Leon Thomas Is Excited To Graduate From Being “That Guy”

Mya Abraham
·8 min read

Allow Leon Thomas III to reintroduce himself.

The Brooklyn-born artist was destined for stardom as a child star. Now, the 30-year-old finds himself being reduced to “that guy from that show,” or “that guy who works with that person you love.” With his highly-anticipated debut album, Electric Dusk, however, the crooner is “definitely excited to graduate from ‘that guy.’”

After rising to prominence on Nickelodeon’s Victorious and scoring a record deal, Thomas formed the production duo, The Rascals with Khristopher Riddick-Tynes. The two became part of the genius behind SZA’s “Snooze,” Ariana Grande’s “Honeymoon Avenue,” Babyface and Kehlani’s “Seamless,” and Drake’s Certified Lover Boy. 

Now, it’s Thomas’ turn. With Electric Dusk, he explored different aspects of his production style. “I’m just leaning into who I am and how I’ve evolved as a producer on my own, which is really cool,” he said.

We talked with the in-demand songwriter about if he’s tired of discussing his past, the type of lover he is, and the greater story of his debut LP.

VIBE: Were you nervous about introducing yourself musically to your fans?

Leon Thomas: Definitely not. I feel like I took time because I really wanted to get my new album, and because I was in some deals that weren’t really advantageous for me. After we got all of the business out of the way, I was just ready to jump straight into the creative.

Coming from Metro Hearts to V1bes and Genesis, how did we get to Electric Dusk?

There’s been an evolution as an artist and also as a producer. I think I’m really utilizing the knowledge that I’ve acquired over the past six or seven years to really put together a very specific sound for Electric Dusk. I feel like this is really the true representation of everything that I’ve been cultivating for the past six years. I mean, we’ve been hearing it on records for other people for a while now, and it’s just cool to be able to do it for myself finally.

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How would you describe this sound that you’ve cultivated with this album?

I think it’s really interesting. Obviously, it’s very rooted in R&B, but I’ve definitely messed with some alternative themes as well. It’s using my drum set on a bunch of joints, which isn’t as used in R&B currently. I’m really looking forward to people seeing me for who I am as a musician, as well as an artist. And this is [for sure] one of those albums that showcases that for me.

So you would definitely say “Breaking Point” and “Crash & Burn” are part of a bigger story you’re trying to tell?

Absolutely. Electric Dusk is definitely different scenes of my love life for the past four years, all put together in a compilation of records. And I think that’s really challenging to do, especially in R&B. I think the way that we talk about love is pretty similar on a lot of the records, but I like the perspective I’ve been approaching these songs with recently. It’s been coming from a very, very, very organic place. I think that vulnerability is going to be really important as people dig in.

Would you consider yourself a certified lover boy, hopeless romantic, or are you more like a sneaky-link type of person?

I’m definitely more of a hopeless romantic, but I think it’s just interesting. It’s hard to find love in my position sometimes. I feel like it’s a challenge, but I’m really excited to continue trying my hat at it, and my hopeless romantic title is definitely going to live on. We’ll see where it goes.

Leaving your 20s and going into your 30s, how do you now approach love and relationships?

That’s a really good question. I think intention is a huge thing. I’ve been dating. It’s been interesting. I’m really trying to lean into my 30s with intention. I definitely see myself in a really nice relationship—something epic, something real. So I think for now it’s just having the idea in my head and really being honest about if I genuinely see that being a reality with that person is a big thing.

Did you isolate yourself when making the album to really tap into those moments?

I didn’t really isolate myself too much for this album. It was a labor of love. This is my debut album, so I really feel like I’ve been making this album my whole life. But the time that I actively spent focused on it, the story was essentially…me ripping pages out of my journal, ripping pages out of really important parts of my life and trying to really just put together a soundscape around those moments that really take people there. This album was an album that I wrote a script for a long time ago. So, I mean, there’s been many different mediums of creativity connecting to Electric Dusk. Sometimes, there can be other mediums of art that are inspired by this music that sometimes artists actually end up putting it out, but sometimes it might just be a creative work that my eyes only see.

Do you ever get tired of talking about your Nickelodeon/Victorious past?

Nah. I’ve noticed that certain artists get kind of sensitive about it. I’m never tired of talking about it [though], but I’m just being mindful. My Nickelodeon past shaped me. It was a thing that gave me an opportunity to really better my family at that time, too. I think when you’re younger, a lot of Black males specifically may see things in the household and want to help, but not always have the opportunity to do what I was able to do and I thank God every day that I was able to do that. Nickelodeon has played a huge part in me being able to really hold my family down when I really wanted to make a difference.

That’s beautiful. You’ve obviously worked with Babyface and now Ty Dolla $ign. What is the difference in their mentorship style?

Babyface is a whole legend. So it’s kind of [like] class. Closest thing to college I’ve ever been to. With Ty Dolla $ign, that’s my boy. The way we create is really off the cuff, but it’s fast-paced. It’s really cool to go from working with Skrillex one day and then working with Mario. These are two separate worlds, but being around Ty and also collaborating and creating with him has definitely taught me a lot. It’s just coming from a different place, a more youthful place, and I really respect that.

If you could work with Babyface or some other dope R&B producers and create a powerhouse duet EP like Lucky Daye’s A Table For Two, who would you call?

Hmm…H.E.R., Jazmine Sullivan, Kehlani, SZA. Coco, obviously. Victoria Monét, too. I really respect her a lot. I love her voice and her energy.

Here for it! So, you’re about to go on tour with Ty. Are you going to focus solely on the new album or will you incorporate some of your earlier work as well?

It’s kind of hard to fit everything into 30 minutes, but I recognize some of my fans who came through really, really want to hear some of the older stuff, too. I’ve been programming for my show for the past couple weeks and really excited for people to hear what I have cooked up. I’m going to have a little moment, a little medley, a little Leon Thomas history.

That’s exciting. And lastly, what do you want fans to take away from your debut album?

I just hope they get to know me as a person better after listening to this album. I think this is to show people how human I am. For a long time, I’ve been either a character that you know or that guy that writes or produces for that guy or a girl they love. This album is an opportunity for people to actually feel me and understand me a little bit better, and realize I go through shit just like y’all do. Hopefully we become a lot closer after that so I can continue dropping all these records I’ve been working on, because that second album is slapping already.

You’re already working on a sophomore album?

It’s a vibe. I’m not going to lie. It’s like a two-part album now. It’s like an extension of this whole pocket, elevated with lots of crazy features, but yeah.

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Stream Electric Dusk below.

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