A month later, he returns to the area as the hottest new act in R&B, headlining his own nationwide tour for his latest release, Mutt, which many critics have declared the genre’s album of the year. The new album showcases the guitarist's vocal prowess and storytelling. This sold-out show, part of the artist's sold-out tour, will take place Saturday, Nov. 23, at the Cambridge Room at the House of Blues.
“I'm looking forward to giving them a great show,” Thomas says of the Dallas concert. ”We've been working really hard in rehearsals. It sounded phenomenal. And I think having that intimate experience with my fans is going to be a vibe because I feel like when you're opening up for somebody, it's like a blind date. Luckily, it was a successful blind date.”
Released in September, the 31-year-old’s third album became a surprising must-hear after R&B fans flooded social media with praise for its trendsetting sound. Featuring Wale, Freddie Gibbs and Ty Dolla $ign, the Recording Academy and Billboard found the album (inspired by Thomas' dog) as innovative and "pushing R&B forward."
Grammy.com’s Earl Hopkins wrote, “The album shows the 'Socialite' artist embark on a one-way ticket to the top of the musical landscape.”
Thomas submitted the hit single "Mutt" for the upcoming Grammys in the categories Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song. The nominations, announced on Nov. 8, showed that the artist was overlooked, but the tour will allow him to showcase what the voting committee missed.
“We giving them both the R&B side of me and the rock star side of me," he says of his Dallas concert. "And I know people are really going to catch a vibe. It's all about the experience, being very honest and vulnerable on that stage, and just telling these stories. It's going to be a fun little situation. I feel like when they come to my shows ... see, [hip-hop artist] Blxst's show was in theaters. Mine are in clubs. So, I'm essentially setting up my own personal club. So it's going to be like you got a ticket to go to a club that I curate in every city. And I feel like Dallas is definitely going to vibe with what we got put together for them.”
Mutt is a 14-song journey through betrayal and heartbreak. Plenty of the best R&B music is soaked in misery, and it loves the company. The album is engulfed with toxic behavior on fan favorites such as “Dancing with Demons,” “Answer Your Phone” and “Safe Place.”
Thomas is excited to perform “Dancing with Demons” live.
“I think 'Dancing with Demons' is probably one of my favorite joints to perform because it's so dynamic and my band, I mean, these guys play with everybody, so they're amazing live," he says. "The music itself is really intoxicating and I'm really hoping that people are just able to feel what I was feeling when I made that song. And I'm really excited for people to see what we put together on that record.”
Thomas says this is his most vulnerable music yet, that he's turning his pain into song and making the connection relating to similar situations in his listeners' lives.
“I think the human experience is something very interesting that should be documented through music,” Thomas says. “I think some of my favorite artists were really able to tell the stories of their generation very well. A lot of the experiences are my own. And shout out to my co-writer as well. Some of those are also his experiences. But I'm glad that people can relate to what we're doing here.
"I just want to connect with this community and continue to really cultivate a journey for people when they listen to music. I think it's bigger than just a verse or pre-chorus and a hook. I think if you could tell a story and hook people in and have them feel related to the lyrics — that's where you're really cooking with something.”
Fans have described the new album with words like “masterpiece,” “phenomenal” and “obsession.” Leon Thomas's workload has increased, and people are now returning calls. The clout chasing is something he's comfortable with.
“I don't take stuff like that personally,” he says. “I think it's easy to judge people when you're not in their position, but I think seeing how my schedule has changed from having a lot of time during the day to literally having to schedule bathroom breaks, I now understand like, OK, life can be hectic for these folks and everybody's trying to win and they also have families they're trying to take care of. I think not really holding grudges or trying to be an asshole is a really smart thing to do, because I feel like the bigger my community is, the more money I make anyway.”
Thomas became well known as a child actor on Nickelodeon's Victorious, starring Victoria Justice. He earned recognition as a recording artist in the mid-2010s, writing and producing hit songs for Drake, Ariana Grande, Ye and Post Malone.
Day-one fans remember Thomas' debut album, Genesis, in 2018. The release had standout singles “PLW” and “Favorite.” Mutt is his second release on Motown Records following 2023’s Electric Dusk.
Stuck in a Mutt
Thomas won a Grammy in 2022 for co-writing SZA’s “Snooze,” but his latest album spurred a noticeably different type of popularity and fanbase. He identifies the newfound fame as an answer to his prayers. “I prayed for this,” he says. “And nothing is by accident. It's all by design, and shout out to my team for putting me in this position. I think now it's just about really expanding and maintaining what we've built so far and continuing the growth and momentum. It's not overnight. I worked my whole life for moments like this. But this one feels different because this was really blood, sweat and tears to genuinely show people that I have what it takes and I'm excited to continue to show that to be real.”
The album has an all-star lineup, and Thomas has a résumé filled with the biggest names in music. So, fans can anticipate surprise guests appearing at the concert. For Thomas, it’s about seeing who he can get to pop out.
“I've been trying to see what schedules are like," he says. "I mean, these guys are superstars. They always bouncing around doing shit, but hopefully, on one of these shows, they could pop out with me. We'll see which one makes sense."
He is thrilled to headline his first show in Dallas and eager to enjoy the local food.
“I always get good food when I come out to Dallas. You all got really good steak houses,” he says. “So I'm sure I'm going to pop by, get some good food before the show. I love being down South because the people are really nice, too. Southern hospitality is a thing. And I'm just really excited to meet everybody and just catch a vibe. It's going to be fun, man.”
While the tour highlights his latest album, Thomas promises to honor his original fans by performing earlier tracks, hopefully encouraging new fans to explore his catalog afterward.
“For this one, I really wanted to curate an experience that was really Mutt-focused when it comes to the setlist, but we're definitely doing a couple throwbacks. I really wanted them to see this album live like I personally envisioned it in my head. I mean, it was an album that was curated to be played live.
"So I'm really excited that people are going to be able to see my vision come to fruition. And don't be too mad at me if I don't play joints from my first EP or whatever. I just think it's really about ... it's about bringing these songs to life right now. And I'm going to do my best to ... I mean, it's an hour-long show. So I mean, I'm going through a lot of joints, and we really did our best to curate what would really work well.”
