Grammy-winning artist will release his twelfth studio album, “Blue Electric Light.”
Inspirations behind the new album
Kravitz says the inspiration for the album came during Covid-19 pandemic when he was at his home in the Bahamas. “Some songs need to sit,” Kravitz said, but this album came out of him.
“I made about four albums while I was there. This is the one I felt needed to come first. It felt very immediate. It felt like this was the beginning of the wave I was supposed to ride,” Kravitz explained.
Solitude helped Kravitz dig deep and create something honest.
“I think just being in nature, being alone, being quiet really opened up a portal for me,” he explained.
Overcoming insecurities
In his new song, “Human,” Kravitz sings about embarking on a journey to live his truth.
“I think I was raised – not on purpose, but to please people. Where I put a lot of people’s feelings before my own. Because I want to see people happy. And that can be harmful if you overdo it therefore,” Kravitz explained.
Kravitz said his daughter, Zoë Kravitz, who he shares with ex-wife and actress Lisa Bonet, helped inspire him to start creating boundaries and learn to say “no.”
Although she has been in the music industry for more than three decades and appears confident, Kravitz said she still has insecurities.
“Sometimes I’m just not sure – necessarily sure of what I’m doing. For some reason, I’m still that 16-year-old kid trying to get a record deal,” he said.
CBS Mornings
New York City Roots
Kravitz thinks fondly of New York City, where he was born and raised.
“I grew up being a New York kid. I was riding the subway at a very young age – riding with friends, taking taxis, you know? My mom taught me to be independent, you know?” he said.
He reflected on his mother, the late actress Roxie Roker, known for her role as Helen Willis on the popular CBS sitcom “The Jeffersons.” He said the show’s theme song still brings him joy.
“Every time I hear that song, it… cheers me up,” Kravitz said, adding that it brings back memories of being a kid watching her mom film the show.
Before moving to Los Angeles, Roker would send Kravitz to an after-school program at the Harlem School of the Arts in Manhattan. He recently visited the school and showed King where he learned to play guitar – a room he hadn’t set foot in since he was eight years old.
“It’s a trip,” Kravitz said.
“All I can do is really feel how blessed,” he added. “That and how beautiful the journey has been.”
In many ways, Kravitz, who turns 60 on May 26, feels his the journey is just beginning. He said he never felt so young.
“I don’t trip over age,” he said. “I don’t understand the concept. And to me, look, you can be 30 years old and destroyed, and you can be 90 years old and young and vibrant.”
