Leon Thomas IS OWNING HIS AURA

The artist opens up about self-care, commitment and the quiet confidence that has made him one of music's most compelling voices today

- By Shelby Stewart

Jacket and sunglasses, Louis Vuitton, top, vintage.

Leon Thomas has always carried himself with a quiet duality musician and actor, dreamer and realist, behind-the-scenes hitmaker and public star. Whether he's writing chart-topping tracks for icons like Ariana Grande and Drake or stepping forward with his own genre-blurring sound, Thomas exudes an assurance that never tips over into arrogance. His magnetism feels less manufactured than lived-in, the byproduct of an artist determined to shape culture on his own terms.

"I really consider myself a storyteller," he says.

Storytelling has guided him from Broadway to Nickelodeon fame, and from penning musical hooks for megastars to crafting Mutt, his fearless sophomore album. Reinvention, for Thomas, has never been about strategy; it's a product of experience. "Growing out of that child-star image isn't something you try to do," he reflects. "It's just about living your life and being honest."