It's a Thursday morning in April and Lenny Kravitz is in Los Angeles putting the final touches on his new album. “It's about to be finished in a matter of days,” he says gleefully when we speak. He’s excited, he's feeling energised, and he’s clearly looking forward to dropping some new tunes as he hints that the album is all about “going back and going forward – at the same time”.
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This (often cryptic) relationship with time is not something new to the legendary singer. Aside from the fact many believe the man himself – not to mention his abs – is defying time by how youthful he looks given the big 6-0 comes round next year, he’s always been fascinated by the passing of time. On his album 5, there’s a song called ‘Take Time’ that talks about taking the time to love; his eighth studio was It Is Time for a Love Revolution; the 1991 banger ‘It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over'… you get what we're saying.
Therefore it’s apt that after all these years of dabbling with the concept of time in his songs, he’s now being unveiled as the new global face of a fittingly iconic watchmaker in Jaeger-LeCoultre – one of the most respected and revered in the game.
We catch up with Kravitz to chat about his new album and find out how he sees wristwear in relation to style, and he also regales us with a never-before-told tale of that time he lost his fave grail watch.
GQ: How’s 2023 been treating you?
Lenny Kravitz: I feel blessed every day to wake up and live my life. I get a high from just being creative in general, I really do. I've been doing a lot of recording and writing, design, architecture and furniture interiors, photography. I still have this hobby of music and creating it hasn't changed – I haven't become tired of it by any stretch of the imagination.
So what's the inspo behind your upcoming album?
I put out [my book] Let Love Rule during the pandemic. In that I spent a good deal of time talking about how I was not confident with who I was in my teens. I thought I had to have this persona. By virtue of doing that, I found my way back to being me and accepting who I am. Somehow, naturally, after writing this book, I went back to exploring what I was doing at that time before I came back to, quote unquote, being myself. So this record is very interesting for me as it’s a celebration of that side of me that never got heard – now reinterpreted with who I am.
Has the process of putting out music changed since you started out?
It's a different business, there's really no rules anymore – it's just everybody doing everything in any kind of way. But for me creatively, it's the same. I like to let it just be what it wants to be, and then I go down that road. I'm just waiting for the next download.
What emotions come with the thought of touring new music?
I mean, excitement. You know, I was two years into a three year world tour when the pandemic hit. The last year got cut off. I was on a roll and had to then stop. So I can't believe it's been so long, but I'm excited to go back out and play new music, be back in the midst of people and feeling that energy. I spent a good two and a half years isolated being around only seven or eight people for that length of time in a town that only has 490 people so it was a time of isolation. It was a time of introspection, it was a time of creativity. And it was beautiful. Obviously, I wish it wasn't for the reason that it was. But I feel rejuvenated, fresh and optimistic.
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Do you wear a watch while you are performing?
No. I have no concern about time on stage. If I go over my time somebody will pull me off. But I've been fascinated with watches since I was a child. I used to go through my father's things, which I wasn't supposed to do, and find his watch. It had a chronograph on it and I used to play with it. It's something that always intrigued me – the design, the technical aspect, it was all very attractive and seemed very grown up as a small child.
And now, here you are wearing a Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso.
I just think [the Reverso] is so iconic and so original so when this partnership came about I was really into it – it’s a perfect fit.
Do you remember what your first watch was?
I absolutely do. I must have been about 12 and I was singing in the California boys choir at the time. All the kids were getting these digital watches – the future was before us, you know, the desire to change, and they were all digital. I do not remember the brand but it was a silver body on a silver flexible band. It gave you the time and a stopwatch as well. And that was it.
What are your rules on watches and jewellery?
I tend to just wear a watch on the wrist by itself. I'll have rings on and whatever, and I'll maybe have some bracelets on the other hand but when it's such a bold design as this [Reverso] I like wearing the watch just on its own. I mean, you're the jewellery that you wear, people choose watches, obviously for different reasons but for me, it's besides all of the function. The form has to look right on my body, on my wrist. There are watches that I might love but I wouldn't wear because they doesn't suit me.
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What advice do you have for anyone who isn’t into watches?
There’s still this thing where people are like ‘You don't have to have a watch because you've got your phone’, but there's a beautiful freedom to be able to put that phone down and still be able to walk around and have the time. Time is eternal so a watch like this is such an elegant and artful way to monitor it. It's a classic art form just like playing a guitar or a piano that's handmade. Yes, you can use the sample, you can use the synthesiser, you don't have to have a guitar, or a piano or a violin, but it's the craftsmanship. It's the art. And that is timeless.
For all the form and function of a watch like yours, they are great to play with too, right?
I mean, I flip it all the time. I can't stop. Even just, I'm driving in the car. It's like, I touch it. I look at it. I flip it.
When it comes to grail-worthy status, why is the Reverso regarded as one of the best classics?
By virtue of the incredible design, it's the only one that looks like it does and operates like it does. You know it the second you see it, I guess that's what you want.
Have you ever lost a watch you loved?
Yes! I lost a vintage watch – I won't name the brand but it was something very, very fine and very, very expensive. This sounds crazy, but a huge dog of mine – a very big Neapolitan Mastiff – ate it. I never got it back, not the way it should have been.
