In Conversation With Leon Thomas and Aweng Chuol

Leon Thomas’s list of connections is extensive.

At first known as Andre Harris from Victorious, the Brooklyn native started off with acting as his primary creative pursuit, making music on the side. Thomas worked with mentor Babyface in his Los Angeles studio and primarily produced for other artists at the time, his castmate Ariana Grande included.

He has since racked up production and writing credits from a star-studded selection of musicians including SZA, Drake, Rick Ross, 6LACK, Post Malone and Ty Dolla $ign – being the first artist to get signed to Ty's EZMNY Records.

Back in September, Thomas dropped his second solo album MUTT, which cemented his spot as a contemporary R&B solo artist. Features came from Ty, Masego, Wale, Axlfolie, Baby Rose and Freddie Gibbs.

Aweng Chuol is another one of Thomas’ A-list companions. The fellow creative multi-hyphenate and model met Thomas through mutual friends and industry events, including Teyana Taylor’s Met Gala After Party, and has long been a strong supporter of his music career.

Fresh off HEEL’s release and a BET Best New Artist win, Thomas stopped by the Hypebeast studio for a conversation with Chuol.

Aweng Chuol: Who is Leon Thomas?

Leon Thomas: Leon Thomas is a kid from Brooklyn – a writer, producer, artist, actor, and all-around creative. New York City really shaped me; living here, I’ve been surrounded by so many different cultures and musical influences, and all of that showed me how to get down.

AC: A multifaceted king! Do you believe in astrology? What’s your sign?

LT: I’m a Leo. What about you?

AC: That’s why you’re talented. I’m a Libra.

LT: Okay, okay, I see you.

AC: We’re cool, we’re cool. [laughs] How old are you right now?

LT: I’m 31, on the way to 32. I should start claiming it. I’ll be 32 on August 1.

AC: I’m still not over your Coachella performance…

LT: That was insane. Ty Dolla $ign brought me out during his set for “MUTT,” and then he surprised me by bringing out George Clinton. Funk legend. He made me this fly ass all-white hat that he gave me during the performance. It was almost like a crowning ceremony. Passing the torch and keeping the funk alive.

AC: The culture is so proud of you, honestly. So, so proud of you. Was that your first Coachella?

LT: It was my first time performing there. I’ve been to the festival about five times. I like to go out there and just have fun.

AC: I’ve never been to Coachella. I like watching y’all from home [laughs]...

LT: You gotta pull up to the desert!

AC: I don’t know. The crowd … me and crowds …

LT: Nah, you're a superstar. They’d have you in the back. You wouldn’t have to worry about that.

AC: If you were to headline a festival, which special guests would you bring out?

LT: I’d love to bring out Anderson .Paak. He’s so multifaceted and tight. I’d also love to have H.E.R. come out. She’d be a great guest. We could do a little guitar duel on stage.

AC: Tell me more about your Tiny Desk performance – I know there’s a story there, too.

LT: That was wild. We almost missed our flight. It was snowing. There was a blizzard. Also, my grandfather had passed away about a week before, so the mental space I was in was really heavy, but I was able to use those emotions in the performance, and looking back on it, I’m so proud of myself and the team.

AC: I know your grandfather was a big inspiration for you.

LT: A huge inspiration. Any time I’d be in New York, he’d pick me up and we’d run around the city.

AC: I’ve met him in New York. He was a handsome fella.

LT: Real fly man.

AC: Rest in peace to a king [...] How does it feel to be a Grammy winner?

LT: Life-changing. I had a Grammy on my lock screen for about two years. It was crazy to go from holding it on my phone to holding an actual Grammy after that.

AC: The manifestation is crazy.

LT: Having that in my living room now is fly.

AC: How did your dog Terry inspire the album?

LT: The album at large was inspired by relationships and situationships that didn’t work out, but I was able to use my dog as a metaphor for this. He’s an untrained mutt.

AC: He’s a menace.

LT: He’s a wild German Shepherd. So he was perfect to tell the story.

"I had a Grammy on my lock screen for about two years. It was crazy to go from holding it on my phone to holding an actual Grammy after that." – Leon Thomas

AC: You’ve written and produced for so many other artists – Ty Dolla, 6LACK, SZA, Post Malone. How does writing and producing for yourself differ from writing and producing for other artists?

LT: When I’m doing a song for myself, I get to write all the rules. I do a lot of producing for other artists now. That makes me feel like a private chef. If they want steak that day, they're getting steak that day. You have to cater to the other artist. When it’s just me, it’s whatever I feel.

AC: How did you select the features for MUTT?

LT: The features are just my friends. Wale became a good friend of mine while we were making that record. To this day, we still call each other and talk about girls and life, and this industry thing. Baby Rose and I were friends before the record, but the album made us closer. I’m really proud of the features on the deluxe, too – Big Sean, Kehlani, Halle Bailey.

AC: Would you ever collaborate with Victoria Justice on a music project?

LT: I’d definitely collaborate with her on music. We’ve talked about it in the past. We work with a mutual producer, Toby Gad, and he was trying to set up some sessions, but it’s just been tough with everyone’s schedules.

AC: It’s always the schedule.

LT: Scheduling is always what gets in the way when I try and link up with any of my friends to make music.

AC: It’s so hard. And then when you actually find time to hang out, all you want to do is just spend time together and not work.

LT: Exactly.

AC: Victorious was my childhood show in Australia. What was your favorite part of filming the show?

LT: Having real friends. We all did our last two years of high school together and spent all of our time kicking it. It was nice to be surrounded by a group of talented people my age. We were like a family. We looked out for each other – even after the show ended. We’re very protective of each other.

"You really built this." – Aweng Chuol

AC: Were you working on music while filming the show?

LT: I was, but it was interesting. It was this awkward thing where I was making music that was a little more grown than my audience was at the time. So instead, I did a lot of writing and producing for other artists. That ended up being a great decision because I learned a lot, especially from my mentor Babyface. He let me use his A-Room Studio in LA – I even brought Ariana Grande into the studio. I produced a few songs on her first album.

AC: You really built this. Did you ever expect MUTT to be this big?

LT: Honestly, no. It was such a great surprise to see people all over the world getting down to my music. It’s a dream come true. I love seeing people celebrating live music.

AC: You’ve done television, theater, and music – would you ever walk the runway?

LT: Honestly, I’d pull up. Get those sample sizes they talk about. I’m gonna hit some sit-ups and come back to you on that. I’m with it. For real, there are so many amazing brands out there that I’d love to work with. I love going to shows and watching the runway, the creativity in action. I have a lot of friends over at Salehe Bembury.

AC: What’s your favorite brand?

LT: Right now, I’m really connecting with AMIRI’s new swag.

AC: Which of your songs would you walk the runway to?

LT: I think “FEELINGS ON SILENT” would be such a beautiful piece to play while the runway is going down because it’s orchestral and almost like a soundtrack. I also feel like “MUTT” would be great, too. I could see the girls walking to “MUTT.”

AC: “MUTT” would be amazing. I could strut to “MUTT.”

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