Lenny Kravitz

Background

Lenny Kravitz aka Leonard Albert Kravitz, formerly known as Romeo Blue, is a world renowned American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, producer and actor. He was born on May 26th 1964 in Manhattan, New York to actress Roxie Roker and TV producer Sy Kravitz. He schooled at P.S. 6 elementary school and later Beverly Hills High School. By the age of three, Kravitz was already banging on pans and pots and by the time he reached five, he was certain that he wanted to become a musician. The first instruments he learnt to play were the drums followed by the guitar. He would later teach himself how to play the bass guitar, piano and percussion. While attempting to get into the music industry, he got a lot of people telling him that his music wasn't 'white enough' or 'black enough.' Though he released a couple of songs and even an album, it wasn't until he met Stephen Elvis Smith (in 1989) that record labels started bidding over him.

Career Accomplishments

Kravitz's musical style incorporates different genres. These include rock, Rn'B, blues, jazz, soul, hard rock, reggae, folk, ballads and psychedelic pop. He is best known for winning four Grammy Awards for the best male rock vocal performance (four years in a row) hence setting the record for the most consecutive wins and most wins in one category. He has also won numerous MTV video music awards, Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, American music awards, BRIT awards and Radio music awards.

Most Notable Works

The musician is best known for his incredibly elaborate music video and stage performances. Some of Kravitz's most notable works include his second album 'Mama Said' which reached Top 40 with the song 'It Ain't Over 'til It's Over' reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Other Kravitz notable songs include 'Stand by my Woman', 'All I Ever Wanted', 'What Goes around Comes Around', 'Can't Get you off my Mind' and 'Fly Away.' Greatest Hits was however his most successful album as it reached number two on the Billboard 200 and sold over 11 million copies. Kravitz also co-wrote and directed Madonna's 'Justify my Love' - one of Madonna's most controversial songs. He has also worked with Steven Tyler, Jay Z and N.E.R.D. among others.

Where Is He Now?

Other than having a successful music career (he has 10 albums), Kravitz has also had a successful acting career. Though he is best remembered for his role as Cinna in Hunger Games (film), he has also starred in a number of other productions such Precious, Entourage, The Butler and Holy Ghost. Kravitz is also the founder of Kravitz Design that specializes in furniture and interior design. To date, he continues to sing, produce, act, go on tours and design.