JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
For over a decade, Leon Thomas worked behind the scenes in the music business. He wrote songs, learned instruments, produced recordings. Then this track blew up.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MUTT")
LEON THOMAS: (Singing) She said, take your time. What's the rush? Ooh. I said, baby, I'm a dog. I'm a mutt.
SUMMERS: His song "MUTT" came out last year, and it rose to the top of the R&B hip-hop charts this year. You might say every dog has its day, though Leon Thomas - he's already had a few of them.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "VICTORIOUS")
THOMAS: (As Andre Harris, singing) I don't have the world, can't give it to you, girl. But all that I can do, all that I can do, is give this song to you.
(CHEERING)
VICTORIA JUSTICE: (As Tori Vega) That song is so awesome. How did you turn "Favorite Foods" into that?
THOMAS: (As Andre Harris) I just stopped drinking my chocolate beverage and got busy.
SUMMERS: He was a child actor on a few Nickelodeon shows and the Broadway version of "The Lion King." And since then, he's done some acting jobs, but he also got into record production and songwriting and music publishing and singing, putting his name on the front of the record. Leon Thomas has a new EP out now called "PHOLKS" - spelled with a P-H - and he says it's a little bit more obscure and creative.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TRAPPED")
THOMAS: (Vocalizing).
I'm definitely twisting my favorite eras of the '70s and '80s in my own way that's very futuristic, as well.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TRAPPED")
THOMAS: (Vocalizing).
SUMMERS: The songs on "PHOLKS" come out of collaborations with fellow musicians Rob Gueringer and David Phelps. And he says he was also inspired by a man named John Anthony - his grandfather.
THOMAS: Who was a trailblazer in opera music - you know, being a Black male, singing opera in the '60s wasn't a thing that you saw every day.
SUMMERS: No.
THOMAS: So I definitely, you know, respect him. And this is definitely a piece dedicated to his sacrifices and all of his lessons.
SUMMERS: Is there one song, maybe, or even a moment in a song on this album that really makes you think about him and the impact that he's had on your life?
THOMAS: Not necessarily. Like, I didn't get very specific about his transition. I think it was more so he was a fun guy. You know, in his 80s, he would come to one of my shows and also come to the after-party, you know?
SUMMERS: (Laughter) In his 80s at the after-party?
THOMAS: Yeah. In his 80s, he would come through and kick it. I mean...
SUMMERS: (Laughter).
THOMAS: ...He was a cool brother - always fly, always dressed to the nines. And I feel like I have records on this project that really play into the fun that he was - you know? - the energy that he had. And, you know, I'm just carrying on that gentleman's swag, you know, to this day.
(LAUGHTER)
SUMMERS: You have talked in the past about having seen Prince perform and what just a massive influence he had on you. And when I was listening, I think I hear that influence on the song "Just How You Are." So...
THOMAS: Yeah.
SUMMERS: ...Can you tell us a little bit about that track?
THOMAS: Yeah, man. A Minneapolis funk.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "JUST HOW YOU ARE")
THOMAS: (Vocalizing).
I watched a documentary before I made that record, and it was really talking about how Prince would rehearse in the studio for, like, three or four hours. And then he would make a record, and he would jump from instrument to instrument and not think too hard. And that record came from me trying to be Prince. I was like, OK, well, I'm going to go to the drums, start a beat. And then I'm going to go to the bass and guitar. And I'm going to get a nice, you know, outline for the chorus and go to the piano and the synths and write a song. But don't think too hard. Just, like, get straight to it.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "JUST HOW YOU ARE")
THOMAS: (Singing) Wrote all these songs about you, and you've never even said a word.
And once that record was kind of forming, a lot of the other guys that I worked with - David Phelps and Rob - started trickling into the studio. And it was that moment - you know? - when they hear something real fire that they weren't a part of and then ended up adding even more magic to what I had going on. And it's so cool sharing music with those guys because they also play multiple instruments. It's so cool to collaborate with other polymaths - you know? - guys who can kind of do it all, as well.
SUMMERS: So we've been talking about "Just How You Are." I wonder if there is another track on this album that you could talk about where we sort of hear that genre bending and the inclusion of, like, funk and classic rock.
THOMAS: Ah, "Baccarat," I think...
SUMMERS: Yeah.
THOMAS: ...Is, like, a really good example of that.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BACCARAT")
THOMAS: (Singing) The way I've been running through this Rosé, you would think it'd wash my sins away. It was never about not loving you. Guess I'm just used to loving in a different way.
It's one of those records that has so much energy out the gate and is very shocking to the ear. Regardless of what genre you love, I think you can feel the energy we had making it.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BACCARAT")
THOMAS: (Singing) Yeah. Ah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Ah.
Rob Gueringer was actually playing all of the instruments on that...
SUMMERS: Oh, OK.
THOMAS: ...Particular song. And it came from him being upset because the studio that we made "MUTT" in, they were selling the building, and he had to leave this space that he had put so much love and energy into. And you can feel his anger with the way he played the drums and the way he was playing the guitar and the bass. And that energy transferred over to me when I was writing the record, too.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BACCARAT")
THOMAS: (Singing) I'ma rock and roll, roll the dice a lot. I'ma take a bet just like baccarat. You say I'm a man, but I'm not. I just crush a lot, crush a lot.
SUMMERS: Much like "MUTT," "PHOLKS" is not necessarily the most PG album you've ever done. And...
THOMAS: Nah (ph).
SUMMERS: ...Another one of your former Nickelodeon co-stars, Ariana Grande, had a transition kind of like this. So I wonder, what has it been like for you to navigate the shift from being a child star to making music that is for grown folks and a little provocative, a little sexy?
THOMAS: Well, listen, I'm 32.
SUMMERS: (Laughter).
THOMAS: You know, I've been off that network for a real long time (laughter). And, you know, if I can do a sex scene on "Insecure" on HBO, I think I can talk my talk when it comes to my music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FEEL ALIVE")
THOMAS: (Singing) Feel, feel me, feel alive through the night. Feel alive.
I think it's important for me to express my life and to be true to myself and to be a free Black man. I think it's very important in the studio.
SUMMERS: Leon, is there one track we haven't mentioned yet from "PHOLKS" that you want to tell us about and take us out on?
THOMAS: Yeah, "My Muse."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MY MUSE")
THOMAS: (Singing) 'Cause you're not my girl, but you still my muse.
Right around that time, the late, great Quincy Jones had passed away. And, you know, we wanted to pay homage to his just amazing production style. And I feel like that record has such a good upbeat flow and feeling.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MY MUSE")
THOMAS: (Singing) I think I've waited long enough to confess my loving and my sins. I could write, like, a hundred songs all about you. I could touch you without skin.
It's one of those songs that just makes you smile. And you don't even really know why until, you know, it finishes and you really listen to those lyrics. But shoutout to Quincy, man. He's - he was such a teacher and an amazing inspiration for everybody who worked on that record. And we wanted to really show love to who he was - another person - you know, the folks that inspire us.
SUMMERS: We've been talking with Leon Thomas. His new EP, "PHOLKS," is out. Leon, thanks so much for stopping by the studio.
THOMAS: Oh, thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MY MUSE")
THOMAS: (Singing) You're not my girl, but you still my muse. You supposed to be my No. 1, not his No. 2. Whoa. My muse. My, my, my, my... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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