There aren\u2019t many people who can pull off the whole \u201cenigmatic rock star\u201d persona these days. Lenny Kravitz<\/a>, who turns 62 today, is one of them. He\u2019s got the look: the sunglasses, the leather pants, the hair. He\u2019s got the homes around the world: in the Bahamas, the highlands of Brazil, and Paris. And he\u2019s got the charisma<\/a>: that swagger and charm that have powered him through a four-decade career that\u2019s still going strong.<\/p>\n What he doesn\u2019t have is much interest in courting paparazzi photos, oversharing on social media, or spending too much time in the public eye. Just the other night, he made an unexpected appearance courtside during game 1 of the New York Knicks playoff series, sending the Internet into a tailspin with video clips labeled \u201caura\u201d and a flurry of flame emojis. Call it the power of Lenny.<\/p>\n When he and I speak over the phone, though, he\u2019s in the Bahamas, at his Gregory Town Sound recording studio situated just 100 feet from the beach in Eleuthera. He\u2019s mid-session, but he sounds unhurried and island paced. Which, as I soon learn, isn\u2019t a reflection of just his location but also of his mindset\u2014wherever he goes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe music is the catalyst, but connecting and bringing everyone together, feeling the humanity and the unity\u2014that is what\u2019s important to me. And that requires me to be open and calm.\u201d<\/span>Mark Seliger<\/span><\/p>\n The occasion of our conversation is The Hour Before, a new campaign series from Swiss watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre built around the unseen moments that precede greatness, the quiet work that fans typically never get to witness. I ask him what it\u2019s like the hour before a big show.<\/p>\n \u201cHeart rate is low and mind is clear,\u201d he says. The stage, the crowd, the spectacle of it all comes after. \u201cThe music is the catalyst,\u201d he says, \u201cbut connecting and bringing everyone together, feeling the humanity and the unity\u2014that is what\u2019s important to me. And that requires me to be open and calm.\u201d<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t always this way, he admits. When he was in his 20s, the wrong energy in a room could throw him off. \u201cYou learn over time how to block those things out, how to put up boundaries so that you can center yourself and not let the elements control you,\u201d he says. He traces this ethos back to his grandfather, who emphasized the invisible work. \u201cYou can build this big, fancy, beautiful house,\u201d Kravitz says, \u201cbut if the foundation\u2014the part you can\u2019t see\u2014is not strong, it will tumble.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can build this big, fancy, beautiful house, but if the foundation\u2014the part you can\u2019t see\u2014is not strong, it will tumble.\u201d<\/span>Mark Seliger<\/span><\/p>\n The campaign isn\u2019t the only thing on Kravitz\u2019s packed docket. He’s been breadcrumbing new album teasers on Instagram since January. He heads to Europe in June for a run of live shows and festivals kicking off in Florence. I ask him about his music\u2014and the role style plays when it comes to performing.<\/p>\n \u201cThe people I admired growing up had great style and great music, whether you were the Jackson Five or Jimi Hendrix or Miles Davis or Led Zeppelin,\u201d he says. And his own aesthetic? \u201cIt\u2019s just very instinctual and organic to what I am and who I am,\u201d he says. \u201cIt blends elegance, rock \u2019n\u2019 roll, and soul.\u201d But there\u2019s rigor to it too.<\/p>\n \u201cWorking creatively on anything\u2014whether it be music or architecture or photography or whatever\u2014I have a good amount of discipline,\u201d he says. \u201cSame thing with my health and wellness, taking care of my body.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n
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