Leon Thomas III

Leon G. Thomas III (born August 1, 1993) is an American actor, record producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and singer, who is currently signed to Columbia and Rostrum Records. He is best known for portraying Andre Harris on the Nickelodeon series Victorious (2011) and the singing voice of Tyrone from seasons 2-3 of The Backyardigans. After the show's cancellation, he sought success as a member of the production duo The Rascals, earning a producer credit on the 2014 Grammy Award winning album Love, Marriage & Divorce.

For the jazz singer, see Leon Thomas.
Leon Thomas
Thomas performing in November 2013
Background information
Birth nameLeon G. Thomas III[1]
Born (1993-08-01) August 1, 1993[2]
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Actor
  • record producer
  • singer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • guitar
Years active2003–present
Labels
Associated acts

Early life

Leon G. Thomas III was born on August 1, 1993 in Brooklyn, to Jayon Anthony and Leon Thomas II.[1][4]

Career

2003–06: Broadway and career beginning

He made his Broadway debut at age 10[1] in 2003 as Young Simba in the Broadway production of The Lion King. In 2004, he appeared as Jackie Thibodeaux in the original Broadway cast of Tony Kushner's Caroline, or Change. and toured with the company during its five-month run in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Thomas also performed in the Broadway production of The Color Purple.

2007–09: August Rush and television appearances

In 2007, Thomas appeared in the film August Rush as Arthur, performing the song "La Bamba", and was the singing voice for Tyrone in The Backyardigans. Thomas has also guest starred on Jack's Big Music Show and Just Jordan. He also appeared as Harper in the iCarly episode "iCarly Saves TV" and was featured on The Naked Brothers Band Christmas Special.

2010–12: Victorious and musical career

He played a main character on Victorious, portraying Andre Harris, which premiered on Nickelodeon on March 27, 2010. Thomas also appeared as Andre Harris in the crossover episode between Victorious and iCarly, "iParty with Victorious". He also appeared as himself in an episode of True Jackson, VP. On August 2, 2011, the album "Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show" was launched, with Thomas featured in the songs "Song 2 You" (written by him) and "Tell Me That You Love Me". On June 5, 2012, "Victorious 2.0: More Music from the Hit TV Show" was released, with Thomas featured in the songs "Countdown" and "Don't You (Forget About Me)". The Victorious television series ended production in July 2012 and the show's final episode aired on February 2, 2013.

2012–present: Mixtapes and production work

In 2012, Thomas started to record his first mixtape called Metro Hearts;[5] it was released on August 1, 2012.[6] Songs on the mixtape Metro Hearts include "Forever", "Bad", "Moving On", "Vibe", "Like Clay", and "Never Look Back". The mixtape also included a cover of "Take Care" by Drake. The cover is by Leon Thomas featuring Ariana Grande.[7]

Leon Thomas co-wrote the song "Ain't No Other Me" for the British group Stooshe, which features as a deluxe edition track on their debut album, London with the Lights On. Thomas co-wrote four songs on Ariana Grande's 2013 album "Yours Truly". He also co-produced five songs on Yours Truly, in addition to the song "Last Christmas" from Grande's Christmas Kisses EP, as a member of production duo The Rascals.[8] Additionally, his work in production as a part of "The Rascals" was included on the Grammy award-winning album Love, Marriage & Divorce. His contribution is as a writer on the song entitled "I'd Rather Be Broke" performed by Toni Braxton.

On September 24, 2013, Leon Thomas released a new single, "Hello How Are You", featuring Wiz Khalifa. A second single, "Chill," is to be released soon.[9]

On January 1, 2014, Thomas released a new mixtape, V1bes, under the name Leon Thomas, via Datpiff.[10] He also announced that a music video for his single, Hello How Are You, was in the works.

In 2016, he served as a co-producer for Post Malone's album Stoney.

In 2017, he appeared in the Kathryn Bigelow-directed film Detroit.

Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes
2003 Robin and Roger Boy "The Plan" (Season 1, Episode 3), 9-episode-series
2007 August Rush Arthur [11]
2010 Rising Stars JR
2014 Bad Asses Tucson
2015 Runaway Island Evan Holloway
2017 Detroit Jerry
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2006Just for KicksTy2 episodes
The BackyardigansTyroneSinging voice (seasons 2–3)
2007Just JordanRonnieEpisode: "Revenge of the Riff"
Jack's Big Music ShowLeonEpisode: "Laurie's Big Song"
2008, 2011iCarlyHarperEpisode: "iCarly Saves TV"
Andre Harris Crossover movie: "iParty With Victorious"
2008The Naked Brothers BandLeon WilliamsEpisode: "Christmas Special"
20102010 Kids' Choice AwardsHimselfWith the cast of Victorious
2010–13VictoriousAndre HarrisMain role, 57 episodes
2011True Jackson, VPHimselfEpisode: "True Fame"
2011 Kids' Choice AwardsWith the cast of Victorious
2012Figure It OutPanelist (Episodes 20, 23, 31, 38)
2014SatisfactionMateoRecurring role, 6 episodes
Robot and MonsterMonster's Singing Voice
2015Fear the Walking DeadRussellEpisode: Pilot
2017 Insecure Eddie Recurring role

Discography

Mixtapes
List of mixtapes, with selected details
Title Mixtape details
Metro Hearts
V1bes
  • Released: January 1, 2014
  • Format: CD, digital download
  • Label: Rostrum Records

Extended plays
Title Extended play details
Genesis
  • Released: August 24, 2018
  • Formats: Digital download
  • Label: Rostrum Records

Singles
List of singles, showing year released
Title Year
"Hello How Are You"
(featuring Wiz Khalifa)[12]		 2013

Promotional singles
List of promotional singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US Kid Digital
[13]
"Countdown"[14]
(Victorious cast featuring Leon Thomas III and Victoria Justice)		 2012 10 Victorious 2.0: More Music from the Hit TV Show

Other charted songs
List of other charted songs, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US Kid Digital
[13]
"Song 2 You"
(Victorious cast featuring Leon Thomas III and Victoria Justice)		 2011 8 Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show
"Tell Me That You Love Me"
(Victorious cast featuring Victoria Justice and Leon Thomas III)		 11

Other appearances
List of non-single guest appearances, showing year released and album name
Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"La Bamba" 2007 None August Rush
"I Like That Girl" 2008 iCarly: Music from and Inspired by the Hit TV Show
"365 Days" 2012 Victorious cast Victorious 3.0: Even More Music from the Hit TV Show

Production and songwriting credits
See also: The Rascals (producers)
Title Year Artist(s) Album Notes
"Honeymoon Avenue" 2013 Ariana Grande Yours Truly Co-writer
"Tattooed Heart"
"Lovin' It"
"You'll Never Know"
"Can I Get a Moment?" Jessica Mauboy Beautiful
"Love Is Everything" Ariana Grande Christmas Kisses
"Snow in California"
"I'd Rather Be Broke" 2014 Toni Braxton Love, Marriage & Divorce
"Kinda Miss You" 2015 Deborah Cox non-album single
"Shake That" Samantha Jade, Pitbull Nine
"Something New" 2016 Zendaya, Chris Brown non-album single
"Yours Truly, Austin Post" Post Malone Stoney Co-producer and co-writer
"Geek'd" 2018 Bhad Bhabie, Lil Baby 15 Co-writer
"Butterfly" 2019 Kehlani While We Wait
"Gold Roses" Rick Ross, Drake Port of Miami 2
"Scary Nights" G-Eazy Scary Nights
"Safety Net" 2020 Ariana Grande, Ty Dolla Sign Positions
"Nasty" Ariana Grande

Broadway appearances

Concert Tours

Awards and nominations
Year Association Category Work Result
2008 Young Artist Awards Best Performance In A Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor (Fantasy or Drama) August Rush Won[15]
2012 NAACP Image Award Outstanding Performance In A Youth/Children's Program (Series or Special) Victorious Nominated[16]
2015 Grammy Best R&B Album (Producer/Writer) Love, Marriage & Divorce Won[17]

References
  1. Navarro, Mireya (September 23, 2007). "When Childhood Is a Tough Role". The New York Times. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  2. "Twitter: Leon Thomas III (verified account)". Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  3. "Official website".
  4. Vinson, Kristi (April 20, 2011). "Nickelodeon Star Paints With Teens". Kennesaw Patch. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  5. "Leon Thomas - Official Site". Leonthomas3.com. Archived from the original on 2013-05-25. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  6. "Leon Thomas - Official Site". Leonthomas3.com. Archived from the original on 2012-08-09. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  7. "Leon Thomas - Metro Hearts on". Official.fm. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  8. "NYU News : Christmas album comes with Grande promise". nyunews.com.
  9. "Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2016-01-20.
  10. "Leon Thomas - V1bes". DatPiff.
  11. Ebert, Roger (October 20, 2009). Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2010. Andrews McMeel Publishing. pp. 20–. ISBN 978-0-7407-8536-8. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  12. "Hello How Are You (feat. Wiz Khalifa) - Single by Leon Thomas III on Apple Music". Retrieved October 8, 2020 – via Apple Music.
  13. "Leon Thomas III | Billboard". Billboard.
  14. ""Countdown" by Leon Thomas III and Victoria Justice". iTunes. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  15. "29th Annual Young Artist Awards - Nominations / Special Awards". Young Artist Awards. Archived from the original on 2008-07-06.
  16. "NAACP Image Awards 2012: Full list of nominees". ABC7 Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  17. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-12-03. Retrieved 2010-12-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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