Jun 02 2024
Lenny Zenith is a transgender singer/songwriter and has completed his first memoir. It was edited by Kelly Caldwell (Gotham Writers Group) and Lambda Literary Award winner, Donna Minkowitz (Furious Romance, Growing up Golem).He has fronted several bands in New Orleans and New York, and has opened for international touring acts U2, Iggy Pop, Gang of Four, Ellen Degeneres, and The Replacements among many others. Lenny transitioned in Jr. High school in the 1970s, and later attended NOCCA (New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts) home to alumni such as Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Harry Connick Jr. and Terence Blanchard. Zenith came close to securing a deal with major record label only for the execs to get cold feet over Zenith's gender identity.
Throughout the 1990s he led the critically acclaimed NYC noise--pop band Jenifer Convertible, whose releases — "Car Song/Co-Dependency" (produced by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem) and a CD entitled Wanna Drag, produced by Wharton Tiers (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr.) were widely well-received. Profiled in Billboard, Vice.com, Out.com and elsewhere, Lenny Zenith will be featured in a documentary film about the early New Orleans punk scene entitled “Almost Ready”; is often featured in New Orleans press.
After many years leading bands and releasing albums, EPs and singles, he released his first solo album “What If The Sun” to critical acclaim in June of 2018. His single, “Where Is Safe” about growing up transgender and the recent dangers faced by the transgender community, was released in April 2022. It raised thousands of dollars for pro-trans organizations and was profiled in The Advocate.
Lenny has spoken on LGBT panels at the University of Michigan, NY Public Library, Marymount College, where he has discussed the intersection of race, class and gender, and has read excerpts from his upcoming memoir “Before I Was Me” at Queer Memoir in NYC, He performs regularly in NYC & New Orleans and his band wowed the audience at Austin’s Gender Unbound festival in 2019.
He is finishing his second solo album He\Hymn, and hopes to self-release his memoir “Before I Was Me” this year.