*Singer-producer Leon Thomas is speaking out about his sophomore album “Mutt,” and the meaning behind the title.
According to The Huffington Post, the album, which dropped in late September, quickly climbed to the top of Apple Music’s R&B albums chart. Fans soon hailed it as one of the standout R&B projects of the year. “Mutt” features collaborations with artists like Wale, Ty Dolla $ign, Freddie Gibbs, and Masego. Many of Leon’s album partners performed their collabs the singer at his final November show in Los Angeles.
“This industry can be filled with a lot of fake love, and I’m just really blessed to have friends who are unbelievably talented, who care about my journey and who want to support and show the world that I have something to give this industry,” the artist shared with The Huff Post.
He also admitted to being “nervous” when his latest album dropped.
Wale and Ty Dolla $ign both made surprise appearances at Leon Thomas’ LA show ??
Tonight was the final show of his ‘MUTT’ tour. pic.twitter.com/aY8mkm1fTh
— VIBE Magazine (@VibeMagazine) November 30, 2024
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“I was nervous when we dropped [‘Mutt’] because, first off, a lot of the music wasn’t necessarily TikTok-coded,” Thomas said.
“Some of the [songs] were pretty long and it was kind of fighting against the microwave generation culture of music that we’re in. But I knew for a fact that there were gonna be millions of people with my same taste buds, and I was hoping that the marketing would help find them,” the 31-year-old added.
Elsewhere in the interview, the former Nickelodeon star recalled his recurring role on Issa Rae’s “Insecure,” playing “Neighbor Bae.”
“It was my first time that I had a sex scene with Issa Rae, and I was going viral, and the girls were showing love. It felt like, alright, we have finally graduated from that one thing — from the Nickelodeon phase — and I started feeling more comfortable being a little bit more outside,” Thomas said.
The inspiration behind “Mutt” stems from Thomas’ German Shepherd-Husky mix, Terry, who was a gift from his last serious relationship and a key influence on his recent music.
“My dog is a trip,” said Thomas. “He’s a good guy, but he’s definitely mischievous, and I was inspired by how he has great intentions but sometimes may do the wrong thing,” he continued.
“It’s really just a metaphor for control in relationships,” Thomas explained of the album’s theme and title.
“I think there are a lot of women out there who date high-powered men, and they spend most of their time just trying to get their significant other to ‘sit down.’ I thought that was a cool way to explain some of what I was going through — ’cause trying to journey into my evolution into, hopefully, finding my long-term partner, I’m still figuring it out.”
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