Lenny Kravitz is back, and at 60-years-old, hungrier than ever.
The legendary rockstar spoke to The Hollywood Reporter ahead of his performance at London‘s Wembley Stadium to kick off the crown jewel of European sport on Saturday night: the UEFA Champion’s League Final.
He beams with pride at his newly-released record, Blue Electric Light. The 12th studio album marks a new phase for Kravitz, he says: “After being around for a lengthy period of time, to still feel fresh, motivated, inspired, and hungry – and I feel all of those things just as much as I did in the beginning – I think is amazing.” He looks revitalized by the new music, which the star acknowledges is a rarity in his business. “I see a lot of people that have been doing it for years,” he says. “Some examples [of people] where they don’t feel the same. I’m excited by every day, every new day could be a new possibility.”
The youthfulness in him is reflected in this album. It’s his surroundings, it’s life, that inspired the record. “I’m just an antenna, I pick up what’s being transmitted to me,” he says. “So it’s not me doing it. Once I get the initial song in my head, my job is to get it down to tape, as I heard it in my head. All the things that I’ve gone through in the last period of time, [the album is] just a mirror of what’s going on.”
Kravitz created this album from the Bahamas but confessed to missing being on the road. There’s not long to wait now – the Pepsi Kick-Off Show is the first gig on a long-awaited tour. “I’m always making music but I missed being on the road,” he tells THR. “I just stayed in the Bahamas, creating. What I was doing, what was coming through me, how it felt the whole time, it was amazing.”
It’s a huge concert to start a tour with, perhaps Kravitz’s biggest ever. An estimated 450 million people across 200 countries tune into the Champion’s League Final at some point during the match. This year, it’ll be Borussia Dortmund up against Real Madrid. Why has he taken it on? “Both music and sports are vehicles that bring people together,” he says. The American remembers where he is – and stops himself before calling it “soccer.” “Football is just enormous, and full of energy. It’s a huge event. Hundreds of millions watching, and I’m down for all that,” he says. He promises “fun” from the performance telling THR, “We’re gonna play a little classics, and something new.”
The music aside, Kravitz can also boast a memorable acting career. Fans might recall his starring role alongside Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games. There’s no dancing around the question, and he’s happy to answer it. He’s working to get back in front of the camera – and even has a project of his own in the works.
“I love doing it when I get the opportunity and the time. I’m working on a couple of things,” Kravitz says. “And making my own film, which I’ve been wanting to do for some time now. But I love working with others and collaborating and doing these films. It’s a nice relief, because when I’m in the studio, I do everything myself, I play all the instruments, I write it, I produce it. It’s my vision. It’s my thing. And when I get to do a film, it’s not about me at all. And it’s about a character. It’s about a director’s vision. So I like being in that position and then collaborating with so many people. It’s a nice relief.”
He can’t say any more about it. Today, it’s about the music and his fans. What is he hoping they receive from Blue Electric Light? “Life, humanity, God’s spirit, love, fun, romance, a little bit of everything. All the things that make life sweet.”
Lenny Kravitz will headline the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show presented by Pepsi.
