Lenny Kravitz‘s brand new single, “Human,” begins with a rattle. And either by choice or by divine intervention (or maybe both), it’s the perfect opening. The rattle, if considering the new track philosophically, can be thought of as a soul-stirring awakening. The jolt of bones, the spark of a spirit inside. A rattle, too, is almost always a person’s first toy, doubling also as our first musical instrument.
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Long a symbol of rock excellence, for Kravitz to express himself as a human being is to acknowledge his physical form (indeed, he is one of the most beautiful people alive) and his deep spiritual side. It is with this rattling that he begins to explore the sounds on his new track out today (March 22), just ahead of his forthcoming LP Blue Electric Light, which is out May 24.
Finding His Lane
“You know,” Kravitz tells American Songwriter of the new single, “it’s about us as spiritual beings living this human existence and what that is. When you stop trying to please everybody and do what people are trying to get you to do.” It’s an interesting theme for a man about to turn 60 just two days after the new album drops.
But what happens when you are truly, authentically yourself? For Kravitz, that’s when he says, “You find your lane. How freeing that is. That’s the basic message [of the song].”
Kravitz, who was born May 26, 1964, grew up the son of a famous actress (Roxie Roker) and journalist father (Sy Kravitz). He was raised in New York City, a melting pot of cultures, backgrounds, races, and lifestyles. In a way, he is an amalgam of all of those influences and yet he is also himself, a unique individual blazing a trail ever since releasing his debut LP Let Love Rule in 1989.
This spring, 35 years since dropping that first record, he’s set to release his 12th, Blue Electric Light, a sensual, loving, at times aggressive, and powerful 12-track album with songs that assure, question, rip and rage soulfully and skillfully.
Trailblazer
When Kravitz first started out, Black artists fronting their own bands were rare. His legacy as an early pioneer opened the door for modern mainstream artists like Ayron Jones, Brittany Howard, Gary Clark Jr., Black Pumas, and WILLOW, and up-and-coming ones like The Black Tones. For Kravitz, that’s part of what it means to be a human being in the 21st century—and it’s mirrored in his new sticky single.
After that initial rattle from the track, hand-claps come in, a sort of percussive chorus of sounds. Then the melodic instruments arrive—keys and his eagle-like voice. A bell chimes. Kravitz sings: I’m going to live my truth in this life / I am not going to live a lie/ ‘Cause I came here to be alive / I am here to be human. And these words don’t just make for a good musical refrain. They’re words to live by.
“I’m here to be human,” Kravitz reiterates. “I’m here to experience all of this. Make the mistakes, everything. Learn, evolve. I’m here for that.”
It can be difficult to create a song that assures as much as it entertains, that provokes as much as it provides a sense of bounce and joy. But Kravitz has achieved that on the new single, which comes from his first album in six years. He doesn’t shy away from that fact either. For at one’s best, to be human is to look at the world staunchly but plainly—confidently but certainly humbly, too.
“The track is just fun—it’s a fun little anthem,” Kravitz says.
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