Leon Thomas III

For the jazz singer, see Leon Thomas.

Leon George Thomas III (born August 1, 1993)^[1] is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. After early roles on Broadway and providing the singing voice of Tyrone on the Nick Jr. animated series The Backyardigans (2006–2008), he played Andre Harris on the Nickelodeon series Victorious (2010–2013), for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination.

Leon Thomas III
Thomas in 2024
Background information
Birth name	Leon George Thomas III[1]
Born	(1993-08-01) August 1, 1993 (age 31) New York City, U.S.
Genres	R&B soul hip hop
Occupations	Singer songwriter record producer actor
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Columbia Rostrum[2] EZMNY Motown
Member of	The Rascals
Signature

Thomas signed with Columbia and Rostrum Records following his successful productions as a member of the production duo, the Rascals. His album credits include former Victorious co-star Ariana Grande's Positions (2020), Drake's Certified Lover Boy (2021), ¥$'s Vultures 1 (2024), and Toni Braxton and Babyface's Grammy Award-winning Love, Marriage & Divorce (2014). Thomas earned a nomination for Best Rap Song at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards for co-writing "Gold Roses" by Rick Ross.^[3] He later won Best R&B Song at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards for his contributions to the song "Snooze" by SZA.

Life and career

Thomas in 2013

Thomas was born in Brooklyn, New York City, to Jayon Anthony and Leon Thomas II.^[1][4] He made his Broadway debut at the age of 10^[1] in 2003 as Young Simba in the Broadway production of The Lion King. In 2004, he appeared as Jackie Thibodeaux in the original Broadway cast of Tony Kushner's Caroline, or Change. and toured with the company during its five-month run in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. Thomas also performed in the Broadway production of The Color Purple. In 2007, Thomas appeared in the film August Rush as Arthur, performing the song "La Bamba", and briefly after signed a development deal with Nickelodeon appearing as the singing voice for Tyrone in the animated series The Backyardigans. Thomas has also guest-starred on Jack's Big Music Show and Just Jordan. He also appeared as Harper in the iCarly episode "iCarly Saves TV" and was featured on The Naked Brothers Band "Christmas Special".

He played a main character on Victorious, portraying Andre Harris, which premiered on Nickelodeon on March 27, 2010. Thomas also appeared as Andre in the crossover episode between Victorious and iCarly, iParty with Victorious. He also appeared as himself in an episode of True Jackson, VP. On August 2, 2011, the soundtrack album Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show was released, with Thomas featured in the songs "Song 2 You" and "Tell Me That You Love Me". On June 5, 2012, Victorious 2.0: More Music from the Hit TV Show was also released, with Thomas featured in the songs "Countdown" and "Don't You (Forget About Me)". Victorious ended production in July 2012 and the series' last episode aired on February 2, 2013.

Thomas in 2020

In 2012, Thomas started to record his first mixtape called Metro Hearts;^[5] it was released on August 1, 2012.^[6] Songs on the mixtape include "Forever", "Bad", "Moving On", "Vibe", "Like Clay", and "Never Look Back". The mixtape also included a cover of Drake's "Take Care" with Ariana Grande.^[7] Thomas co-wrote the song "Ain't No Other Me" for the British girl group Stooshe, which features as a deluxe edition track on their debut album, London with the Lights On. Thomas co-wrote four songs on his former co-star Ariana Grande's 2013 album Yours Truly. He also co-produced four songs on the album, in addition to the song "Last Christmas" from Grande's EP Christmas Kisses, as a member of production duo the Rascals.^[8] His production work under the Rascals was also included on Toni Braxton and Babyface's Grammy Award-winning album Love, Marriage & Divorce, contributing to the solo "I'd Rather Be Broke", performed by Braxton.

On September 24, 2013, Thomas released a new single, "Hello How Are You" (featuring Wiz Khalifa). On January 1, 2014, Thomas released a new mixtape, V1bes, under the name Leon Thomas, via DatPiff.^[9] He also announced that a music video for "Hello How Are You" was in the works. In 2016, he served as a co-producer for Post Malone's album Stoney.

In 2016, Thomas released the mixtape Before the Beginning via SoundCloud, which compiled eight songs which he had "[held on] for a long time".^[10] In 2017, he appeared in the Kathryn Bigelow-directed film Detroit.

Thomas in 2023

2018 saw the release of Thomas' debut EP Genesis, which featured guest appearances from Buddy and Tayla Parx. The next year, Thomas earned a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song nomination at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards for co-writing and co-producing the song "Gold Roses" by Rick Ross (featuring Drake). Thomas would also go on to write and produce more records under the Rascals production duo, as well as a solo producer, co-writing, and co-producing two songs on Ariana Grande's Positions, and three songs on Drake's Certified Lover Boy.^[11]

In May 2022, Ty Dolla Sign signed a joint venture deal with Motown for his newly launched EZMNY Records imprint, announcing Thomas to be the label's first artist.^[12]

He was one of the writers and producers on the track "Burn" by ¥$ (Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign) from their album Vultures 1, released on February 10, 2024.^[13]Furthermore, in 2024 Leon won his first Grammys award for "Best R&B Song" for his contribution to SZA's hit song "Snooze."^[14][15]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	Robin and Roger	Boy	"The Plan" (season 1, episode 3); nine-episode series
2007	August Rush	Arthur	[16]
2010	Rising Stars	JR
2014	Bad Asses	Tucson
2015	Runaway Island	Evan Holloway
2017	Detroit	Darryl
2026	Rolling Loud		Filming[citation needed]

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2006	Just for Kicks	Ty	2 episodes
2006–2008	The Backyardigans	Tyrone	Main singing voice role (seasons 2–3)
2007	Just Jordan	Ronnie	Episode: "Revenge of the Riff"
	Jack's Big Music Show	Himself	Episode: "Laurie's Big Song"
2008, 2011	iCarly	Harper	Episode: "iCarly Saves TV"
		Andre Harris	Crossover movie: iParty with Victorious
2008	The Naked Brothers Band	Leon Williams	Episode: "Christmas Special"
2010	2010 Kids' Choice Awards	Himself
2010–13	Victorious	Andre Harris	Main role, 57 episodes
2011	True Jackson, VP	Himself	Episode: "True Fame"
	2011 Kids' Choice Awards
2012	Figure It Out		Panelist (episodes 20, 23, 31, 38)
2014	Satisfaction	Mateo	Recurring role, 6 episodes
	Robot and Monster	Monster's singing voice
2015	Fear the Walking Dead	Russell	Episode: "Pilot"
2017	Insecure	Eddie	Recurring role

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Details	Peak chart positions
		US [17]
Electric Dusk	Released: August 18, 2023 Label: EZMNY, Motown Format: Digital download, streaming, vinyl	—
Mutt	Released: September 27, 2024[18] Label: EZMNY, Motown Format: Digital download, streaming, vinyl	96

Mixtapes

List of mixtapes

Title	Mixtape details
Metro Hearts	Released: August 1, 2012 Formats: CD, digital download Label: Rostrum
V1bes	Released: January 1, 2014 Format: CD, digital download Label: Rostrum
Before the Beginning[19]	Released: October 25, 2016 Formats: Digital download Label: Rostrum

Extended plays

List of extended plays

Title	Extended play details
Genesis[20]	Released: August 24, 2018 Formats: Digital download Label: Rostrum

Singles

As lead artist

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions									Album
		US [21]	US R&B/HH [22]	US Adult R&B [23]	AUS [24]	CAN [25]	IRE [26]	NZ [27]	UK [28]	WW [29]
"Hello How Are You" (featuring Wiz Khalifa)[30]	2013	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Non-album single
"Favorite" (featuring Buddy)[31]	2018	—	—	17	—	—	—	—	—	—	Genesis
"Sunken Place"[32]		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"X-Rated" (featuring Benny the Butcher)	2022	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Electric Dusk
"Love Jones" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign)		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"Breaking Point"		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"Crash & Burn"	2023	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"Breaking Point (Remix)" (featuring Victoria Monét)		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"Dangerous Game” (with Esta.)	2024	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Francis
"Mutt"		16	3	—	19	41	51	12	17	28	Mutt
"Far Fetched" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign)		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

As featured artist

List of singles as featured artist, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Album
"Snapchat" (Yonni featuring Leon Thomas, Eric Bellinger, A-Roc, and Rayven Justice)[33]	2015	Non-album singles
"Rendezvous" (Kronic featuring Leon Thomas)[34]	2017
"Sho Enough" (Philly Swain featuring Leon Thomas and Safaree)[35]
"Aimless" (Bizzy Crook featuring Lexii Alijai and Leon Thomas)[36]	2018	Before I Jump[37]
"Too Much" (Bizzy Crook featuring Leon Thomas)[38]	2019	Confetti
"Settle" (Kosine featuring Leon Thomas)[39]	2021	Truth Serum[40]
"Lucky" (Tish Hyman featuring Larussell & Leon Thomas)	2023	TBA
"Sweetness” (Elmiene featuring Leon Thomas)	2024
"Here We Go (Uh Oh) [Remix] (Coco Jones featuring Leon Thomas)	2025
"WHO ARE YOU ANYWAYS?" (Rory featuring Leon Thomas)

Promotional singles

List of promotional singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		US Kid [41]
"It's You" (with Jessie Payo)	2010	—	Rising Stars
"Countdown"[42] (Victorious cast featuring Leon Thomas III and Victoria Justice)	2012	10	Victorious 2.0: More Music from the Hit TV Show
"Come Clean" (with Michelle DeShon)	2014	—	Non-album single
"PLW"[43]	2018	—	Genesis
"Until the End of Time" (with Coco Jones)	2023	—	Non-album single
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Other charted songs

List of other charted songs, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		US Kid [41]
"Song 2 You" (Victorious cast featuring Leon Thomas III and Victoria Justice)	2011	8	Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show
"Tell Me That You Love Me" (Victorious cast featuring Victoria Justice and Leon Thomas III)		11

Guest appearances

List of non-single releases, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Other artist(s)	Album
"Sing the Day"	2006	Anika Noni Rose, Harrison Chad, Marcus Carl Franklin	Bambi II
"La Bamba"	2007	None	August Rush
"I Like That Girl"	2008		iCarly: Music from and Inspired by the Hit TV Show
"Free to Fall"	2010	Kyle Riabko, Jessie Payo, Natalie Hall	Rising Stars
"A Better Day"		Kyle Riabko
"All I Want"[44]	2011	Roshon Fegan	Non-album song
"365 Days"	2012	Victorious cast	Victorious 3.0: Even More Music from the Hit TV Show
"Yes We Can"	2013	Nat & Alex Wolff, Natasha Bedingfield	Throwbacks
"Can We Talk"		Berner, Erk tha Jerk	Drugstore Cowboy
"Show Us"[45]	2014	None	Non-album songs
"Miss You"[46]
"Nothing"			The Best of Both Offices Compilation Vol. 4[47]
"Too Long"[48]	2015		Non-album song
"Fire"	2016	Finding Noyvon, J.Kelr	Believe in MPLS[49]
"Teacher"		Yonni	#TheGift[50]
"Balance"	2017	RichGains, GLC, Nate Mercereau	Gains[51]
"Zen"	2018	Bizzy Crook	Before I Jump[37]
"Arcadia (For the Land)"	2020	WavelQ	Arcadia[52]
"Lord Knows"	2022	Steelo, Dej Loaf	Eldorado Excursions
"Patience (Remix)		Eric Bellinger	New Light: The Remixes
"Cowrie Charms"	2023	Yussef Dayes, Barbara Hicks	Black Classical Music
"Is There Someone New?"	2024	Yung Bleu	Jeremy
"Guilty"		Conductor Williams	Conductor We Have A Problem, Pt. 3
"Here We Go (Uh Oh) [Remix]"	2025	Coco Jones	Why Not More?

Music videos

List of music videos, showing year released, other artists featured and directors

Title	Year	Other artist(s)	Director(s)	Ref.
As an artist
"All I Want"	2011	Roshon Fegan	Un­known	[53]
"Hello How Are You"	2013	Wiz Khalifa		[54]
"Snapchat"	2015	Yonni, Eric Bellinger, A-Roc, Rayven Justice		[55]
"Favorite"	2018	Buddy		[56]
"PLW"		None	€¥£$	[57]
"X-Rated"	2022	Benny the Butcher	Cameron Dean, Leon Thomas
"Love Jones"		Ty Dolla Sign	Cameron Dean
"Breaking Point"	2023	none
"Sweetness"	2024	Elmiene
"Far Fetched"		Ty Dolla $ign
"Dangerous Game"		ESTA.	Marti Alonzo
"Mutt (Remix)	Freddie Gibs	Daniil Demichev
Guest appearances
"Make It Shine"	2010	Victorious cast, Victoria Justice	Un­known	[58]
"Freak the Freak Out"			Marcus Wagner	[59]
"Beggin' on Your Knees"	2011			[60]
"Leave It All to Shine"		iCarly and Victorious casts, Miranda Cosgrove, Victoria Justice	Un­known	[61]
"All I Want Is Everything"		Victorious cast, Victoria Justice	Lex Halaby	[62]
"Make It in America"	2012		Anna Mastro	[63]
"L.A. Boyz"		Victorious cast, Victoria Justice, Ariana Grande	Un­known	[64]
"Here's 2 Us"		Victorious cast, Victoria Justice		[65]
"You Don't Know Me"		Victorious cast, Elizabeth Gillies		[66]

Production and songwriting credits

Title	Year	Artist(s)	Album	Notes
"Honeymoon Avenue"	2013	Ariana Grande	Yours Truly	Co-writer
"Tattooed Heart"
"Lovin' It"
"You'll Never Know"
"Love Is Everything"			Christmas Kisses
"Snow in California"
"I'd Rather Be Broke"	2014	Toni Braxton	Love, Marriage & Divorce
"Can I Get a Moment?"		Jessica Mauboy	Beautiful
"Kinda Miss You"	2015	Deborah Cox	Non-album single
"Shake That"		Samantha Jade, Pitbull	Nine
"Something New"	2016	Zendaya, Chris Brown	Non-album single
"Yours Truly, Austin Post"		Post Malone	Stoney	Co-producer and co-writer
"Geek'd"	2018	Bhad Bhabie, Lil Baby	15	Co-writer
"Butterfly"	2019	Kehlani	While We Wait
"Gold Roses"		Rick Ross, Drake	Port of Miami 2
"Scary Nights"		G-Eazy	Scary Nights
"Summer Magic"		Ai	It's All Me, Vol. 1	Co-producer and co-writer
"Safety Net"	2020	Ariana Grande, Ty Dolla Sign	Positions	Co-writer
"Nasty"		Ariana Grande
"In the Bible"	2021	Drake, Lil Durk, Giveon	Certified Lover Boy	Co-producer and co-writer
"Love All"		Drake, Jay-Z
"Pipe Down"		Drake
"For Tonight"		Giveon	Give or Take
"Wicked Freestyle"		Nardo Wick	Who Is Nardo Wick?
"Rent Free"		6lack	"Rent Free" / "By Any Means" single
"High School Crush"	2022	Buddy	Superghetto
"Rich Shit"		Lil Gotit, Lil Keed, Ty Dolla Sign	The Cheater
"Poison"		Jack Harlow, Lil Wayne	Come Home the Kids Miss You
"Another Heartbreak"		Giveon	Give or Take
"Scarred"
"Let Me Go"
"Lost Me"
"July 16th"
"Get to You"
"All Wolves Go to Heaven"		YoDogg, Cardo	Raised by Wolves
"Snooze"		SZA	SOS
"Wolves"	2023	Lauren Jauregui, Russ, Ty Dolla Sign	In Between
"Gone"		Kiana Ledé, Bryson Tiller	Grudges
"Undefeated"		Mike Dimes	Texas Boy
"Burn"	2024	¥$	Vultures 1

Broadway appearances

• The Lion King
• Caroline, or Change
• The Color Purple

Tours

• Big Time Summer Tour (joined on August 21, 2012)

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Work	Result
2008	Young Artist Awards	Best Performance In A Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor (Fantasy or Drama)	August Rush	Won[67]
2012	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-series)	Victorious	Nominated[68]
2020	Grammy Awards	Best Rap Song	"Gold Roses"	Nominated
2024		Best R&B Song	Snooze	Won[69]