Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an
American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer
and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements
of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk
and ballads.
In addition to singing lead and backing vocals, Kravitz often plays
all the guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and percussion himself when
recording. He is known for his elaborate stage performances and music
videos. Kravitz has had multiple number 1 hits on the US Top Singles
Charts, though none by himself on the Hot 100, and many more worldwide.
He won the Grammy Award for "Best Male Rock Vocal Performance" four
years in a row from 1999 to 2002, breaking the record for most wins
in that category and most consecutive wins in one category. He has
been nominated and won other awards, namely American Music Awards,
MTV Video Music Awards, Radio Music Awards, BRIT Awards and Blockbuster
Entertainment Awards.
Kravitz was born in New York City, New York on May 26, 1964, the
son of Roxie Roker, an actress known for her character Helen Willis
in the 1970s hit television sitcom The Jeffersons, and Sy Kravitz,
an NBC television news producer. Kravitz's father was of Russian
Jewish descent and his mother was of Bahamian and African-American
descent.[1] Kravitz was named after his uncle, PFC Leonard Kravitz
who was killed in action in the Korean War at age 20 while defending
against a Chinese attack and saving most of his platoon; he was posthumously
awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.[2]
Kravitz grew up spending weekdays on the Upper East Side of Manhattan
with his parents, attending P.S.6 for elementary school and weekends
at his grandmother Bessie Roker's house in the Bedford-Stuyvesant
neighborhood of Brooklyn. Kravitz began banging on pots and pans
in the kitchen, playing them as drums at the age of three. At the
age of five, he wanted to be a musician. He began playing the drums
and soon added guitar. Kravitz grew up listening to the music his
parents listened to: R&B, jazz, classical, opera, gospel, and
blues. "My parents were very supportive of the fact that I loved
music early on, and they took me to a lot of shows," Kravitz
said.[3] Around the age of 7, he saw The Jackson 5 perform at Madison
Square Garden, which became his favorite group.[4] His father, who
was also a jazz promoter, was friends with Duke Ellington, Sarah
Vaughan, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby Short, Miles Davis and
other jazz greats. Ellington even played "Happy Birthday" for
him one year when he was about 5.[5] He was exposed to the soul music
of Motown, Stax, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Stevie Wonder,
Curtis Mayfield, Gladys Knight, The Isley Brothers and Gamble and
Huff growing up, key influences on his musical style. Kravitz often
went to see New York theater, where his mother worked. His mother
encouraged his dreams of pursuing music.
In 1974, the Kravitz family relocated to Los Angeles when Kravitz's
mother landed her role on The Jeffersons. At his mother's urging,
Kravitz joined the California Boys Choir for three years, where he
performed a classical repertoire, and sang with the Metropolitan
Opera. He performed in Mahler's Third Symphony at the Hollywood Bowl.
It was in Los Angeles that Kravitz was first introduced to rock music,
listening to Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd,
Cream, and The Who.[4] "I was attracted to the cool style, the
girls, the rock 'n' roll lifestyle," Kravitz said.[4] Kravitz's
other musical influences at the time included Fela Kuti, Bill Withers,
Marvin Gaye and Miles Davis;[4] John Lennon and Bob Marley proved
later to be influential as well. Kravitz attended Beverly Hills High
School. Maria McKee and guitarist Saul Hudson (better known as Slash)
were his classmates. In 1978, Kravitz was accepted into the school's
well-respected music program. He taught himself to play piano and
bass, and made friends with Zoro who would later become his long-time
collaborator.[6] Kravitz wanted to be a session musician. He also
appeared as an actor in television commercials during this time.
Kravitz went to school enough to pass, but was spending more and
more time jamming with friends. His parents became concerned, wanting
him to have something to fall back on. At the age of 15, determined
to have a music career, Kravitz moved out of his house. He stayed
with friends, slept in friends' cars, and at one point was even sleeping
in his Ford Pinto and R &B's "Ivory Queen of Soul" Teena
Marie took him in when he was homeless.[7] In a YouTube message he
recorded,[8] Lenny Kravitz says, “I wouldn’t be here
if it wasn’t for Teena.” The singer said Marie took him
in when he was 16 years old and living on the street. “She
gave me a bedroom,” he says. “She fed me, she cooked
for me, she took care of me. She gave me instruments to play; she
took me to all her recording sessions. She took me to concerts, she
nurtured me and helped me to become who I am.” He adds: “She
changed my life, not only as an artist, but as a person who truly
loved me for who I was.” Inspired by David Bowie, Kravitz adopted
the nom de guerre, "Romeo Blue," a new persona complete
with straightened hair and blue contact lenses, and began performing.
Kravitz's music at this time was heavily influenced by the synth-laden
funk pop of Prince. In 1982, Kravitz graduated from Beverly Hills
High School and convinced his father to give him money to record
instead of spending money on college. With his first demo, Kravitz
received offers from several record labels, including I.R.S. Records,
but Kravitz was told he needed to change his music to make it "black
enough" to fit in with current radio-friendly R & B styles. "I
refused," Kravitz told the Los Angeles Times in 1989.[3]
[edit] Career
[edit] 1989-1990: Virgin Records and the career début
With record labels still telling him his music wasn't "black
enough" or "white enough," Kravitz decided to record
an album on his own. Kravitz had met recording engineer/keyboardist/bassist
Henry Hirsch in 1985 when recording a demo at his Hoboken, New Jersey
recording studio. The two shared an interest in using real instruments
and vintage recording equipment, as well as a love of R&B, jazz,
and rock. Kravitz would go on to collaborate with Hirsch on most
of his albums. Kravitz began working on his debut album with Hirsch
over the next year and a half, with Kravitz's father paying for the
studio time. Kravitz met saxophonist Karl Denson and invited him
to play on the song, "Let Love Rule". Kravitz was so impressed
with his playing that Denson played on much of the album. Denson
toured with Kravitz for the next 5 years. In October 1988, after
completing most of the recording, Kravitz approached friend Stephen
Elvis Smith who had served as the Music Supervisor on Lisa Bonet's
spin-off of The Cosby Show, "A Different World". Smith
had also worked with Kravitz' mother Roxie Roker, on the hit sitcom "The
Jeffersons". Kravitz urged Smith to manage his career and assist
him in finding a record deal. In less than a month of shopping the
recordings, five labels (Warner Bros, Elektra, Geffen, Capitol and
Virgin) were in a bidding war for Kravitz . Eventually a deal was
made with Virgin Records in January 1989, and signed by Virgin A & R
executive Nancy Jeffries. The label was excited about the music he
was making, music inspired by his relationship with wife Bonet and
their new daughter. On Smith's urging, Kravitz dropped the name Romeo
Blue and reclaimed the Lenny Kravitz moniker. About his time as Romeo
Blue, Kravitz said, "Ultimately, it got me back to myself. And
when I finally did accept myself for myself, music started flowing
out of me."[3]
Kravitz released his debut album Let Love Rule on September 6, 1989,
a combination of rock and funk with a general 1960s vibe. Music critics
were mixed: some felt Kravitz was a gifted new artist, others felt
he was overpowered by his musical influences. The album was a moderate
success in the United States, but became an instant hit outside of
the US, especially in Europe. Lisa Bonet directed the debut music
video for the title track, "Let Love Rule". Stephen Smith
signed Kravitz with talent booking agency CAA, who soon were fielding
offers for Kravitz, first on a club tour, and then in opening slots
for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan and David Bowie.
Having played essentially all of the instruments on the album, Kravitz
had to quickly assemble a touring band to support the Let Love Rule
release. They included a childhood friend, Zoro on drums (formerly
of Bobby Brown's band), Adam Widoff (guitar), Lebron Scott (recruited
out of Curtis Mayfield's band after seeing them perform in a NYC
club), Kenneth Crouch (keyboards) and Karl Denson on saxophone.
In May 2009, a 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of "Let Love
Rule" was released worldwide by Virgin. The double disk includes
a booklet with rare photos, and 18 additional demos, bonus tracks
and live recordings. Kravitz launched a LLR(20) tour of Europe and
the United States in support of the re-release.
[edit] 1991-96: popularity established
In 1990, Kravitz co-wrote with Ingrid Chavez and produced the song "Justify
My Love" for Madonna. The song, which appeared on her greatest
hits album The Immaculate Collection and created controversy because
of its explicit video, went to #1 for two consecutive weeks. When
MTV banned the video, the video was quickly made available for sale
at record stores, and immediately sold over 500,000 copies. Kravitz
separated from Lisa Bonet in 1991,[9] amid rumors of an affair between
him and Madonna. Kravitz has denied any infidelity.[9] Kravitz and
Bonet divorced in 1993.
In 1991, Kravitz produced the self-titled album Vanessa Paradis
for French singer and actress Vanessa Paradis. He played most of
the instruments and co-wrote most of the songs on the album. He also
released his second album, Mama Said, which was his first album to
reach the Top 40. The songs on the album were about Bonet and dedicated
to her, documenting his depression over their breakup.[5] Kravitz's
biggest single yet, "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over", went
to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single "Always on the Run",
a tribute to his mother,[5] featured Slash on guitar. "Stand
By My Woman" and "What Goes Around Comes Around" followed.
Sean Lennon co-wrote and played piano on the song, "All I Ever
Wanted". In 2001, Kravitz participated in a benefit auction
for the Red Hot Organization, in conjunction with Amazon.com to increase
public AIDS awareness, which ran from February 28 until April 11,
2001. The event featured rare RHO memorabilia and the work of Rolling
Stone photographer Mark Seliger.
In 1993, Kravitz wrote "Line Up" for Aerosmith's Steven
Tyler, and appeared on Mick Jagger's solo album, Wandering Spirit,
in a cover of the Bill Withers' soul classic, "Use Me".
That year Kravitz also got to work with idols Al Green and Curtis
Mayfield.
In 1993, Are You Gonna Go My Way was released, reaching #12 on the
Billboard 200 and Kravitz earned a BRIT Award for best international
male artist in 1994. The title track won a MTV Video Music Award
for Best Male Video for the video produced by Mark Romanek, in which
Kravitz slung his dreadlocks and wore high-heeled platform boots.
During the presentation of the MTV Video Music Awards, he performed
the song with John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin on bass. Several singles
from the album would follow including, "Believe", "Is
There Any Love In Your Heart", and "Heaven Help/Spinning
Around Over You". This album was the first to feature guitarist
Craig Ross, who has also played on all his subsequent albums.[10]
One song, "Eleutheria", was influenced by the island Eleuthera
in The Bahamas where Kravitz built a house and recording studio at
that time.[5] In 1993, he also released the EP, Spinning Around Over
You, which included four live tracks from his "Universal Love
Tour". A feature documentary about his 1994 tour entitled "Alive
From Planet Earth" was directed by Doug Nichol and released.
In 1994, Kravitz recorded a funk-rock version of the song "Deuce",
for the KISS cover album KISS My Ass: Classic KISS Regrooved. The
track featured Stevie Wonder on harmonica and background vocals.
This song was one of three radio singles from the album, and was
also the album's lead-off track.
Roxie Roker, Kravitz's mother, died in California on December 2,
1995 of breast cancer at the age of 66.
In 1995, Lenny Kravitz released the album Circus, which went to
number 10 on the Billboard chart on the back of his past achievement.
However, the album only had two hit singles: "Rock and Roll
Is Dead" and "Can't Get You Off My Mind".
[edit] 1997-2000: Increasing success, 5 and first Grammy Awards
With 5 (1998), Kravitz embraced digital technology such as Pro Tools
and samplers for the first time. 5 introduced his music to an even
wider audience thanks to the hit single "Fly Away" being
featured prominently in both car manufacturer and airline commercials.
5 would reach #28 on the Billboard 200, with "Fly Away" reaching
#1 on multiple charts. He would win the first of his four consecutive
Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards
of 1999. Other hits from the album included "If You Can't Say
No", that was also remixed by dance producer Brian Transeau,
and "I Belong to You". For the I Belong to You video Lenny
can be seen without his signature dreadlocks. In 1999 he produced
and sang with Cree Summer on her solo album Street Faerie.
Lenny Kravitz's 1998 multi-platinum release 5 that earned him his
first two Grammys.
His cover version of The Guess Who's hit "American Woman" won
him another Grammy at the Grammy Awards of 2000 and helped The Guess
Who's song reach a new audience. Kravitz's version of the song originally
came from the soundtrack of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
and was added to 5 as a bonus track in 1999.
Lenny worked on two songs for Michael Jackson's Invincible album
released in 2001; a snippet of "Another Day" has leaked,
and the full version was officially released on the album Michael
in 2010 .[11]
Kravitz released a Greatest Hits album in 2000. It proved to be
his most successful album, reaching #2 on the Billboard 200 and selling
nearly 11 million copies worldwide and ultimately becoming one of
the most commercially successful albums of the decade. The single "Again" earned
him his third consecutive Grammy for the Best Male Rock Vocal in
the Grammy Awards of 2001. Kravitz also co-wrote the song "God
Gave Me Everything" with Mick Jagger in this period, appearing
on Jagger's 2001 solo album Goddess in the Doorway and in the film
Being Mick.
[edit] 2001-05: Lenny and Baptism
Kravitz released his sixth album Lenny in October 2001. The album
was recorded in Miami. Kravitz wrote the song "Bank Robber Man" after
the Miami Police Department detained and cuffed him while walking
to the gym with his trainer because police stated that he matched
the description of a bank robber. Lenny did not have any identification
with him at the time and the police on the scene did not believe
that he was indeed Lenny Kravitz. The bank teller who was robbed
was then brought to the scene and said Lenny was not the bank robber.
Miami Police later sent officers to Lenny's home to apologize for
the detention. When asked if he thought the incident was a case of
racial profiling, Kravitz said he wasn’t sure although some
of the lyrics in the song suggest otherwise. The first single from
the album, "Dig In", went to number 1 in Argentina and
the top 10 in Italy and Portugal. The video for "Dig In" was
originally supposed to be shot at the top of the Empire State Building
on September 12, 2001 but the terrorist attacks on the World Trade
Center on September 11, 2001 caused the location to be moved. The
video was later shot off the coast Miami. He won his fourth Grammy
in 2002. "Stillness of Heart", "Believe in Me",
and "If I Could Fall In Love" were subsequent singles from
the album.
Kravitz was the subject of a photo book by former chief photographer
for Rolling Stone, Mark Seliger. Published in November 2001, Seliger
captures Kravitz on tour, with family, with friends and in posed
portraits.
Jay-Z invited Kravitz to appear on the track "Guns and Roses" on
his 2002 The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse. Kravitz would
also join P. Diddy, Pharrell and Loon on the track "Show Me
Your Soul" from the Bad Boys II Soundtrack.
In September 2002, Kravitz appeared alongside other rock stars in
the episode "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" of The Simpsons.
In early 2003, Kravitz released the track "We Want Peace" as
a download-only track as a protest against the 2003 invasion of Iraq,
he performed this alongside famous Iraqi singer Kazem Al Saher at
Rock The Vote. The track reached #1 on the world internet download
charts and MP3.com download chart. Kravitz also appeared on Unity,
the official album of the 2004 Athens Olympics.
In late 2004, Kravitz dated superstar actress Nicole Kidman and
reportedly dedicated his hit song "Lady" to her. They split
in 2005.
Kravitz's seventh album Baptism was released in May 2004. The first
single was "Where Are We Runnin'?". The single "California" failed
to be commercially successful, but "Storm", featuring Jay-Z,
reached the charts. "Calling All Angels" was successful
in various countries and a huge hit in Brazil, however it was "Lady" that
became the album's surprise hit, making the US Top 30 and propelling "Baptism" to
gold status. Also in 2004, he appeared on N.E.R.D's album Fly or
Die. From March 2005, Kravitz toured all over the world with the
tour Electric Church, which ended at the Brixton Academy, London
in July 2005. Kravitz served as the opening act for Aerosmith who
are long term friends of Kravitz on their fall 2005 tour. The tour
began on October 30 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
The night before that tour started, October 29, 2005, Lenny's father
TV Producer Sy Kravitz died. During that first show, Lenny broke
the news to the stunned crowd and stated it was not a time to be
sad but rather a time to celebrate because he is now in Heaven. Lenny
then dedicated Let Love Rule to his father. That tour was so successful
that it was extended through February 25, 2006 and ended in Anaheim,
California.
[edit] 2006-2009: Live Earth, charity work, and It Is Time For A
Love Revolution
In January 2006, Kravitz contributed "Breathe" to absoluttracks,
a project sponsored by Absolut Vodka. This song was re-mixed by ten
musical producers and distributed via the internet.
Kravitz appeared in the audience of Madonna's Confessions Tour (2006)
during numerous shows. He would later join Madonna live on stage
to play guitar on the song, "I Love New York," at the last
of four Paris shows.
Lately, Kravitz has founded a design firm named Kravitz Design,
stating if he hadn't been a musician he would have been a designer.
Kravitz Design, focused on interior and furniture design, has designed
residential spaces, as well as a chandelier for the crystal company
Swarovski, named "Casino Royale."[12]
On July 7, 2007, Kravitz performed at the Brazilian leg of Live
Earth in Rio de Janeiro,[13] making him one of major international
rock star to perform two huge free concerts at the world-famous Copacabana
Beach along with Macy Gray and the Rolling Stones. Kravitz had already
played there on March 21, 2005, drawing 300,000 people on a concert
of his own. The Live Earth concert, with eight other acts on the
bill, including Pharrell and Macy Gray, took 400,000 to the beach.
Also in 2007, Kravitz released a version of "Cold Turkey" by
John Lennon on the charity CD Instant Karma: The Amnesty International
Campaign to Save Darfur. Kravitz also spent time recording his latest
album, It Is Time for a Love Revolution, released February 5, 2008.[14]
On September 25, 2007, the Fats Domino tribute album "Goin'
Home ; A Tribute To Fats Domino" was released. Kravitz was on
the song "Whole Lotta Lovin'" along with Rebirth Brass
Band, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Fred Wesley, Pee
Wee Ellis and Maceo Parker.[15]
Kravitz performed at the Grey Cup halftime show in Toronto at the
Rogers Centre on November 25, 2007, where the Saskatchewan Roughriders
beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23-19.[16]
The original video for "I'll Be Waiting" was shot in Central
Park in New York City with Marc Webb directing but that video was
later shelved and a new version, which Kravitz co-directed with Philip
Andelman, was filmed in Lenny's New York City recording studio. The
video premiered on VH1's Top 20 Countdown at number 3.
On January 17, 2008, Kravitz embarked on a 9 city mini-tour to promote
his new album It Is Time for a Love Revolution. The tour started
in Santa Monica, California and ended in New York City on February
1. The tour was done in association with Myspace and called the "Get
on the Bus" tour. At each stop on the tour, they would pick
up one contest winner and their guest and they rode on the "Love
Revolution" bus until the end of the tour. Steven Tyler of Aerosmith,
a close friend of Lenny's would appear at The Orpheum Theater in
Boston. The New York City winner, Tyrone Good was presented a train
ticket from Penn Station to travel to Philadelphia and rode with
the tour the rest of the way starting in Philadelphia (The Electric
Factory), Boston (The Orpheum Theater), and finally New York City
(The Hammerstein Ballroom). The winners were featured in the YRB
February Edition alongside Lenny Kravitz in a magazine pull-out.
The photo shoot took place at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia
on stage. The winner's pull out was featured in another issue of
YRB which had Lil' Wayne on the cover.
On February 11, 2008, Kravitz was admitted to Miami Hospital suffering
from severe bronchitis. He had been suffering from a series of severe
respiratory tract infections since mid-January, and the illness developed
into bronchitis.
Kravitz's illness had forced him to postpone Canadian dates & his
trip to Europe to promote his album It Is Time for a Love Revolution.
On March 19, 2008 he canceled the South American part of his tour
due to the same illness. The decision affected planned concerts in
Colombia, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. In Argentina Kravitz had
a performance in the biggest rock festival there, Quilmes Rock Fest.[17]
On July 15[year missing], Lenny was honored in Milan, Italy with
the key to the city in a special toast ceremony for his work with
the United Nations Millennium Campaign to end world poverty.[18][dead
link]
Kravitz made his feature film acting debut in Precious[19] which
premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2009.[20]
Kravitz performing in Valencia on May 2, 2009.
During the Italian leg of his 53 date Let Love Rule (20)09 European
tour, Kravitz had been instructed to cancel some shows due to a bad
bout of bronchitis. Under strict orders from his doctor, the singer
was told to rest so that he could make a quick recovery and return
to the stage for the rest of his tour. Shows scheduled for Rome on
June 5 and Brescia on June 6 were postponed to late July.
[edit] 2009-present: U2 tour and Black and White America
Kravitz's next album, tentatively titled Funk, was tentatively re-titled
Negrophilia and was due out sometime in 2010. This is believed to
be a project that Kravitz has been working on since 1997. Some of
the original tracks for Funk were recorded while he was in New Orleans
at Allen Toussaint's studio while taking a break for several months
from recording in New York City. A video on Kravitz's Twitter page
shows him working on one of the songs for the album, called "Super
Love", in his GTS studios in the Bahamas. Another video shows
him working on another track titled "Life Ain't Never Been Better
Than It Is Now" in his GTS Studios. On his Twitter page, Kravitz
said that the album title was "Negrophilia" but then "felt
like something else". Eventually the album was later named Black
and White America. The album is set for August 22, 2011 in Europe
and August 30, 2011 in the U.S. On February 20, 2011 the first single "Come
on Get It" was released. On June 6, 2011 the second single "Stand" was
released
It was announced that Kravitz would be supporting U2 on their highly
successful 360 Tour on the second North American leg in 2010. Kravitz
agreed to support them for 4 shows. Though the shows were postponed
until 2011, Kravitz remains committed for 4 of the shows.
In June 2010 it was announced that Kravitz would guest star on an
episode of the upcoming season of Entourage.[21]
As of May 23, 2011, Lionsgate announced that Kravitz will be joining
the cast and crew of "The Hunger Games" as Katniss' creative
stylist, Cinna.[22]
[edit] Personal life
This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons
that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially
if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2010)
In 1985, Kravitz's parents divorced, which had a profound impact
on him. His relationship with his father became extremely strained.
Kravitz focused on his music to help him get through this period.
That year, Kravitz met actress Lisa Bonet backstage at a New Edition
concert. Bonet worked on The Cosby Show, the number one rated show
on television. They were close friends for two years before falling
in love. Kravitz moved back to New York City where The Cosby Show
was produced in 1987, moving in with then girlfriend Bonet. Kravitz
and Bonet eloped on November 16, 1987, her 20th birthday, in a Las
Vegas ceremony. Kravitz, still known as Romeo Blue at the time, suddenly
found himself in the headlines of tabloid newspapers. They had a
daughter, Zoë Isabella Kravitz, born on December 1, 1988.[23]
Kravitz and Bonet divorced in 1993.[citation needed]
Kravitz identifies himself as a Christian, "through choice
but I'm also a Jew, it's all the same to me".[24] During another
interview Kravitz stated, "I'm half Jewish, I'm half black,
I look in-between."[25] He also notes that spirituality "has
been an important issue in my growth", given his upbringing
by parents of different faiths.[26] Such spirituality is prominently
featured on many of his songs, such as the lyrics on his album Baptism,
and having his back inscribed with a tattoo stating, "My Heart
Belongs to Jesus Christ."[27]
In 2002, Kravitz was rumored to be engaged to Adriana Lima, although
he denied the rumors.[28]
[edit] Discography
Main article: Lenny Kravitz discography
Let Love Rule (1989)
Mama Said (1991)
Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993)
Circus (1995)
5 (1998)
Lenny (2001)
Baptism (2004)
It Is Time for a Love Revolution (2008)
Black and White America (2011)
[edit] Filmography
Lenny is set to appear as Cinna in The Hunger Games film adaption
in 2012.
2012
REDIRECT The Hunger Games
Cinna Katniss Everdeen's Stylist
1998 The Rugrats Movie Newborn baby Voice role, minor
2001 Zoolander Himself Cameo role
2001 Being Mick Himself Supporting role
2004 Rebelde Himself Guest Star
2007 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Himself Cameo role
2009 Precious Nurse John Supporting role
Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor
in a Motion Picture
2011 Selma Himself Cameo role
2012 The Hunger Games Cinna
[edit] Tours
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
H.O.R.D.E. (1995)
Universal Love Tour
Circus Tour
The Freedom Tour
Lenny Tour
The Baptism Tour
Celebration Tour
Electric Church Tour: One Night Only
Get On The Bus Mini-Tour
Love Revolution Tour
LLR 20(09) Tour
Black and White Europe Tour 2011
[edit] 2011 U2 360 Tour
Lenny Kravitz will be the opening act for the 2011 U2 360 tour in
Seattle (June 4, 2011), Oakland (June 7, 2011) and Anaheim (June
17 & 18,2011).[29]
[edit] Awards
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
MTV Video Music Awards
1993 – Best Male Video ("Are You Gonna Go My Way?")
Brit Awards
1994 – International male
VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards
1998 – Most Fashionable Artist, Male Award
Grammy Awards
1993 – Best Rock Vocal Solo Performance ("Are You Gonna Go My Way" -
Nominee only.)
1995 – Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ("Rock and Roll Is Dead" -
Nominee only.)
1999 – Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ("Fly Away")
2000 – Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ("American Woman")
2001 – Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ("Again")
2002 – Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ("Dig In")
2003 – Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ("If I Could Fall In Love" -
Nominee only.)
Radio Music Awards
2001 – Artist of the Year/Pop Alternative Radio
My VH1 Awards
2001 – Favorite Male Artist
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
2001 – Favorite Male Artist - Rock
American Music Awards
2002 – Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist
Microsoft Windows Media Innovation Awards
2002 – Microsoft Windows Media Innovation Award[30]
2009 - Nominated - Screen Actors' Guild Award for Best Ensemble Cast (Precious)