This interview sadly never took off. For what it's worth, I put it here, hoping someone will see it.
It's nine o' clock on the night of Monday April 18th. I'm sitting on an old couch in a small lounge at a respectable recording studio in downtown Atlanta. There's a coffee table and a large flatscreen in the room, as well as a couple of vending machines.
It's the last place I thought I'd be tonight, and the last thing I thought I'd be doing is interviewing a rising television and music star. It's interesting how small, seemingly insignificant events can lead to much larger ones.
Sitting on the other end of the couch is a young man with one leg propped on the glass coffee table in front of us and one arm tossed casually over the back of the couch. He's wearing a green plaid shirt, black jeans, and heavy black boots. Hanging from his neck is a long silver chain with a crucifix attached at stomach-level.
His name is Leon Thomas III. He's seventeen years old and already more successful than most. He's in Atlanta for a recording session and to volunteer his time at local community festivals.
He's known across the U.S. for his acting, particularly his role as Andre Harris on the popular Nickelodeon show "Victorious." He's also appeared in two films, Rising Stars and August Rush.
His eyes are heavy with exhaustion. Why shouldn't they be? This is probably his first chance to sit and gather his thoughts in several weeks.
He spent the past Saturday signing autographs and performing for high school students from dawn to dusk at the Kennesaw Big Shanty Festival, and Sunday in the recording studio.
After we're done talking, he'll be up until the crack of dawn working in the studio. At eleven am he has a photo-shoot. After that, more studio time, then he flies back to L.A. for another shoot and more studio time, before flying to Tennessee for even more studio time.
"These last couple months have had very, very, very little down time." He tells me. He says that moments to relax are rare, so he makes them count.
"When I get my down time, I just take it. I take a nap, I relax, I chill with friends and family." he says with a look of reminiscence, like he wishes that those moments came more often.
Who could blame him? The average citizen spends half his week working and the other with friends and family, but here is a kid, a kid, no less, who spends most of his time on TV sets and in recording booths. He seems to spend most of what little time remains on airplanes and in cars traveling from one show or benefit to another.
Fame certainly has its price, it seems, and not just for the star.
Flash back one hour. I'm stepping out of my Mustang at the dark rear entrance to the recording studio. Standing outside is Marco Tudor, manager for Leon Thomas and the man who granted me the upcoming interview with him.
"You made it," he says to me as I step out. He exhales a long stream of smoke and expresses what a hectic week it has been for Leon and his entire family.
"I haven't slept in forty-eight hours," he tells me. I cannot even begin to imagine that. I have personally never made it twenty-four without passing out.
After a moment, leads me into the recording studio, a small room packed with some extremely impressive hardware. On the keyboard to the right is a slim man, slightly shorter than myself. He identifies himself as "Novel."
Later in the evening I would ask Novel about his work with Leon Thomas.
"This dude right here is one of the most talented kids I've ever worked with, seriously," He says with notable enthusiasm. "And I've worked with Leona, Alisha, Joss Stone, tons of artists."
Novel tells me that Leon's talent's translate extremely well from singing live to singing from the booth. He tells me such a trait is rare among recording artists.
"His voice is so clean, and his runs are rich." Novel says with animated enthusiasm. The lingo is a bit lost on me, but I assume it means that Thomas's voice doesn't lose sound quality when he's in the recording booth.
Novel isn't finished, though. "(Leon) is the most humble (artist) I've ever met." He says. Marco nods his affirmative. "This guy is like my little brother now!" he says, invoking laughter from the room.
Back at my interview with Leon, I feel compelled to ask him the question I would like to ask many celebrities: what would he do for a living if he hadn't chosen singing or acting?
He gave me an answer without missing a beat.
"If I didn't do (singing or acting), I would actually love to own a restaurant." He tells me. I half expected to hear something akin to "I could never do anything else," but it seems Leon has given this some thought.
"I'd like to serve new age soul food. Kind of like a modern age Juke Joint." he says. He stares into space as he speaks, apparently envisioning a parallel universe, one with Leon Thomas III, successful restaurateur.
"(I would) have like a bunch of artists come through and perform, you know, local bands do their thing," he says. "Just good music, good times. It would be a really fun atmosphere."
On the topic of film, I ask Leon if he would like to transition into a full-time film star in the future. He pauses for a moment to gather his thoughts.
“Film…it’s a totally different experience (to television).” He says. “On a TV show, it’s like going to a high school. In film, it’s like summer camp.”
Leon describes for me the experience of film, saying that it’s tough in the sense that while working on a film, he grows to like the cast and crew.
“And then, you wrap.” He says. “You really get to know people, and then, it’s over.”
Despite this, he tells me he’s eager to experiment more with Film.
The next part of our chat is particularly interesting. At this point, I’ve learned quite a bit about Leon Thomas the actor, and I’ve gotten to know Leon Thomas the person, yet I know little about Leon Thomas the artist.
In media, his career as a singer tends to take a back seat to his career as a actor, which his yet to really kick off since he has not released an album yet. One need not look further than here for proof of that: The first 1,000 words of this article talk about his acting.
So what about Leon the artist? Well, he plays five instruments, which dwarfs me at two. Does he prefer singing to acting?
“I enjoy both,” He says. “The fact that I’m able to become a different person on screen…is a trip in itself.” He says.
“But for music, the fact that I’m able to express myself…” He pauses. “It just takes me to a different place.” He tells me that both have their highs and their lows, but he couldn’t bring himself to like one more than the other.
“They’re like twins to me.” He concludes.
I ask Leon which element of a musicians’ life he’s looking forward to the most. His face contracts with thought. After a beat, he speaks.
“It’s a feeling that I’ve yet to capture,” He says, shifting on the sofa.
He spends the next minute detailing for me that there’s no substitute for the actual experience.
“This is something I’ve seen on TV, I’ve seen in movies,” He says. “It’s when you’re n stage, and you’ve got about two, three thousand people out there, and they take the microphone, and they go like this,” He gestures placing the microphone up to my face. He tells me that it’s a feeling one must experience to fully understand.
Leon says that what he’s looking forward to the most as a musician is a chance to tour the world and spread his message to younger kids.
“I want to be able to touch people with my voice, and with my morals,” He says.
So what is the message?
“Everybody can make a difference. It’s just who you surround yourself with, and the drive that you’re willing to put into it.” He says he believes in hard work and believing in one’s own dreams, and he wants to help people to understand that.
We’ve all heard those lines before, and we all tend to take them with a grain of salt. I’ll leave you with a final quote to mull over, though. It comes from studio guitarist Tony Reyes, with whom Leon was working with in Atlanta.
Reyes has worked with some of the biggest names in modern music, including Christina Aguilera and Shakira. It’s safe to say that he’s a veteran of the industry.
It’s a simple quote, but if there’s one thing one learns in journalism, it’s that the simplest statements often carry the most weight, especially when they come from the right person.
“(Leon) gives me hope for the future of music.”
Adam Alexander © 2011
It's nine o' clock on the night of Monday April 18th. I'm sitting on an old couch in a small lounge at a respectable recording studio in downtown Atlanta. There's a coffee table and a large flatscreen in the room, as well as a couple of vending machines.
It's the last place I thought I'd be tonight, and the last thing I thought I'd be doing is interviewing a rising television and music star. It's interesting how small, seemingly insignificant events can lead to much larger ones.
Sitting on the other end of the couch is a young man with one leg propped on the glass coffee table in front of us and one arm tossed casually over the back of the couch. He's wearing a green plaid shirt, black jeans, and heavy black boots. Hanging from his neck is a long silver chain with a crucifix attached at stomach-level.
His name is Leon Thomas III. He's seventeen years old and already more successful than most. He's in Atlanta for a recording session and to volunteer his time at local community festivals.
He's known across the U.S. for his acting, particularly his role as Andre Harris on the popular Nickelodeon show "Victorious." He's also appeared in two films, Rising Stars and August Rush.
His eyes are heavy with exhaustion. Why shouldn't they be? This is probably his first chance to sit and gather his thoughts in several weeks.
He spent the past Saturday signing autographs and performing for high school students from dawn to dusk at the Kennesaw Big Shanty Festival, and Sunday in the recording studio.
After we're done talking, he'll be up until the crack of dawn working in the studio. At eleven am he has a photo-shoot. After that, more studio time, then he flies back to L.A. for another shoot and more studio time, before flying to Tennessee for even more studio time.
"These last couple months have had very, very, very little down time." He tells me. He says that moments to relax are rare, so he makes them count.
"When I get my down time, I just take it. I take a nap, I relax, I chill with friends and family." he says with a look of reminiscence, like he wishes that those moments came more often.
Who could blame him? The average citizen spends half his week working and the other with friends and family, but here is a kid, a kid, no less, who spends most of his time on TV sets and in recording booths. He seems to spend most of what little time remains on airplanes and in cars traveling from one show or benefit to another.
Fame certainly has its price, it seems, and not just for the star.
Flash back one hour. I'm stepping out of my Mustang at the dark rear entrance to the recording studio. Standing outside is Marco Tudor, manager for Leon Thomas and the man who granted me the upcoming interview with him.
"You made it," he says to me as I step out. He exhales a long stream of smoke and expresses what a hectic week it has been for Leon and his entire family.
"I haven't slept in forty-eight hours," he tells me. I cannot even begin to imagine that. I have personally never made it twenty-four without passing out.
After a moment, leads me into the recording studio, a small room packed with some extremely impressive hardware. On the keyboard to the right is a slim man, slightly shorter than myself. He identifies himself as "Novel."
Later in the evening I would ask Novel about his work with Leon Thomas.
"This dude right here is one of the most talented kids I've ever worked with, seriously," He says with notable enthusiasm. "And I've worked with Leona, Alisha, Joss Stone, tons of artists."
Novel tells me that Leon's talent's translate extremely well from singing live to singing from the booth. He tells me such a trait is rare among recording artists.
"His voice is so clean, and his runs are rich." Novel says with animated enthusiasm. The lingo is a bit lost on me, but I assume it means that Thomas's voice doesn't lose sound quality when he's in the recording booth.
Novel isn't finished, though. "(Leon) is the most humble (artist) I've ever met." He says. Marco nods his affirmative. "This guy is like my little brother now!" he says, invoking laughter from the room.
Back at my interview with Leon, I feel compelled to ask him the question I would like to ask many celebrities: what would he do for a living if he hadn't chosen singing or acting?
He gave me an answer without missing a beat.
"If I didn't do (singing or acting), I would actually love to own a restaurant." He tells me. I half expected to hear something akin to "I could never do anything else," but it seems Leon has given this some thought.
"I'd like to serve new age soul food. Kind of like a modern age Juke Joint." he says. He stares into space as he speaks, apparently envisioning a parallel universe, one with Leon Thomas III, successful restaurateur.
"(I would) have like a bunch of artists come through and perform, you know, local bands do their thing," he says. "Just good music, good times. It would be a really fun atmosphere."
On the topic of film, I ask Leon if he would like to transition into a full-time film star in the future. He pauses for a moment to gather his thoughts.
“Film…it’s a totally different experience (to television).” He says. “On a TV show, it’s like going to a high school. In film, it’s like summer camp.”
Leon describes for me the experience of film, saying that it’s tough in the sense that while working on a film, he grows to like the cast and crew.
“And then, you wrap.” He says. “You really get to know people, and then, it’s over.”
Despite this, he tells me he’s eager to experiment more with Film.
The next part of our chat is particularly interesting. At this point, I’ve learned quite a bit about Leon Thomas the actor, and I’ve gotten to know Leon Thomas the person, yet I know little about Leon Thomas the artist.
In media, his career as a singer tends to take a back seat to his career as a actor, which his yet to really kick off since he has not released an album yet. One need not look further than here for proof of that: The first 1,000 words of this article talk about his acting.
So what about Leon the artist? Well, he plays five instruments, which dwarfs me at two. Does he prefer singing to acting?
“I enjoy both,” He says. “The fact that I’m able to become a different person on screen…is a trip in itself.” He says.
“But for music, the fact that I’m able to express myself…” He pauses. “It just takes me to a different place.” He tells me that both have their highs and their lows, but he couldn’t bring himself to like one more than the other.
“They’re like twins to me.” He concludes.
I ask Leon which element of a musicians’ life he’s looking forward to the most. His face contracts with thought. After a beat, he speaks.
“It’s a feeling that I’ve yet to capture,” He says, shifting on the sofa.
He spends the next minute detailing for me that there’s no substitute for the actual experience.
“This is something I’ve seen on TV, I’ve seen in movies,” He says. “It’s when you’re n stage, and you’ve got about two, three thousand people out there, and they take the microphone, and they go like this,” He gestures placing the microphone up to my face. He tells me that it’s a feeling one must experience to fully understand.
Leon says that what he’s looking forward to the most as a musician is a chance to tour the world and spread his message to younger kids.
“I want to be able to touch people with my voice, and with my morals,” He says.
So what is the message?
“Everybody can make a difference. It’s just who you surround yourself with, and the drive that you’re willing to put into it.” He says he believes in hard work and believing in one’s own dreams, and he wants to help people to understand that.
We’ve all heard those lines before, and we all tend to take them with a grain of salt. I’ll leave you with a final quote to mull over, though. It comes from studio guitarist Tony Reyes, with whom Leon was working with in Atlanta.
Reyes has worked with some of the biggest names in modern music, including Christina Aguilera and Shakira. It’s safe to say that he’s a veteran of the industry.
It’s a simple quote, but if there’s one thing one learns in journalism, it’s that the simplest statements often carry the most weight, especially when they come from the right person.
“(Leon) gives me hope for the future of music.”
Adam Alexander © 2011
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