Lenny Kravitz Is a 'Black Man' Who Embraces His Full Heritage: 'I Am African, Ukrainian, Jewish, Christian' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Lenny Kravitzhas always been comfortable in his own skin, even if there have been times when being mixed-raced caused confusion among others, from going to school to finding a record label.

“In our circle no one really talked about differences,” Kravitz says now, explaining that while he identifies “as a Black man completely, there are all the other things there too, and I will not discount my father and that heritage.”

He adds, “No one in my circle ever said, ‘You have to choose or you should choose.’ "

Lenny Kravitz with parents, Sly Kravitz and Roxie Roker.Frank Micelotta/Getty ; Vinnie Zuffante/Getty

But it was at school that Kravitz remembers his mixed race being called into question. “It wasn’t until my parents took me to school in first grade, and a kid stopped, pointed and yelled, ‘Your dad is white!’ My parents were the only ones that didn’t match,” he shares.

After a heart-to-heart with his mom, Kravitz came to understand, “‘You’re no more one than the other, but you are a young Black man. People are only going to see you as Black, and that’s fine.’ It was informative.”

Even so, he also recalls being forced to put all of his heritage and culture into one box — even if he didn’t know how or even want to. “I didn’t know what the hell to put,” the longtime rocker says of those forms he had to fill out in school. “I was Native American. My great-grandmother is pure blood Cherokee Indian, and I’m African and I’m Ukrainian, and also Jewish Christian.”

He then recalls asking himself, “‘What do I write down?’ Because they would only let you put down one thing. I remember saying to the teacher, ‘No, no. Just Black,’ and keep it moving.”

Lenny Kravitz on the cover of PEOPLE.Melodie McDaniel

Melodie McDaniel

Even long after school, Kravitz was forced to define who he was when he was breaking into music.

Growing upwith eclectic influenceslike the Jackson 5 andLed Zeppelinand wanting to mix hard rock with funk, soul and R&B, “[record labels] said I had to make a choice,” Kravitz recalls of his early days as a musician, before adding: “But I never did.”

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Lenny Kravitz in 2023.Ethan Miller/Getty

Ethan Miller/Getty

“I was not going to sign a deal where people were going to tell me what I had to do, and I finally found the people that believed in me and that’s where I went,” he says. The “Are You Gonna Go My Way” singer eventually signed with Virgin Records, which released his first eight studio albums, including the genre-defyingLet Love Rule,5andLenny.

Including topping the charts and touring around the world, Kravitz has won four Grammy Awards for the hit singles, “Fly Away,” “American Woman,” “Again” and “Dig In.”

Lenny Kravitz for PEOPLE.Melodie McDaniel

His latest album,Blue Electric Light, will be released through BMG and was recorded largely in the Bahamas with the singer playing most of the instruments himself.

“I was always going to make the music I made,” says Kravitz, who notes that Zeppelinhad such an impact on him growing upbecause they were channeling “the power of Black music like Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley,” which opened up this “vortex” in him.

“Rock and roll is not ‘white,’ " Kravitz says, explaining that “we have to retain our heritage and creations.”

For more on Lenny Kravitz’s life and loves, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, available on newsstands everywhere now.

source: people.com