Lenny Kravitz let the music do the talking, then recounted some of the right steps he's taken along the way in his music career as the rocker was honored with the Music Icon Award at the 2024 People's Choice Awards.
In a night that Taylor Swift dominated with four awards but was unable to attend due to her Australian tours, it was Kravitz who rocked the house with a mini set of his classic hits and an emotional speech.
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Kravitz and Co. took off with 'Fly Away' and went into a medley that included 'TK421', It Ain't Over Til It's Over, 'Let Love Rule' and Are You Gonna Go My Way.”
After the incendiary set, three-time Grammy Award winner Victoria Monét presents Kravitz with the silverware.
Considering the meaning of the word “icon,” Kravitz observes, “It means many things to many people, to me it means you've left an indelible mark by being who God made you to be. And, daring to be different.”
More than 35 years ago, before the 11 albums, 40 million records sold and four Grammy Awards, Kravitz was a wanted man. And many of these guidance officers wanted to change him. “When I first came, a lot of people offered me a lot of offers, but they wanted me to change. My music wasn't black enough, it wasn't white enough. It didn't fit well in a box. Or sound like what was on the radio at the time,” he explains. “And I rejected the money and the shiny promises of fame and stardom because I couldn't live with myself doing something authentic.”
An icon, he believes, “is someone who inspires and teaches others to believe in themselves and in their direction whatever that direction may be.”
Kravitz's trajectory “has never been about how many records I sell, or how many awards I win, it's not about trying to write hits or being calculated or a mold. It's about enjoying and being thankful for the journey and using the gifts God has given you and this journey is going as it goes. And it will continue because I'm just doing me.”
The musical journey won't stop anytime soon. “I was a music lover long before I became a musician,” he continues. “And my mantra now is the same as it was 35 years ago: never follow the trends, set your own pace and recognize that the best is right here in front of you.”
During her opening statement, Monét enthused: “We're here to celebrate an undefined, undeniable genius once in his life, he's a force.”
Kravitz, he believes, “defies any single description. Father, singer, songwriter, producer, director, actor, designer, fashion girl, philanthropist, visionary and the king of letting love rule.”
Read Billboard's recap of the 2024 People's Choice Awards and the full list of winners here.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/lenny-kravitz-rocks-icon-set-peoples-choice-awards-1235609500/
