Allow Leon Thomas to reintroduce himself

The 'Mutt' singer has transformed from child star to R&B innovator

- BY KAILYN BROWN

"I'VE SEEN a version of myself that's not there yet and then you work hard to get there," Thomas says of his approach to life.

Leon Thomas recently dyed the tips of his signature locs dark green. His new hair color — a stark contrast from the vibrant red he'd been rocking for the last four years — is the first thing that stands out about him when he strolls into the Los Angeles Times building on an unusually rainy day in October.

When asked about his hair, which peeks out from underneath a black beret-style hat, a wide grin stretches across his face.

“I had a vision,” the 32-year-old singer says, leaning in. “In [this] vision, I had more tats, a six-pack and I had green dreads. And I was like, ‘You know what, let’s work on it.’” He’s been working out more consistently and he has his eyes set on a couple of tattoo artists in L.A. and Europe, but the new hair kicked off everything.

“That's how the rest of my life has worked: I’ve seen something in my head, I've seen a version of myself that’s not there yet and then you work hard to get there.”

This instinct has carried Thomas throughout his 20-plus-year career in the entertainment industry, and has cleared a path for him to emerge as a leading force in modern R&B music. After years of dedicating his skill to acting, writing and producing chart-topping bangers for artists like Drake, Ariana Grande and SZA (he won his first Grammy for her record “Snooze”), for the first time Thomas is up for six Grammy nominations including album of the year and best new artist for his own work.