Lately, it seems like New York City-born Broadway child star-turned-R&B-way-finder Leon Thomas‘ name has been all over the place. Although technically an industry vet through his production work as one-half of the Rascals, Thomas has been receiving more and attention as a solo star, particularly after the release of his latest single, the “sorry-not-sorry” anthem “Mutt.”
Taken from his sophomore album of the same name, the song gave Thomas his first late-night performance, as he dropped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Thursday night to play a funky rendition of his newly minted hit. The performance, with Thomas playing guitar as he unapologetically cops to his canine instincts, reminds me of another singer who tenor growl launched him suddenly into stardom behind funk-based soulful instrumentation, D’Angelo.
Back in September 2022, Thomas told Uproxx’s Wongo Okon that he was okay waiting on success. However, despite his saying “numbers are beautiful, and we strive for greatness, but I feel like genuinely building a brand… takes time,” it looks like the turnaround on his rise to true superstardom has been faster than expected — and looks almost certain to continue for the foreseeable future.
Watch Leon Thomas’ soul-stirring performance of “Mutt” from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert above.