Red Leather sets his passionate, angst-ridden narratives against a distinctive blend of alternative country-rock, pop-rap, and anthemic pop. The gruff-voiced musician made his recording debut in 2022 with the tragic noir tale “THE ONLY TIME IT RAINS IN HOLLYWOOD.” The song collected millions of streams, as did the choir-injected follow-up, “SINS,” with its lyrics about self-medicating. Both songs were included on his debut album, 2023’s RENO. Singles such as “Poison” and “Bonnie and Clyde” followed over the couple years.

An enigmatic singer, songwriter, guitarist who hides his face in photographs and hasn’t revealed his identity, Red Leather did make it known that he hails from Reno, Nevada. The musician relocated to Los Angeles in 2021, and his May 2022 debut single, “THE ONLY TIME IT RAINS IN HOLLYWOOD,” was a tragic, slide guitar-punctuated tale about houselessness and failed dreams. As it gradually accumulated millions of streams, that August’s more pop-rap-oriented “SINS” featured lyrics about substance abuse that were accompanied by a slinky groove and backing choir. He continued to traverse gritty country, anthemic rock, and touches of alt-pop and rap on further singles, all of which were included collected on Red Leather’s full-length debut, RENO, in November 2023. It was released by Red Leather in partnership with EMPIRE.

He was back with new material as soon as February 2024, when he released the song “SOS.” Songs with similarly ill-fated titles followed (“Poison,” “Ms. Whisky,” “Bonnie and Clyde”), some of which were included on an expanded edition of his debut, dubbed RENO (ALL IN), that appeared in July 2025. It also included a new version of “SINS” with singer/rappers Sueco and WesGhost.