Leonard Albert Kravitz was born on May 26, 1964 in New York City, the only child of NBC television news producer Sy Kravitz (1924–2005) and actress Roxie Roker (1929–1995). His mother came from a Christian family that was of African-American and Bahamian descent. Kravitz's father was of Ukrainian-Jewish origin.

Lenny Kravitz seamlessly blends rock, funk, soul and R&B, resulting in a sound uniquely his own.

It's this kind of dualism — a love for extremes — that has come to define Kravitz. Growing up, he was raised by his black Christian mother and white Jewish father, and split time between Manhattan's Upper East Side and BedStuy, Brooklyn.