A staunch believer in the enduring power of classic rock, Lenny Kravitz refashions familiar fuzz guitars, soulful rhythms, and psychedelic melodies into sleek, sinewy modern rock. Quickly eschewing the neo-hippie vibe of his 1989 debut Let Love Rule, not to mention the gossamer gloss of his first big hit "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over," Kravitz landed upon a combination of heavy guitars and stylish flash for 1993's Are You Gonna Go My Way. It was a sound that powered a trio of Grammy-winning Y2K-era hits -- "Fly Away," a cover of the Guess Who's "American Woman," and "Again" -- that solidified Kravitz's stardom and served as the template for the records he released over the ensuing decades, from 2001's Lenny to 2024's Blue Electric Light.
The son of Roxie Roker -- an actress famous for her role as Helen Willis on the '70s sitcom The Jeffersons -- and NBC News producer Sy Kravitz, Lenny was surrounded by music as a child, exposed to everything from radio pop to jazz and classical. As a teenager in Los Angeles, he was drawn to rock & roll, finding particular inspiration in Prince. Initially, he attempted to launch a career under the pseudonym Romeo Blue, recording a full demo in Hoboken, New Jersey with engineer Henry Hirsch that incorporated elements inspired by John Lennon, Bob Marley, and the Velvet Underground.