Nominate your 8th wonder of the world
'I bought an organic farm in Brazil called Fazenda São Tomé, which is 1,000 acres of waterfalls, fish, cows, horses, fruits, vegetables and coffee. I've spent the past six years designing and renovating the late-18th-century farmhouses. It's completely self-sufficient. When you're there you feel God, you feel creation, you feel nature. You eat off the land and when you turn on the taps, it's water from a waterfall. I let friends stay, but we're also going to open it up to others. So that's my personal eighth wonder, somewhere to completely replenish and revitalise.'
Where have you just come back from?
'Well, I haven't actually left yet! I'm in the Bahamas. I live between here and Paris. I spend my life on tour so when it's time to take a vacation, I like to get home. My mother was Bahamian and the islands are very dear to me. The water is exquisite, clear and turquoise, and the land is green and lush with coconut trees, palms, sea grapes, hibiscus, aloe vera, guavas, mangoes… It's also where I can really be myself. People just think of me as a local, a neighbour, as part of the community.'
Which is your favourite city?
'Paris. When my first album came out in 1989 I was signed in the USA, but they didn't know what to do with me. I didn't fit in any box. I was different to what was going on at the time, the stuff that was being played on the radio. So they sent me to Europe - to London, Paris, Hamburg and Amsterdam. And when I went to Paris for the first time, I got this uncanny feeling, as if I belonged there somehow. Growing up in New York City, I was always attracted to the Beaux Arts buildings on the Upper East Side, and in Paris all those beautiful buildings were everywhere. I love the city for its passion, art, the opera, the ballet, the fashion, the architecture, the food, the wine. I remember trying to get things done faster on my house, saying to the French builders, "Can you work on the weekend? I'll pay you double," and the guys were like, "No! We're going home to have dinner with our families." I like that. Coming from the USA, you think that if you snap your fingers are going to serve you, and in Paris it doesn't work that way. So to answer the question you asked me an hour ago, Paris is my favourite city.'
Which is your road most travelled?
'The one that has led me on concert tours around the world for the past 27 years. I can be on the road for a year and a half at a time. It's like a circus, packing up the tents every night, then off again. My actual life gets put on the backburner, but I tour with a great group of people, and I'm grateful.'
What do you pack first?
'My Leica cameras go everywhere with me. I love capturing moments, places, people, objects. I ended up doing a book and an exhibition called Flash, which involved shooting people who were photographing me - fans and paparazzi.'
Tell us about a great little place you know
'Bacchus Fine Foods on Governor's Harbour in Eleuthera, in the Bahamas. It's a small store with just three or four tables and it belongs to a friend of mine, Angelika, who cooks seafood and these beautiful Indian curried chickpeas and spicy shrimp. You can eat vegan, or raw, and it's a really cool hang, just playing music and talking to Angelika.'
Any memories from a childhood holiday?
'When I was a kid we used to go to Nassau on Paradise Island every Christmas to visit my family. There weren't any big hotels then, and we would stay at a place called the Beach Inn, which became our home over the holidays. My half-sisters would come, and different friends and family. My best memories are of being on the beach with a great calypso band playing. It was a carefree time.'
Where's the smartest place you've stayed?
'I lived at the Four Seasons Hotel George V for a month and a half when I was looking for somewhere to buy in Paris. I had my dog with me, which I don't think the manager was too happy about, but they allowed it if I used the staff elevator. Everything I wanted was taken care of and it was the easiest time I've had in a hotel.'
Who is the most interesting person you've met on your travels?
'Nelson Mandela. But here's the thing, we didn't meet in person, we spoke on the phone. I was touring in South Africa and he invited me to see him and his family, but there were these tremendous floods due to a torrential downpour, so we weren't able to go. But I have to say the conversation we had was incredible, memorable and uplifting. That he took time to speak to me is something I'll always carry with me.'
What's your guilty pleasure?
'Because I'm always thinking about the show, about business, design and photography, my head gets so full. I want my brain to be numb so I can sleep, so my guilty pleasure is turning on the pay-per-view and watching bad movies or a series on Netflix, just to switch off my mind.'
What would you most like to find in your hotel mini-bar?
'My favourite raw, vegan chocolate, Honey Mama's. It's mind-blowing. I've been eating raw for almost a year and have never felt better.'
How do you relax?
'By doing the thing that I love the most: being creative. It relaxes my soul because I'm content. And spending time with close family, especially my daughter Zoë.'
Lenny Kravitz was speaking to Francesca Babb. His new album, 'Strut', is available now, and his photography book, 'Flash', is available on Amazon. For information on his design company, see kravitzdesign.com
This feature was first published in Condé Nast Traveller April 2017
