Laughing again, Reintroducing Leon Thomas III, Drake’s Certified Secret Weapon
Leon Thomas III picks up the phone on the first Friday of September, immediately recognizing my number. We’d been preparing this call for a few months, maybe a year, but it finally happened on this day.
The day we landed was historic for the same reason it was historic for the rest of the music world: it was the day Drake released his long-awaited, end-of-summer fireworks-show of a sixth studio album, Certified Lover Boy.
Thomas co-wrote and co-produced three of the album’s 21 tracks, having previously collaborated with heavyweights like Ty Dolla $ign, longtime friend Ariana Grande, and soul superheroes like Snoh Aalegra.
Anyone who has spent any time on Twitter this week understands why Thomas, whose vocals can be heard pitched-up behind Drizzy and fellow Brooklynite, is the talk of the town.
After a year of relentless studio work, Leon deservingly spent last Friday celebrating the placements of a lifetime. But he knows that the time he spent with Drake in the Bahamas to work on CLB, and the vocal samples he chopped up with others, are just the start. Just like he knew that growing up as a child star was the perfect springboard into full-time production and songwriting.
Truthfully, there was never a moment Thomas knew he wanted to be a musician; it’s all part of his family lineage. He grew up with parents in a band, One Nation, that opened up for acts like Chaka Khan. His mom coincidentally never believed in babysitters, allowing Thomas to soak in the atmosphere at New York club Lola’s every Wednesday night. That exposure to live music eventually led him to audition for The Lion King on Broadway at age 10, landing the role as Simba.
The dominos continued to tumble for Thomas, with Nickelodeon tapping him to voice Tyrone in the children’s show The Backyardigans; and a major opportunity then opened on the Robin Williams film August Rush — a movie where Thomas was able to record his first major studio tune, “Father’s Song,” which still has viewers weeping on YouTube. From there, the inevitable happened.
“Nickelodeon pretty much knew they wanted to involve me in something, but then the writer’s strike happened and three years went by,” Thomas says. “But around the end of the strike, they found a show that they thought I would really, really shine on, and that was Victorious.
On the show, which debuted in 2010, he starred as the lovable and uber-talented Andre — a character whose kind heart and musical chops aren’t too far off from Thomas himself. On the series, he met now-close friend Grande, with whom he built an unbreakable musical connection both on and off-screen. If you ask some fans, the pair’s first off-screen spark was a 2012 cover of Drake and Rihanna’s “Take Care,” which Thomas now admits feels a bit full-circle looking back, especially on Certified Lover Boy Day.
“[The show] was the genesis of me getting a song placed that I wrote and was playing guitar on. It just felt like a great way to balance both of the worlds I was really passionate about,” Thomas says. “Nickelodeon is shown all over the world — literally all over the world. That opportunity gave me the kind of exposure that you can’t even buy, man. I mean, I grew up with a whole generation of people, and they look up to me in a certain way.”
But now, after seeing his name next to the 6 God, those fans are looking at Leon differently. And these looks are long overdue. After Victorious finished its run in 2013, Leon quickly earned his first major album inclusions via The Rascals — his production duo with musical partner Khris Riddick-Tynes — on Grande’s debut album, Yours Truly, producing four tracks, including opener “Honeymoon Avenue” and Grande’s first major ballad, “Tattooed Heart.”
“We spoke a lot about her reaching the top of the charts one day, you know, in the school room and in our dressing rooms right next to each other,” Leon recalls. “I’ve always been a fan of her voice prior to the rest of the world, knowing that she was one of the best, and seeing her living her truth and taking those steps was just a beautiful moment to be a part of.”
Thomas played a major role in many of that album’s defining moments, and he brought a similar magic touch to her latest project, 2020’s Positions, working on fan favorites “Nasty” and “Safety Net.” He says working with Grande introduced him to many of his “firsts” — from seeing his songs performed on major stages to being part of a No. 1 album — and he laughs when admitting he “created a whole career path off of just kind of hanging out with [his] friends.” Still, it clearly worked out in his favor: His vocals now sit on the most-streamed album of the year.
Thomas’ focus is now less on the acting he’s known for and more on cementing himself in the publishing world. To him, it’s an art that he hopes will feed future generations of Thomases, and he even gives a bit of a lesson on spotting talent on the phone. “It’s trying to really attach yourself to projects that you know are going to feed you later,” he says.
It’s still very much Certified Lover Boy week, and the world is starting to notice Thomas’ years of behind-the-scenes work post-Victorious. He’s understandably excited about the commotion during our call, even making an Instagram story expressing his gratitude to fans shortly after. At this point in his career, Thomas recognizes that few reach this position — and more importantly, he’s confident that even fewer are able to get to where he’s headed from here.
