AUSTIN, TX—October 29, 2025–Austin City Limits (ACL) is thrilled to announce a worldwide livestream featuring Grammy-winning songwriter and chart-topping R&B innovator Leon Thomas in his full-set ACL debut on Sunday, November 2. Thomas takes the ACL stage riding a wave of acclaim, with his smash hit “Mutt” landing in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 this week and just days after dropping the brand-new EP PHOLKS. Billboard raves, “PHOLKS deepens and expands the now-signature blend of funk, soul and classic rock that Thomas honed across MUTT.”
The breakout artist has dominated 2025, earning Best New Artist at the BET Awards, Billboard’s Breakthrough of the Year Award, and his first two MTV Video Music Award nominations. Thomas also launches his headlining Mutts Don’t Heel Tour on October 30th with sold-out dates across the U.S., Europe and Australia.
Fans around the world can experience this highly anticipated ACL taping live in its entirety from the iconic Austin City Limits stage in Austin, Texas. The performance will stream free and live at YouTube.com/AustinCityLimitsTV and YouTube.com/leonthomasmusic, beginning promptly at 9pm ET/8pm CT on Sunday, November 2. The hour-long stream will be available only in real time. The broadcast episode of this performance will air as a full hour on PBS early next year and stream nationwide at pbs.org/austincitylimits and on the PBS App as part of Austin City Limits’ acclaimed Season 51.
Recently dubbed “R&B’s hottest ‘rock star’” by Billboard, Leon Thomas is a Grammy-winning artist, producer, and actor from Brooklyn who seamlessly fuses R&B, soul, and rock with fearless creativity. After signing to Ty Dolla $ign’s EZMNY Records in 2022, he released his debut album Electric Dusk (2023), featuring collaborations with Victoria Monét and Benny the Butcher, and earned a 2024 Grammy for his work on SZA’s smash single “Snooze.”
Thomas’ 2024 breakout sophomore album MUTT, fueled by live instrumentation and dizzying riffs, was named Billboard’s No. 1 R&B Album of the Year. Its Platinum-certified title track topped multiple charts and surpassed more than 315 million streams, while standout singles “Far Fetched” and “Vibes Don’t Lie” solidified his status as a defining voice in modern R&B.
In 2025, Thomas expanded his sonic universe with MUTT Deluxe: HEEL, a genre-bending extension featuring guest spots from Kehlani, Big Sean, and Halle. Exploring themes of singlehood, connection, and self-exposure with tightly crafted compositions and distinct creative clarity, the project led to standout performances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and a viral NPR Tiny Desk set.