Leon Thomas: Building His World
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PHOTOGRAPHY: IAN BUOSI / STYLING: VON FORD / CREATIVE DIRECTION: CHARLOTTE MAYUMI PHIPPS / WORDS: AMBA MENDY
From child star to chart-certified hitmaker, Leon Thomas has long been the voice behind your favourite songs, even when you didn’t know it. But now, with the release of HEEL (Deluxe), he’s stepping forward with intention, precision, and just the right amount of vengeance.
In conversation, Thomas is calm but candid. His voice carries the ease of someone who’s done the work, not just in the studio, but on himself. HEEL, the deluxe follow-up to 2023’s MUTT, is a statement in more ways than one. It’s raw. It’s cinematic. And it’s deeply personal.
“I think the biggest thing for me would probably be that I was usually the problem in most of my relationships,” he admits, reflecting on the emotional excavation that shaped the album. “But I think that was probably a good realisation to come to, because it can only lead towards progress.”
It’s this kind of self-awareness that sets HEEL apart from the sea of heartbreak projects clogging R&B’s algorithm. Where MUTT mourned love lost, HEEL stands up, dusts off, and asks: What now?
That journey from grief to growth didn’t just happen in the writing booth. It’s something Thomas lived through over the years it took to make the record. “It’s one thing to write one song,” he says.
“It’s a whole other thing to write an entire album over the span of like two years, two and a half maybe three; and be like, ok, that’s for that person, that was that time period. And alright, yeah… it was me.”
But HEEL isn’t just about heartbreak — it’s about process. About being meticulous, intentional, and collaborative. As a longtime producer and songwriter, Thomas knows exactly how much gets lost behind the scenes.
“There’s things I do just out of respect for the game—business practices that I have, out of respect for how hard producers work,” he explains. “Sometimes, just even how unappreciated they are on the main stage. I love to shout out all of the guys who were influential to making MUTT just as a body of music. They put so much time in and they worked really hard... they’re really making art.”
Still, the reality of being a producer in today’s industry isn’t always pretty, and Thomas isn’t afraid to say it. “A lot of producers and songwriters... aren’t making enough money, and I think that should change. I don’t think it’s the fans’ fault. I think as a community we should treat the people who are creating the songs your favourite artists sing... with a little more respect. Throw them some extra change.”
It’s a measured, grounded kind of advocacy — the kind that comes from someone who’s seen every side of the industry and still chooses to build within it.
And build he does. If you’ve followed Thomas from Victorious to VULTURES 1, you’ll know this isn’t just about a single lane or a single sound. It’s about constructing an entire world — one hook, one film score, one genre-swerve at a time.
“I wanna be remembered as a world builder somebody who’s ambidextrous with my creativity,” he says. “You’ve seen me do my thing in acting, now you’re seeing me do it in music. I wanna find a way to bridge those two worlds... write my own films that feature the music that I’ve written. That’s when I’ll be known as a world builder. And that’s on the way, for sure.”
Film has always played a role in Leon’s creative process not just as backdrop but blueprint. You can hear it in how he builds mood, scores emotion, sets a scene. HEEL isn’t just an album it’s a world.
No track embodies that cinematic edge quite like “Dancing With Demons,” a soulful, grungy standout that opens with a sample from Howl’s Moving Castle and ends with full-body goosebumps. It’s thick with distortion, heavy drums, snarling guitar, and vocals that stretch from desperate to defiant.
This duality between cinematic fantasy and raw reality runs through HEEL like a perfectly timed kick drum. Leon’s chasing the bag, sure, but not at the cost of himself.
Still, even world builders get in their heads. When asked about performing under pressure, Thomas offers a simple mantra: “Breathe and have fun... I purposefully picked a really fun job and sometimes I have to remind myself to have fun. This is a fun job.”
That clarity the ability to zoom out from the perfectionism and remember the joy is what makes HEEL work. It’s technical without being cold. Emotional without being indulgent. Honest without apology.
So what does success look like now, to someone who’s been behind the curtain, in front of the camera, and everywhere in between?
“Success is financial freedom and sanity but you’ve got to have both,” he says. “A lot of people can have that financial freedom but they’ll let themselves go crazy to get it. So, to me I want both and I’m gonna have that.”
With HEEL, he’s getting closer. Not just to that balance, but to building something that outlasts the moment.
This isn’t a reinvention. It’s a reclamation. A reminder that Leon Thomas hasn’t just found his voice he’s creating the world it lives in.
