The singers were honored by The Recording Academy with the Global Impact Award.
Lenny Kravitz has interesting memories when it comes to his hangouts with Mariah Carey in the early days.
Talking with ET's Denny Directo from Thursday night's Recording Academy Honors -- where the rocker and actor, 59, and "Emotions" singer, 54, received the Global Impact Award presented by The Black Music Collective -- Kravitz said he was ecstatic to be honored alongside Carey, who he has known for quite some time.
"Yeah, a lot of people don't know, Mariah and I come from the same circle in New York City," Kravitz said. "And we were both working on our demos, we used to hang out with the same group of people. She used to work at a sports bar that I used to go to and hang out at."
According to the "American Woman" crooner, his fellow honoree had a roommate at the time and one of his most distinctive memories of their hangouts includes several feline friends inside Carey's apartment.
"We used to go over to their house and hang out. She had a bunch of cats," he joked, not specifying if the cats belonged to Carey or her roommate. "And I remember her playing her cassettes and me playing mine and here we are tonight on the same night, so it's cool."
While it's not clear who in the apartment owned the animals, Carey does appear to be a lover of furry friends and adopted two kittens, Nacho and Rocky Jr, in September.
In his interview with ET, Kravitz also opened up about what it means to him to receive the Global Impact Award, which is given to artists "whose dedication to the art form has greatly influenced the industry."
"It's a blessing," The Hunger Games actor said. "I can only thank God and, you know -- I love what I do, I do it to amplify love and yeah, I'm here man, it's beautiful."
He also confirmed that he's "not even close" to being done. Kravitz's next album, Blue Electric Light, is slated to release on March 15. Making music, he says, is something he feels profoundly lucky to continue to do. For him, that means exploring new styles and letting inspiration take him where it leads.
When asked what he would say his forthcoming album is about, Kravitz played coy and kept the answer generic, saying it's about "life" first and foremost.
"Continuing life, celebrating life, improving as human beings," the four-time GRAMMY winner said. "And just taking in what comes, you know? I don't think about it before I go in the studio to make a record. I take whatever it is that I'm given and I was given a fresh download and I think that people are going to enjoy it."
Aside from his upcoming album and the Global Impact Award honor, Kravitz has a few other things to look forward to including presenting at the GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 4 and the marriage of his daughter, Zoë Kravitz, to actor Channing Tatum.
Speaking with ET at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in early January, the legendary rocker said he is over the moon when it comes to his daughter's engagement to the 21 Jump Street actor.
"Hey man, that's life," he said. "When your family is happy, when your child is happy, that's it -- I've done well. Blessed."
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