The news profiles Leon Thomas, who will receive ASCAP’s Vanguard Award for shaping the future of music, recognized for boundary-breaking artistry and influence on R&B.

ASCAP describes its role as supporting over 1.1 million members, licensing a catalog exceeding 20 million works, with roughly 90% of royalties returned to creators.

Thomas’s 2024 sophomore album Mutt produced the title track that topped Billboard’s Radio Songs chart and earned double-platinum status, while the album also includes the gold-certified single “Yes It Is.”

From Broadway beginnings to fame on Nickelodeon’s Victorious, Thomas has built a behind-the-scenes career writing and producing for artists such as Ariana Grande, Drake, Chris Brown, and Kehlani.

ASCAP’s mission centers on representing writers and publishers and managing licensing for a vast catalog of musical works.

Thomas issued the EP PHOLKS and is currently touring with Bruno Mars on The Romantic Tour, highlighting continued momentum this year.

The release of PHOLKS and the Bruno Mars tour underscore Thomas’s active engagements in 2026.

ASCAP represents more than 1.1 million songwriters and publishers and licenses a catalog of over 20 million works, returning about 90 cents of every dollar in royalties to members.

Thomas recently released the EP PHOLKS and is touring select markets as part of Bruno Mars’s The Romantic Tour, signaling ongoing activity in 2026.

In March 2024, he earned an iHeartRadio Music Award for Best New R&B Artist, signaling broad industry recognition.