Leon Thomas on New Music, the Grammys, and Touring With Bruno Mars

Leon Thomas knows how to throw a party. Shortly after his set at Lollapalooza, the singer headed over to T-Mobile’s Club Magenta, where, with DJ Toney Handsome, he danced with his fans to some hits. The crowd erupted when he surprised festivalgoers with “Make It Shine” from his Victorious days. Thomas loves to connect with people, even highlighting the importance of music in an exclusive conversation for T-Mobile with Michèle Boileau-Barmash, TWENTY6 Communications founder. “I want kids to see me on stage with a guitar and ask for lessons because in a lot of schools are taking music class out of it,” Thomas says. “I really want the next generation to be musically intelligent too and keep it going.”

The star has had quite a banner year. First known for playing Andre on Victorious, Thomas’s 2024 album Mutt put a new spotlight on him in the music industry. He racked up Grammy nominations and won for Best R&B Album and Best Traditional R&B Performance. At the ceremony, he performed in the Best New Artist medley and joined Ms. Lauryn Hill and others in a tribute to D’Angelo and Roberta Flack. Last year, Thomas released Pholks, an instrument-forward mixtape, and earlier this year, he joined Bruno Mars on The Romantic Tour. His performance at Lollapalooza joins a string of festival appearances and tour stops.

He is also working on his next album. “I hope you guys are going to enjoy everything we’re putting together, because there’s a lot of love that’s going into this next project,” he says.

Below, find five major takeaways from the conversation at T-Mobile’s hospitality suite, where he talks about Mutt, performing, and lighting up Lolla.

Thomas relishes raw connection

“It was an amazing experience for me right after the show. It’s always one of those moments where you kind of come down from the high of being in front of all those people. We played some throwback songs from my early Nickelodeon days. Everybody was jumping around. It was cool to connect with them. You really get to see the eyes and get the flowers in person. And that was a beautiful experience I’ve never had before. Everybody was having a good time and there was a lot of community going on. And that’s the best thing you can do right now, build communities for fans to engage and connect with people.”

His 2026 Grammys performance with Lauryn Hill, honoring D’Angelo and Roberta Flack came together at the last minute

“We got that call about four days before the Grammys, and obviously it was nerve wracking, because I’m like a new kid to school. I’m in rehearsals sweating. But, it was really nice. Ms. Hill was really gracious enough to allow me to be involved in such a special moment. I’m a huge D’Angelo fan. Bob Power, who did a lot of D’Angelo’s early works, he was my mentor. I’ve been really rapping D’Angelo’s music my whole life. So, that was a big opportunity for me to be able to really celebrate his life at that moment.”

His work transcends genres

“I feel like a mad scientist in the studio. I’m always trying to find new blends when it comes to genre. I’m constantly finding new inspiration, other artists, and a lot of older works. I think as I move forward, my biggest thing is just trying to keep my narrative fresh. I think storytelling is a very important part of songwriting, and I’ve been doing everything I can to continue to tell new stories, finding new ways to say the same thing. In R&B, we do sing a lot about love, but there’s a lot of different ways you can frame that. I think that’s a big part of how I make music.”

Babyface has been a major source of inspiration

“I think in the beginning when I was working with Babyface, I had all these heavy weighted expectations on what I could bring to the genre of R&B. But, some of my favorite conversations were me being with him and him unraveling all of my overthinking and him just letting me know that I’m more than enough. All I’ve got to do is just present my version of cool and the rest of the world is going to follow what I present. And he’s been so right up to this point. You walk into his studio and it’s literally from the floor to the ceiling plaques all the way down the hallway. So, anytime I’m feeling like I’m really doing well, I got to visit his studio so I can really see what success looks like.

He learned a lot from opening for Bruno Mars

“Shout out to Bruno and Anderson .Paak for being really amazing friends. I didn’t really know these brothers that well going into the tour, but after that run, we became a lot closer. I studied their shows. I would do my set about 30 minutes. I would go shower up a little bit and run out and sit by the engineer and just watch and take notes. Bruno is so meticulous. I watched him sound check one song 20 times to make sure that tiny detail was right. I think that attention to detail turns into performances that are so memorable. I learned a lot performing for the crowds that big, too. You have to really have a lot of broad movements. [Bruno and I] sat down, but we talked a lot about music and our love for Prince. It all starts with Prince, man. Prince is definitely the bar for how to really rock a stage and play some instruments and take a crowd there with you.”

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.