Leon Thomas on his Powerful Debut Record “Electric Dusk”

Brooklyn native and multi-instrumentalist Leon Thomas is constantly elevating his game when it comes to creating new melodies and telling a story through music. Following his well-received Genesis EP in 2018, he has set out to release 11-track debut album, Electric Dusk. After jumping through endless industry hoops while holding the finished tracks on the back burner, Thomas was able to finally get the wheels turning on an album release through EZMNY Records / Motown Records. In a press conference hosted by °1824, he delved further into the behind the scenes process of creating the debut record!

Over the years, Thomas has successfully grown his production and songwriting repertoire through his work with well-known favorites from Drake, SZA, Snoh Aalegra, Post Malone, Ella Mai, Kehlani, Giveon, 6lack, and Ariana Grande, even going so far as to earning a Grammy nomination in 2019 for his collaboration on Drake and Rick Ross’ “Gold Roses.”

On writing for himself versus other artists, Thomas reveals, “Writing for myself can be kind of uncomfortable. You get to play therapist when you’re working with an artist, when you’re writing and producing for them. But I think when it's for myself, sometimes I have to really dig deep and find some of those uncomfortable moments to talk about.”

Having created a name for himself as a multi-faceted force both within and outside of the recording studio, there is no doubt of his musical innovations as he steps into the R&B limelight with his long-awaited solo project. On the key takeaways of Electric Dusk, he explains, “I feel like music is an exchange of energy. I spell out the range of emotions that I go through as a human being throughout this album. It’s a nuanced conversation, but in the end, the centerpiece is that I want people to understand me better and really get in my mind.”

At the core of Electric Dusk is a blend of jazz, hip-hop, and R&B influences artfully crafted to show-off Thomas’ production ingenuity. With an old-school vibe, Thomas describes the creative process behind the record as “playing with a lot of psych-rock elements mixed in with R&B.” He goes on, “If you really listen to the effect that I’m putting on a lot of the guitars, it’s definitely inspired from a place that comes from that 60’s realm. It was really cool to mix that in with some of the hip-hop elements.”

The first lead single from the record, “Crash & Burn,” truly leans into that smooth combination of hip-hop and R&B. Featuring Thomas’ brilliant vocals and layered harmonies, the song is alluring to listen to. With a catchy groove and mix, it’s a song that will have you bobbing your head in time with the beat.

“Breaking Point,” is another artful single leading up to Electric Dusk’s release, and one a lot of listeners will be able to resonate with. The incredibly vulnerable piece drives home Thomas’ ability to tell a story with his melodies and lyrics. He expresses his songwriting process as a self-defined storyteller, “We start with lyrics, because I feel like lyrics are really important in storytelling. Melody comes extremely easy to me, and I’ll kind of try that on a couple different tracks until it's right.”

The accompanying music video for “Breaking Point” also pushes that retro theme seen throughout the album, featuring nostalgic film sets and a black and white color scheme.

“‘Breaking Point’ was a vulnerable moment for me,” he explains, “Looking back at a lot of the songs I’ve written for myself, and even for other people, I feel like I’m always living in this imaginary world, but that was like my actual life at that time. It was so cool to see people respond to that.”

Another song packed with stunning vocal runs is the beautiful “Sneak” from the record. The melody packs an absolute punch, and has a memorable chorus. Having written and mixed almost the entirety of Electric Dusk on his own, “Sneak” has an incredibly sultry tone, that once again, drives home the 1960’s feel with its masterful use of synths and elevated production.

As Thomas continues to move forward with progressing his solo discography in the R&B scene, he hints at a lot of cool things incoming. “We’re at chapter one right now, but we have chapters lined up. This is really just the beginning.” In his upcoming run of shows through the fall, he will be opening for Ty Dolla $ign’s “more motion less emotion” tour and debuting the powerful collection of tracks from Electric Dusk in a live setting. The palpable effort in Leon Thomas’ songwriting and mixing abilities is insanely impressive throughout Electric Dusk, and it is more evident than ever that he is on track to being one of the most influential R&B artists in the industry today!

Check out Leon Thomas’ debut record, Electric Dusk, available on streaming platforms now!