Strat

Leon Thomas is well aware that R&B is not the first style of music that comes to mind when the guitar takes the lead. Now, as a member of the 2025 Fender Next class, the 32-year-old is excited to bring his Fender Stratocaster along for the journey as he continues to evolve in the genre.

“Coming up being a fan of music, I was a big fan of Jimi Hendrix, and he always played a red Strat. The red Fender Stratocaster has been a potent part of my sound on R&B since the inception of my career. It’s my favorite guitar to play live on stage, so working with Fender was just a no-brainer, and to be recognized by them is definitely legendary to me,” the New York native explained to VIBE on a friendly Zoom call. He later declared that this would be the only guitar of his choice.

“It was so cool to see my picture up there with a lot of different rock stars. In R&B, guitar is one of those instruments that makes its appearance here and there, but it’s nice to be one of the few guys out there in my generation and in my class of R&B that actually plays plays.”

And he’s right. His breakout single “Mutt” widened his audience as listeners latched onto his strong musicality and unique style. In fact, the song and the album of the same name, were ranked VIBE’s top R&B offerings of 2024. With his star rising, Leon Thomas is always armed with the Fender Strat in his uniquely paved lane.

“I think the first time I picked up a guitar was the first time I ever wrote a song. It’s synonymous to everything that is me as an artist. It’s not something I really tried to do. It’s just me kind of being at this point,” he explained.

“So respect to everybody, but I know for me personally, I like to feature a lot of live instrumentation throughout my records because I’m not just writing on a lot of the songs. I’m also co-producing, so it’s nice to kind of have those elements that feel authentic to me featured on the record. Now you’re seeing the effects of that. As I promote it, as I’m on those stages, I don’t really feel comfortable hitting the stage without my baby.”

The former Nickelodeon star continued to detail how his creativity translates to energetic live shows.

“It’s just a part of my process as an entertainer. I’m not hitting a bunch of choreography like Chris Brown. I’m not rapping like Kendrick [Lamar] or anything, so I got to find a way to really make a crowd go wild. I think my wow factor lives not just in what I’m doing vocally but also what I’m able to do on those instruments,” he relayed.

“I just want to make people smile. I want to make them feel good when they come to see me. It’s not cheap to buy a ticket to a show these days. I definitely respect the amount of work people are putting in outside of coming to see me live. If they spent that dollar, I want to make sure that they’re getting a show that’s worth it.”

While last year may stand as his biggest yet, 2025 brought the Grammy winner the BET Award for Best New Artist, and a full-circle Kids’ Choice Award nomination for Favorite Male Breakout Artist. He is also nominated at the upcoming 2025 MTV VMA awards for “Mutt” remix with Freddie Gibbs.

“It’s a beautiful thing, man,” he reflected on the nomination.

He continued to joke, “They gave us like $20 to shoot them videos, so I’m excited. We’re even up there amongst all of those crazy other budgets that other people had. So, I’m just blessed to be mentioned in that category. It’s a real pleasure. I’m super excited to pull up. I’m still picking out my fit, but I’m going to grace that carpet, and I’m going to have a good time.”

And his career is just getting started. Thomas is set to release an EP, Folks, which he notes as “continuing to push the needle, and “a little bit more experimental.”

He continued to assure, “I think I’m just going to continue to be as creative as I can be, and I’m going to continue to take risks and chances in popular music. I hope the world really understands me.”

Listen to MUTT below.