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  Image: @LennyKravitz 

 

 

 

 [Interviews &amp; Careers](/life/interviews-careers) 

 



 /  19 March 2025  

#  10 Minutes With… Lenny Kravitz  


 For decades now, Lenny Kravitz has been one of the coolest and most stylish men on the planet. Even if you hadn’t noticed, YSL Beauty had – making him the face of its Y fragrance line five years ago. On the occasion of a new scent release, the rocker sat down with us to talk world-class style, life philosophies and his undying hunger for more…  
 

 



 

  Image: @LennyKravitz 

 

 

 

All products on this page have been selected by our editorial team, however we may make commission on some products.

 



 

 

 

 

 [ ![](https://media.slman.com/eYvueYy6Q2gNCv2-QIUCoqjiWtE=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fsw18.sheerluxe.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F03%2Fslman-editorial-190325-lenny-1.png?itok=B0MLqEB4)

 

 ](https://www.instagram.com/lennykravitz/) 

@LennyKravitz

 

 

 

 

 

**I love life. I truly love life.** I am grateful each and every day for this miracle, and I have remained hungry. I've remained inspired. I love making music as much as I did when I was in high school.

**My last album came out of nowhere.** They all do – my job is to be a good antenna and be ready to receive the signal that's being transmitted to me. The album happened during the pandemic, at a time of pretty much complete isolation. I was in the middle of beautiful nature and all of this joyous music came to me. Going into a studio was this incredible experience of, ‘What magic could happen today?’ I'm grateful for that feeling because I know people that have lost that.

 

 I'm attracted to people who have a style nothing to do with what I like, but that’s authentic to them.  
 

 



 

 



**It's very hard to know what I'm going to put on before I walk on stage** – because I have to feel it. I always start with the pants and the boots. I ground myself, I feel comfortable, and then I build it from there. I like to mix things that are very grounding with very glamorous elements. But that balance has to be right. If I put on an outfit where the whole thing is glitzy, I don't like it. I like to blend those two elements: for example, an old pair of jeans that feel like a second skin, an old vintage belt that's got some personality, and an old pair of boots, but then mixed with a fabulous top. I like to mix masculine and feminine, for lack of any better terms. I like to mix vintage with new things. And I feel the balance when it's right.

**Listen to your voice.** I'm attracted to people who have a style nothing to do with what I like, but that’s authentic to them. I love it because I think, ‘Wow, I couldn't do that, but you can, and it looks correct on you.’ It's about all of us embracing our individuality. We all have our gifts. You have a gift, or a set of gifts, that I could not dream of having. The advice that I was given was to do your thing, and not worry about what the next person is doing. I love that, but it's not the easiest thing to do in a world that's trying to get us to follow the crap, you know?

 

 [ ![](https://media.slman.com/baBu-HLpmLyCNjLw-GeXLEJA1xY=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fsw18.sheerluxe.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F03%2Fslman-editorial-190325-lenny-2.jpg?itok=FAGnZgpe)

 

 ](https://www.instagram.com/lennykravitz/) 

@LennyKravitz

 

 

 

 

 

 

**After 37 years, I'm just beginning to feel successful.** That may sound odd to you. I have people tell me, ‘Well, god, you've been doing it for so long, what could you want to do now? You've done it all, blah, blah, blah.’ But for me, I feel like I'm just beginning. I feel like the past 37 years have been a wonderful education, and now I'm ready to walk on *my* path. Somebody else may look at me and see it a completely different way, but that's how I feel, and I think that's wonderful. I'm about the slow burn. I want to keep going. I want to create my fire. I want it to happen at a steady, nice pace and continue, as opposed to a quick burn and then a burnout.

**I just did a tour of South America from top to bottom, and it was sensational.** Probably the best tour I've ever had. I think a lot of that has to do with where I am, in my spirit and my head. I'm full of joy more than ever. I'm full of gratitude more than ever. And I'm still learning to trust myself and my artistic vision. Hopefully, all of us can do that our whole lives. I had a very good example in a grandfather who up into his 90s was continually open, learning, hanging with younger people, and was not afraid to be vulnerable and grow. And this is part of embracing your individuality, right? Why should we stop growing at a certain point? We should continue growing until we leave this realm.

 

 

 

 

 [ ![](https://media.slman.com/JNK5bGa_0UlThcOUXmFf8y6lhdU=/1920x0/smart/filters:no_upscale()/https%3A%2F%2Fsw18.sheerluxe.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F03%2Fslman-editorial-190325-lenny-3-v2.png?itok=Zj8hLkvo)

 

 ](https://www.instagram.com/lennykravitz/) 

@LennyKravitz; ph.FAB/Shutterstock; Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock; Nicolas Prado For YSL Beauty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I'd love to make a movie. I'd love to paint. I want to travel with my daughter, just the two of us, and have adventures.  
 

 



 

 



**Exercise your gratitude for the things we take for granted** – like just waking up and opening your eyes, and for the ability to walk and do things. Time, and making the best use of it, is a luxury. My big brother Denzel Washington is such a great example to me of somebody committed to continued growth and openness. He'll call me and just drop wisdom on me. It's great to have people in your life who offer you time, love, conversation and openness. You only need a couple of friends in your life like that. The important people in my life fit in one or two hands. It gets smaller as the years go by, but it gets more potent.

**I'd love to make a movie.** I feel that I have a director's mind. I'd love to paint. I've only done it a couple of times, but I know it's something that I am eager to do. I want to do ceramics. I want to travel to places that I've never been. Most of my travel is associated with touring, and I enjoy it, but I rarely go somewhere just to go. I want to travel with my daughter, just the two of us, and have adventures. As we grow and get busier, it's hard to do that.

**A fragrance is a vibe.** It’s an aesthetic, an aura, a mood. As I said, I get dressed very instinctually. After I’m in the frame of mind to get out there – a calm frame of mind for me – I give it that pump. I give that [spray of Y](https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=15732&awinaffid=69421&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yslbeauty.co.uk%2Ffragrances%2Ffragrances-for-him%2Fy%2Fy-le-parfum%2FWW-50786YSL.html) and it’s just the finisher. It's the exclamation point. ‘Okay, I feel good. My mind is good. My spirit is good. My body is good. I'm dressed. I feel confident. I'm ready to go.’ And here's that final element that completes the process. So that's it. It's really simple, but it's effective.

*Follow* [*@LennyKravitz*](https://www.instagram.com/lennykravitz)

 

 

 

 

All products on this page have been selected by our editorial team, however we may make commission on some products.

 

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