Around this time last year, Leon Thomas was feeling grateful just to attend the Grammy Awards, even if they seated him “in the bleachers.” This year, he’s one of the top nominees, up for Album of the Year for Mutt and Best New Artist, among others.
Thomas, a New York native, has written songs with Drake and Ariana Grande (his old co-star on the teen sitcom Victorious), but it’s his own work, like the Grammy-nominated “Vibes Don’t Lie,” and a thrilling live show that are turning heads. At a pivotal time in his career, Thomas, 32, says he’s staying laser focused on showmanship and live instrumentation. “I really want to be that for R&B,” he says, “bringing back some of those organic elements to the table.”
Back in 2022, you were freshly signed to Ty Dolla $ign and Shawn Barron’s EZMNY Records as a solo artist. Do you remember what that chapter was like for you?
I was still finding myself. Being in the industry for so long and playing so many different characters, learning how to be yourself professionally can be a challenge.
Around that time, dropping those first records was such an important thing. There was a lot of pressure behind it. I wanted to prove to the world that I could really do this music thing in a real way. I had done records for other people, but artistry is its own kind of art form. I remember driving in the car and listening to the record after it just dropped, and it wasn’t a feeling of joy yet. It was a feeling of, I guess you could say, fear. I just really wanted it to work, and I’m glad it took time.
Given how much time you’ve put in behind the scenes, how wild would it be if you win Best New Artist?
I’m just really here for the ride. Even though I’ve been doing this a really long time, music felt like an amazing hobby that I was pretty good at for my early twenties. When I was producing and writing for other artists, I was also actively doing TV shows, auditioning constantly, doing movies. So, music sometimes would have to take the back burner. It wasn’t until I was, like, 25, 26 that I had to start over. People who you think would give me a handout, made me work for it. And I personally don’t mind that. I like a challenge.
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You’re really repping for R&B this year, and it’s been a while since an R&B project won Album of the Year. How does it feel knowing Mutt is up for one of the biggest awards of the night?
That was probably one of the most surprising nominations, and it’s such a big deal. I’m a huge fan of everybody else who’s up there, and just to be mentioned with them is a huge honor for me. I’m just excited to attend the award show, and music is like a big high school — it’s nice to be at the cool kids’ table. You know, they had me in the bleachers last year, so [laughs] … it’s going to be nice to be on the front row.
What are the elements in your music that are the most bold?
This is live drums, it’s live bass, real songwriting, the bridges, six-minute songs, so there’s aspects of this that feel rebellious and disruptive. It’s the process, too, like when we chose our lead single, “Mutt” — a record with live drums, a live bass line, no Auto-Tune, and just pure vibes. Some of the people at the label were like, “Oh, we don’t know, man.” And I was like, “Nah, we need to.”
Where were you when the nominations were announced?
I was in a hotel room in Nashville. I forgot that they were announcing nominations that day, so I woke up a little late. My phone’s buzzing. By that point, I had been nominated for two, and I was like, “Oh, that’s such a blessing. Thank you, God.” I hear a knock at the door. My videographer and my social media manager were both there, and they had champagne.
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I’m just so grateful. One of the first people I called was my mom, and we talked for a nice minute. She was crying and also just speaking so much power into me. It was a beautiful opportunity to give gratitude because I think that’s the way this should be ran. A lot of people are hyperfocused on wins or losses, but I feel like being recognized is such a beautiful thing. Not to be on some pageant-show shit, but like that’s really what it is. I’m genuinely excited to be a part of this community.
What are your plans for the day of the ceremony?
I’ve been getting back into meditation, yoga, mindfulness, being grounded. I think that’s going to be a big part of my day, just being present, you know? I’m hoping I get an opportunity to perform, so I know that’s going to be running through my mind. If that’s a thing that happens, that would be really dope. And also just making sure I’m looking as fly as possible.
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With your most recent EP, Pholks, are you soft-launching your rock-star era?
Yeah, I’m sure I’ll do that. Rock & roll has always been a part of my catalog. You got to spoon-feed people into that kind of genre switch. It’s important that people see both sides because my hero Prince never hid his rock influence, and I don’t think I should either.
If you’re new here, get acquainted. Buckle up. I feel like art, especially in the way that I make it, I have the leeway to do what I want to do. I should definitely operate from that place of confidence and feeling free. I’m a free Black man. Like, let me rock.
