Lenny Kravitz on the importance of laughter

Lenny Kravitz thinks it's important to laugh every day.

The American rocker is releasing his tenth studio album, Strut, later this month which marks his return to music.

Lenny recently dipped his toes into the world of acting with roles in movies such as The Butler and The Hunger Games, but is enjoying being back in the studio.

"I'm around a lot of funny, interesting people, and I laugh out loud every day," Lenny revealed to People magazine.

"That's essential. Mostly at myself. Like right now I'm in rehearsals with my band, and things get really funny and I just crack myself up."

Lenny drew up a list of the things he'd last done for the publication, including the last time he's splurged and the last time he'd cried.

He also spoke about the last dream he'd had, which involved a certain A-list actress.

"It sounds really ridiculous, but I was somewhere with Jennifer Lawrence. We were hanging out with a bunch of people, and she was standing next to me. I texted her when I woke up. But I didn't tell her about the dream!" he laughed.

As well as joking around, Lenny also highlighted some more serious issues going on in his life.

When asked the last time he'd been impressed, the 50-year-old had no hesitation with his response.

"My cousin, who's staying with me, is going through a very hard life moment, dealing with a serious disease, and she's handling it with such grace and strength and faith. She's blowing me away right now," he explained.

Family is of great importance to the star, and when he celebrated his milestone birthday in May he was reminded of how lucky he is.

"[The last time I cried was] at my birthday. So many people were there, people that really matter to me. My daughter [Zoë Kravitz] and her mom [Lisa Bonet] and all my good friends and cousins and family. Just people who really matter to me. They showed me a lot of love," he smiled.