Leon Thomas was chilling with his dog Terry while watching the “Elvis” biopic in 2022 when the idea for his breakthrough solo single, “Mutt,” came to him. “[The film] talked about the hound dog, and I was like, man, I want to be on some Black Elvis shit — but find my own way to make it happen,” he recalls.
The 32-year-old Brooklyn native had only recently moved into the foreground as a solo musician, having previously gained fame as a child star on Nickelodeon’s “Victorious” and a hit songwriter for SZA (he was a Variety Hitmaker in 2023 for his work on her smash “Snooze”), Ariana Grande and others. He’d released mixtapes and EPs here and there, but signing with Ty Dolla $ign’s EZMNY Records as its flagship artist in 2022 opened the lane to release his debut album, “Electric Dusk,” and its follow-up, “Mutt,” last year.
Thomas wrote the title track knowing it would be the project’s banner single. He already had the chorus in pocket and developed the verses over text with Bizzy Crook before fleshing out the song with producers D. Phelps and Freaky Rob. For the song to hit, Thomas was “looking at it from a pace level,” speeding up the tempo about 10 BPMs for more urgency. “I also knew it was going to be a good radio record because the hook was catchy and singable. I like to call it the ‘drunken fun’ method: Can somebody sing this drunk at a club or at your shows? If it’s not that easy to sing, it’s probably not gonna travel too far.”
The theory paid off: Following its release last August, “Mutt” slowly but surely ascended the charts, becoming the third-longest climb to the Top 10 in Billboard Hot 100 history. Now, he’s up for six Grammys, including best new artist. “It’s gratifying, you know?” he says. “I think now is a great moment of just showing how God can develop a human being into what I’m supposed to be at the right time. And there’s no mistakes here.”
SONGWRITERS: Leon Thomas, Rob Gueringer, David Kenneth Phelps, Lazaro A. Camejo, Michael Stokes, Emanuel Johnson
PRODUCERS: Freaky Rob, D Phelps
Ty Dolla $ign – Artist, CEO/Co-Founder, EZMNY Records
Shawn Barron – CEO/Co-Founder, EZMNY Records
Jonathan Azu CEO/Founder, Culture Collective, Manager
Rob Gueringer pka Freaky Rob – Producer/Writer
D. Phelps – Producer/Writer
LABELS: EZMNY Records/Motown Records
PUBLISHERS: Eclectic Collective Publishing (Admin by Sony Music Publishing (US) LLC (ASCAP)), Rob Gueringer Music Group (ASCAP), D Phelps Media c/o Songtrust Blvd / Platinum Grammar Publishing (BMI), Kobalt Music Services (BMI), Willow Girl (BMI), Skytower Music LTD (ASCAP)
variety.com
#Leon #Thomas #Elvis #Biopic #Inspired #Breakout #Hit #Mutt
