Leon Thomas Is Owning His Aura
This story originally appeared in the Fall/Winter 2025 issue of ESSENCE, on stands now.
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.”
That honesty extends to his self-care. He refers to his brain as his “strongest muscle” and swears by meditation, prayer, workouts and Korean facials. “Taking care of my skin, my locs, my body—that’s what keeps me grounded.”
Grounded, yes—but never static. Mutt is a study in audacity, layering influences as disparate as Prince, Black Sabbath and Thomas’s dog, Terry. “After I put all the songs together, I realized I was writing about freedom and obedience,” Thomas explains. “It became a metaphor for how we’re trained in society but still have these natural urges.”
On tracks like “Not Fair” and “Yes It Is,” that tension manifests as intimacy. “I’m intentional about channeling vulnerability and desire,” Thomas says. “The story is the most important thing. Everything else has to serve that.”
Thomas’s presence—what some might call charisma—is deliberate. “Aura. That’s what the kids call it,” he says with a laugh. “For me, sexy is aura—chin up, chest out, excited to just be.”
That confidence carries into his fashion aesthetic. He gravitates toward silks, custom pieces and textures that move with the body. In his private life, Thomas admits to being interested in someone, but he hesitates to commit while on tour. “Relationships are like plants,” he explains. “Communication is water, physical attention is sunlight.”
For Thomas, honest commitment can be more daring than hitting a high note. “Saying ‘I love you’ is tougher,” he admits. “Love means too much for me to throw it around casually. The word means too much for me to just use lightly.”
His authenticity has clearly struck a chord. His NPR “Tiny Desk Concert” became one of the year’s most streamed; his North American tour sold out; and his Coachella set with George Clinton ended with a keepsake: a hat from the funk pioneer. “It felt like permission to keep being fearless,” Thomas reflects.
That validation extends to his heroes. “I had a call with Stevie Wonder,” he recalls. “He’s the reason I started writing songs. For him to like something I wrote? That’s the battery in my back.”
Still, Thomas resists the weight of labels. Perhaps that is the essence of his sexy: not the silk shirts or the Billboard plaques, but a presence that requires no performance. A man building something lasting—with intention, aura and undeniable.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Photographed by Christian Soria
Styled by Maurice Diallo
Leon Loctician: Muffen Moses at Muffen International Salons
Leon Barber: GQ
Leon Makeup Artist: Vicky Garcia
Jaylen Groomer: Mirna Jose using Dieux Skin at See Management
Rome Groomer: Colleen Dominique using Caldera + Lab at The Wall Group
Nails: Analysse Hernandez using OPI
Set Design: Michael Wanenmacher at Wanenmacher Studios
Tailor: Shirlee Idzakovich at The Zaks Team
Photography Assistants: Khalilah Pianta & Sandy Rivera
Styling Assistant: Ray Voono
Set Assistant: Katherine Schultz
Production: The Morrison Group
On-site Producer: Maria Fernandez
Production Manager: Cecilia Alvarez Blackwell
Production Assistant: Ernie Torres
Post Production: House Studios
Location: Smashbox Studios