Legendary music photographer and MILKT Films director Danny Clinch collaborates with Austin-based agency Preacher to create a new commercial for Squarespace featuring Grammy-nominated throwback R&B artist Leon Bridges.

The humble birth of cool is quite a thing to behold in the ad, titled “Leon’s Journey.” Clinch captures an inspiring glimpse into Leon’s early years as a hungry, raw voice with timeless talent and contemporary tools, forging a lane with a few soulful notes and a beat-up guitar. Tracing his meteoric rise from washing dishes and open mic nights in Fort Worth, Texas, to recording his debut album Coming Home and touring the world – you can’t help but pull for Leon with his whiskey-smooth notes and bootstrap bravado.

The campaign also includes the short documentary This is Home, set to release in the coming months. The film chronicles Leon as he wraps up his whirlwind year of touring. 

Leon Bridges was a natural under the direction of master Danny Clinch, who has captured iconic images of some of the biggest names in music, from Johnny Cash to Tupac Shakur, from Bjork to Lady Gaga. Clinch, who is the official Grammy backstage portrait photographer, was the subject of a feature segment on CBS’ 60 Minutes on the eve of the Grammys. Clinch spoke with reporter Anderson Cooper about his role in capturing the famous photographs of the event he has shot for the past 13 years.

“You’re, in a sense, part of the history of [the] moment and I never really get tired of that,” Clinch tells Cooper. “And I never take it for granted.”