Lenny Kravitz has been announced as the first of three 2024 Recording Academy Global Impact Award honorees. The award will be presented at the third annual Recording Academy Honors presented by the Black Music Collective on Thursday (Feb. 1) at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
This is a CEO Merit Award that recognizes Black music creators “whose dedication to the art form has greatly influenced the industry and whose legacy of service inspires countless individuals worldwide, celebrating those who, through leadership and passion, empower others to embrace their authentic selves and contribute to positive change.” Harvey Mason Jr. has been the Academy’s CEO since May 2021, after serving as interim CEO for about a year.
Kravitz won Grammy Awards in four consecutive years (1999-2002) for best male rock vocal performance for “Fly Away,” “American Woman,” “Again” and “Dig In.”
The 2023 Recording Academy Global Impact Award Honorees were Grammy-winning artists Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott and Lil Wayne and leading music executive Sylvia Rhone.
Adam Blackstone will return for the third consecutive year as music supervisor for the Black Music Collective event. MVD Inc will also return for the third consecutive year to produce the event. Music executive and photographer Lenny S will curate the Icons Gallery, an art activation paying tribute to generations of influential Black music icons.
The third annual Recording Academy Honors, sponsored by Amazon Music and City National Bank, will take place three days before the 66th annual Grammy Awards, set for Feb. 4 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
As previously announced, Kravitz will receive the Music Icon Award at the 2024 People’s Choice Awards on Feb. 18, and will take the stage for a multi-song performance.
Kravitz had both success and disappointment on the awards trail with “Road to Freedom,” which he wrote, performed and produced for the Netflix film Rustin. The soul-stirring anthem brought him a Golden Globe nomination for best original song – motion picture and a Critics Choice Awards nod for best song, but it was passed over on Tuesday Jan. 23 for an Oscar nod for best original song.
Kravitz was selected as a 2023 Hollywood Walk of Fame inductee and will release a new album, Blue Electric Light, on May 24.