Leland’s debut single “Aware” has been making waves ever since tastemaking program We Found New Music discovered the track back in July. Soon, the cut began racking up the spins on Soundcloud (over 60,000 to date), drawing notice on Hype Machine and garnering plays on influential Los Angeles radio station KCRW.

Billboard is premiering the video — Leland’s first — for “Aware,” which depicts a perhaps surprising first date in Los Angeles. Check out the video below.



Leland’s (real name: Brett McLaughlin) friends John Aprea and Susan Burnham star in the video, which was partially shot at the Hollywood lounge The Three Clubs. Leland met Aprea through Rufus Wainwright and Cherry Vanilla, while he randomly befriended Burnham after she struck up a conversation with him at a Rite-Aid.

“She ended up being hilarious,” Leland says, “and we talked in the office supplies aisle … for about forty-five minutes.”

Leland is currently working on his debut EP, and is also writing with Troye Sivan for the latter’s first full-length album.