Lenny Kravitz is currently in the midst of gearing up for the release of his twelfth studio album. The date for the same is slated for May 24. His latest single, TK421, has made quite the splash, particularly with its music video. The four time Grammy award winner recently opened up about his uphill struggle in establishing his identity through his music.

Lenny Kravitz recalls struggling to establish his musical identity

For the unversed, Lenny Kravitz was born to Jefferson star Roxie Roker, a Bahamian American and NBC Producer Sky Kravitz, a Ukranian Jewish. Despite the same, Kravitz's initial music was rather contested - both by listeners as well as the record labels. In a conversation with PEOPLE, Kravitz recalls being strongly urged by record labels to follow the template set by Black music veterans in order to ensure commercial success. The singer, however, was always set on following his own path.

He said, "I was told my music wasn’t Black enough or wasn't white enough...(record labels) said I had to make a choice, but I never did. I was told that I need to make the music that Black people commercially are making that's on the radio, so you'll have success. And I just could never get with any of that. I was going to make the music that I made."

Lenny Kravitz feels inspired for the future

The interview was Kravtiz trace all the influences which played a strong hand in helping him shape his own league of music - Blues, gospel, jazz, reggae, pop, R&B and rock and roll, all being part of the list. After more than three decades in the music industry, the singer shared that he felt the most gratitude for the fact that he still felt the 'hunger' to be inspired. 

He said, "It's sort of amazing to me that I could be where I am now and feel fresh and hungry...This is who God created me to be. I'm just trying to walk in that destiny."