He was born in New York the son of Jewish Hollywood producer Sy Kravitz and Bahamian actress Roxie Roker (of The Jeffersons), Lenny grew up in wealth. Having taught himself bass, piano, guitar, and drums at an early age and developed his singing voice in the California Boys Choir and the Metropolian Opera, he attended Beverly Hills High School and performed under the artist name, Romeo Blue.
His 1989 debut album Let Love Rule was an immediate success. He gained even greater recognition with Madonna covering his song, "Justify My Love".
His next album, Mama Said contained the hit single "It Ain't Over Til It's Over" that reached #2 on the charts.
In 1993, Are You Gonna Go My Way was published, to be followed by Circus (1995) and then 5 (1998), embracing digital technology for the first time. 5 introduced Kravitz's music to an even wider audience, particularly in Europe, because "Fly Away" had been featured prominently in both car manufacturer and airline commercials.
His latest albums as of 2002 are Lenny Kravitz Greatest Hits and Lenny.
Lenny's songs frequently revolve around personal experiences, such as the death of his mother and the often difficult relationship with his spouse, Lisa Bonet. However, most of his songs are rather uplifting and life-affirming in nature.