[1] Lenine's career began at the age of 18, when he moved to Rio de Janeiro to compete in a music festival.

Lenine's first solo record, O Dia em que Faremos Contato, was released in 1997, featuring a mixture of electronica, northeastern Brazilian rhythms and samba.

This album attracted international attention due to the appearance of the U.S. group Living Color performing with him on the song "O Homem dos Olhos de Raios-X".

Among Lenine's most famous songs is "Relampiano" (lightning strikes), about a child from the favela who sells candies at stoplights.

This song, written with Paulinho Moska, was inspired by an encounter between them and a young street vendor in Rio de Janeiro.