How Leon Thomas III Went From 'Victorious' to Working With Drake on ‘CLB’

Former ‘Victorious’ star Leon Thomas III talks about his music career and how he ended up with credits on 3 songs on Drake’s new album 'Certified Lover Boy.'

Leon Thomas
Publicist

Photo by Dana Trippe

Leon Thomas

It takes a village to make an album, and Drake assembled an impressive team to help him complete his newest release, Certified Lover Boy. 

In addition to frequent collaborators like Noah “40” Shebib, Boi-1da, and Oz, one of the most eye-catching names on CLB’s credits is former child actor Leon Thomas III. You might have been introduced to the multi-hyphenate singer, songwriter, and producer from his role as Andre on the popular Nickelodeon show Victorious, but he’s since worked with artists like Ariana Grande, Snoh Aalegra, Kodak Black, and more. Now, he’s found himself on Certified Lover Boy, with writing and production credits on “Pipe Down,” “Love All” featuring Jay-Z, and “In the Bible” featuring Lil Durk and Givēon.

“It’s been an amazing collaborative process working with a lot of my co-producers and people I’ve been building with for years on just a huge win like this,” he tells Complex about his role on an album that’s already seen record-breaking success on the charts. “Seeing him take nine slots out of the top 10 was historical, and to be a part of that is a blessing.”

Born in Brooklyn and raised by his vocalist mother, opera-singing grandfather, and stepfather who played guitar for B.B. King, Thomas’ musical career began early. He appeared as Young Simba on Broadway’s The Lion King at 10 years old and began working with Nickelodeon at 13, voicing The Backyardigans character Tyrone and eventually starring in Victorious for the show’s entire run. Thomas signed a deal with Columbia Records while he was still on the show, as did many other cast members, which led to him being under the tutelage of legendary producer Babyface. Although he won his first Grammy for writing credits on Face and Toni Braxton’s 2014 joint album Love, Marriage, & Divorce, Thomas says that he still has several milestones he wants to reach, including a solo Grammy and more plaques. “It’s about continuing to outdo myself creatively and I want to really create my own sounds that will dominate radio,” he says.

That unique sound he’s referring to can be heard in the syrupy vocal chops that line the back panels of “Love All.” Thomas first connected with Drake when his production company, The Rascals, helped produce Rick Ross’ song “Gold Roses,” which Thomas reveals was meant to be on CLB before Ross decided to make it the single for his album, Port of Miami 2. However, it wasn’t until Drake invited him out to the Bahamas in March to work on CLB that Thomas got a real sense of what the rapper was like as an artist and person.

Hopping onboard right as the album was being reworked after a version of “Love All” had been leaked, Thomas focused on soaking up all of the free game from producers like 40, Oz, and Boi-1da. Long past his days on Nickelodeon, Thomas has spent years picking up new production tricks, business acumen, and industry connections, which have culminated into these monumental placements on CLB. 

While making songs in the studio for Kodak Black with Boi-1da, Leon Thomas III hopped on the phone with Complex to talk about his experience working on Certified Lover Boy, what he learned about life from being around Drake and his team, and how he’s aiming for longevity in his solo career. The interview, lightly edited for clarity, is below.

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You’ve had an eventful last couple of weeks with all the chart success of Certified Lover Boy. How are you feeling?

I’m feeling amazing. It’s been a dynamic last couple of weeks for me, man. Just seeing everything. I’ve been watching a lot of my boys build with Drake’s team for years, and it’s just really cool to finally get a chance to have my moment as well. It’s been an amazing collaborative process working with a lot of my co-producers and people I’ve been building with for years on a huge win like this. Seeing him take nine slots out of the top 10 was historical, and to be a part of that is a blessing.

Growing up in Brooklyn, Jay-Z was a huge influence on everybody who grew up out there. It’s just embedded in everybody from New York City, so to have him be a part of my first real top 10 record… I’ve been a part of albums, but having a song in the top 10 is crazy. And also working on “In the Bible” with [Lil] Durk and Givēon. I’ve been working closely with Givēon a lot, so it’s really cool to share that win with a friend. 

And honestly, working with Drake has been a really amazing process, just learning from the inner workings of his machine. I’m just doing my best to continue to keep the ball rolling, man. I’m out here in Miami cooking up right now for Kodak [Black], and I’m just going to continue to shoot for the stars at this point.

How did you and Drake initially connect?

I work with Isla Management, and I’m deeply affiliated with Boi-1da, who is managed by them as well. They partnered up to rep my production company, The Rascals, around three years ago. We did a bunch of songs under their imprint and I was really able to lock in and meet a bunch of people, but I think one of the most poignant conversations and musical connections that we made was with Drake on “Gold Roses.” It was the Rick Ross joint. It was originally supposed to be a part of this album, CLB, but he played it for Ross, and it just made more sense for him to release it as a single. To be completely honest, we met Drake back then, but I didn’t really get a chance to get to know him until this year when he flew me out to the Bahamas to work on the project. I really got a true understanding of his whole personality and what he’s looking for musically. 


“‘Gold Roses’ was the Rick Ross joint. It was originally supposed to be a part of this album, CLB, but he played it for Ross, and it just made more sense for him to release it as a single.”


You both were child actors at one point. Was there any added chemistry because of that shared experience?

Hell yeah! It’s crazy. His whole team was kind of slowly learning a lot about my history. I’m very quiet about that, especially in the hip-hop circles. It was kind of cool seeing them slowly but surely figure out like, “Oh, you’re the kid that my daughter’s been watching.” It’s been vibes, man. I feel like he definitely understood me being kind of shy about that aspect, and we definitely joked about it a lot when we were out there working.

How much of the album was done when you started working with them?

We started around March in the Bahamas. Prior to that, there was a record that was leaked. “Love All,” the Jay-Z joint that we had done a year and a half ago. Honestly, a lot of the stuff was kind of slowly coming together, but it was one of those things where there was that big leak, and we were definitely building from the ground up around the Bahamas point.

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What was it like working on “In the Bible,” “Pipe Down,” and “Love All” with so many other producers?

All of it has just been an amazing process, and shout out to all the co-producers on all those joints. On “In the Bible,” working with Austin Powerz and Eli Brown, those guys are super talented, and on “Pipe Down,” specifically working with FaxOnly on that joint was an amazing process. I’m really excited for us to continue to beat the pavement and make more records feel like that. And working with Oz has been something going on for a while. We did “Gold Roses” together as well. But I think one of the most poignant contributions that can be pointed out is my vocal chops. There’s definitely more to it, but that’s one of the most poignant things you can point to.

What were some of the most valuable things you learned from being in the studio with Drake, 40, and the whole OVO crew?

Just really learning to let inspiration hit. I feel like everybody was living life, and life inspired the music. For a long time, I was so hyper-focused on creating as many ideas as possible. It kind of got tough to live, as well as work, and one thing I learned was just how relaxed and in the moment everybody was. That rubbed off on me after a point, and that’s just where I’m at now. You have to wait for the energy to strike and don’t really force anything, just understand that God’s got your back, and when the time is right, the music will come. This is a crazy example of that, and I’m just super excited that I could be a part of it in that way. I consider myself a bit of a workaholic, so seeing them find that true balance was really inspiring.

How has your relationship with Boi-1da grown over time?

I feel like it’s a big bro relationship. I’m learning a lot about how he set up his business structure. He inspired a lot of things in my life on that end, but creatively, the dude is just a genius. He works in Fruity Loops, and there’s certain things that I’m learning from his process in Fruity Loops that I’m taking back into my own. I’m just trying to continue to pick up tips and tricks as I go, and he’s been a huge influence on me.


“There was that big leak, and we were definitely building from the ground up around the Bahamas point.”


Is there a specific type of beat or sound that you gravitate toward when you’re producing? 

My production ranges from Ariana Grande to Kodak Black to Drake. I’ve been working with 6lack, too. I’ve been working with Afrobeat artists, Spanish artists. The kind of stuff that I’m doing right now is really based on my mood and when the energy strikes. But honestly, I’m super inspired by R&B, that’s home base for me musically, but recently I’ve really found ways to collaborate and tap into all kinds of genres. I’m just trying to become that human Swiss Army knife so I can be a tool in whatever field I’m needed in. That’s what’s really going to create the kind of catalog that can feed my grandchildren.

I saw you were recently in the studio with Snoh. What’s that relationship like, and can you share what kind of stuff you’ve been working on?

We did a song called “On My Mind” that was on her last project. It’s been playlisted a bunch recently. We’re just continuing to collaborate and vibe out. I can’t really speak too much about what we’re working on, but just know it’s going to be coming out really soon, which is really dope. We just sent it off to mix today, but everything we work on together is really musical, and I get a chance to step into my super musician bag when I work with her. I’m very excited for people to hear some of the stuff we created together and I’m really hoping that everybody likes the collaboration.

What’s going on in your solo career? Are you looking to drop any music this year?

I’ve been mixing most of my new album for the past month and a half. There are still some features that I’m grabbing and last-minute parts getting recorded in some really amazing sessions. So, it’s coming soon, but for me, I’m a big stickler on the business and making sure that I’m putting out the music in ways that can be advantageous to my 35-year-old self. I want to look back and say, “Alright, I made some smart decisions as a businessman as well as a creative.” That’s kind of hard to do sometimes when you’re in a rush, so I’m taking my time, and honestly, I feel like that might be annoying to my fans, but I think it’s very important for me in the long run. I just want to be happy with all of my decisions.

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You mentioned earlier that you’re quiet about all your accolades. Would you consider yourself underrated? 

Not at all. I’m working with the best in the industry. They all respect me. I feel like the people who are supposed to respect me, from label presidents to VPs and all the DJs and people that I need to impress. It’s cool. There’s going to be a lot of producers who are out there with the big flashy chains and rented Rolls-Royces showing, trying to do the whole Diddy thing, but to be honest with you, I’m looking to build something that is extremely sustainable, and I want to show people that there’s a way to do it humbly. There’s a way to do it with class and poise, not to say that Diddy doesn’t do that with class and poise, but I’m coming from the Quincy Jones school of production. From the Babyface school of production, which lets the work speak for itself. Even for me, walking through halls and seeing from the floor to the ceiling all of the records that he was associated with… Some that he wasn’t very loud about, but it was really cool to see that he can do that and still be a household name without necessarily having to showcase that on a wide scale. I feel like, for me, when I get to be loud is on the stage, and that time is coming extremely soon. Not only is it coming soon, but it’s about to happen with great ferocity, so as I gear up for that time period where I’m going to have to be loud as ever, I’m just letting the work speak for itself on the production and songwriting.


“I’m just trying to become that human Swiss Army knife so I can be a tool in whatever field I’m needed in. That’s what’s really going to create the kind of catalog that can feed my grandchildren.”


So far, you’ve already won a Grammy and notched a top 10 song. What’s the next milestone that you hope to accomplish?

Yeah, but I wasn’t even at the awards ceremony for that particular situation. Honestly, I’d love to be able to grace the stage and accept a Grammy on behalf of my own music. I’d love to tour the world with my music. I really want my whole house to be filled with plaques. I have a lot of work ahead to get that done, and it’s not really about the accolades for me. It’s about continuing to outdo myself creatively and I want to really create my own sounds that will dominate radio. The same thing The Neptunes did, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis did, I really want that kind of aspect of creation. We’ve been doing it with tiny voice stuff and pitched-up vocal chops and the kind of R&B style I’ve been bringing to hip-hop, so hopefully I can continue down that road and really create something people remember.

Is there anything else exciting that you’re working on?

I think I’m going to stay in my lane on the quiet tip and let the work speak for itself. There’s a lot happening. A lot of things are coming out soon. I’m doing a lot of stuff on Givēon’s new project, so be on the lookout for that. Also, be on the lookout for a lot of my own personal music. It’s all coming at once, so it’s going to be loud quick. I’m excited. 

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