Leon Thomas Plays NPR Tiny Desk Concert

Leon Thomas’ travels in support of new album MUTT recently took him to Washington, DC for a rite of passage among musical artists: performing a Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR office. On a snowy day in the nation’s capital, Thomas performed three songs from the new album plus two more from 2023’s Electric Dusk in the session, which hit the internet on Feb. 20.

Opening with “VIBES DON’T LIE,” the actor-musician and his band continued with two more MUTT songs, “YES IT IS” and the title track. After “Breaking Point”—which Thomas dedicated to his late grandfather, opera singer John Anthony, calling it “one of his favorite songs”—his setlist concluded with “Treasure In The Hills.” In the aftermath, Thomas posted on social media, “Man… Tiny Desk was a dream. Truly grateful for the love and opportunity.”

Joining Thomas at the Tiny Desk were Chris Payton on guitar, Ali Roots on keys and piano, Joe “Jough” Cleveland on bass, Quintin “Q” Gulledge on drums, and a trio of background singers: TK, Ayana Layli, and Sha’Leah Nikole.

Thomas has a lifetime of experience onstage and on camera. After landing Broadway roles as a child, he had a voice role in Nick Jr.’s animated series The Backyardigans, then played Andre Harris on Nickelodeon’s Victorious, for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination. During his time on Victorious, he made his way into the music industry, releasing his debut mixtape Metro Hearts in 2012 and co-writing several songs on his fellow cast member Ariana Grande’s 2013 debut album Yours Truly.

Thomas continued recording music for Wiz Khalifa’s Rostrum Records and doing award-winning work as a writer and producer with artists like Babyface, Rick Ross, and Post Malone. By 2022, he became the first artist to sign to Ty Dolla $ign’s new label EZMNY Records. Ty Dolla $ign is one of several notable guests on MUTT, a list that also includes Masego, Wale, Freddie Gibbs, Axlfolie, and Baby Rose.

Listen to the Leon Thomas album MUTT now.