Lenny Kravitz

Leonard Albert Kravitz is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known for incorporating rock, funk, reggae, hard rock, soul, and R&B into his music, selling over 40 million albums worldwide. Beyond his recording career, he has appeared in feature films and established his own creative design studio.

Kravitz was born on May 26, 1964, in New York City to television news producer Sy Kravitz and actress Roxie Roker. Raised in Manhattan and Brooklyn, he began playing instruments at a young age, starting with drums and guitar. In 1974, his family relocated to Los Angeles, where he joined the California Boys Choir, sang with the Metropolitan Opera, and attended Beverly Hills High School, teaching himself piano and bass while developing an interest in rock music.

Initially recording under the name Romeo Blue, Kravitz secured a deal with Virgin Records in early 1989 and reverted to his given name. He released his debut studio album, Let Love Rule, later that year, which met with international success. He followed it with albums such as Mama Said in 1991, featuring the hit single "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over," and Are You Gonna Go My Way in 1993, whose title track won an MTV Video Music Award. His 1998 album 5 featured successful tracks including "Fly Away" and a cover of "American Woman."

Throughout his musical career, Kravitz earned four consecutive Grammy Awards for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance from 1999 to 2002, setting a record for most consecutive wins in one category by a male performer. His hit single "Again" also achieved top-ten status on the Billboard Hot 100. In addition to his own recordings, Kravitz co-wrote and produced Madonna's "Justify My Love" in 1990 and produced Vanessa Paradis's self-titled 1991 album. In 2011, he was named an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France.

Beyond music, Kravitz made his feature film acting debut in Precious in 2009 and portrayed the character Cinna in the first two installments of The Hunger Games film series in 2012 and 2013. He also performed alongside Katy Perry at the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show in 2015. Additionally, he founded the interior and furniture firm Kravitz Design Inc., collaborating with brands such as Swarovski and releasing a furniture line with CB2 in 2015. Kravitz was previously married to actress Lisa Bonet, with whom he has a daughter, Zoë Kravitz.