diff --git a/packages/appium/lib/logsink.js b/packages/appium/lib/logsink.js
index befc9c44e..e8fee7a23 100644
--- a/packages/appium/lib/logsink.js
+++ b/packages/appium/lib/logsink.js
@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
 import globalLog from '@appium/logger';
 import {createLogger, format, transports} from 'winston';
-import {fs, logger} from '@appium/support';
+import {fs} from '@appium/support';
 import { APPIUM_LOGGER_NAME } from './logger';
 import _ from 'lodash';
 
 // set up distributed logging before everything else
-logger.patchLogger(globalLog);
 global._global_npmlog = globalLog;
 
 // npmlog is used only for emitting, we use winston for output
diff --git a/packages/logger/lib/log.ts b/packages/logger/lib/log.ts
index 4a50a7724..5f951096d 100644
--- a/packages/logger/lib/log.ts
+++ b/packages/logger/lib/log.ts
@@ -6,10 +6,12 @@ import consoleControl from 'console-control-strings';
 import * as util from 'node:util';
 import type {MessageObject, StyleObject, Logger, LogLevel} from './types';
 import type {Writable} from 'node:stream';
+import { unleakString } from './utils';
 
 const DEFAULT_LOG_LEVELS: any[][] = [
   ['silly', -Infinity, {inverse: true}, 'sill'],
   ['verbose', 1000, {fg: 'cyan', bg: 'black'}, 'verb'],
+  ['debug', 1500, {fg: 'cyan', bg: 'black'}, 'dbug'],
   ['info', 2000, {fg: 'green'}],
   ['timing', 2500, {fg: 'green', bg: 'black'}],
   ['http', 3000, {fg: 'green', bg: 'black'}],
@@ -114,6 +116,10 @@ export class Log extends EventEmitter implements Logger {
     this.log('verbose', prefix, message, ...args);
   }
 
+  debug(prefix: string, message: any, ...args: any[]): void {
+    this.log('debug', prefix, message, ...args);
+  }
+
   info(prefix: string, message: any, ...args: any[]): void {
     this.log('info', prefix, message, ...args);
   }
@@ -190,8 +196,8 @@ export class Log extends EventEmitter implements Logger {
       id: this._id++,
       timestamp: Date.now(),
       level,
-      prefix: String(prefix || ''),
-      message: formattedMessage,
+      prefix: unleakString(prefix || ''),
+      message: unleakString(formattedMessage),
     };
 
     this.emit('log', m);
diff --git a/packages/logger/lib/types.ts b/packages/logger/lib/types.ts
index 445d02ade..9596a8c71 100644
--- a/packages/logger/lib/types.ts
+++ b/packages/logger/lib/types.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ export interface Logger extends EventEmitter {
    */
   silly(prefix: string, message: any, ...args: any[]): void;
   verbose(prefix: string, message: any, ...args: any[]): void;
+  debug(prefix: string, message: any, ...args: any[]): void;
   info(prefix: string, message: any, ...args: any[]): void;
   timing(prefix: string, message: any, ...args: any[]): void;
   http(prefix: string, message: any, ...args: any[]): void;
@@ -57,6 +58,7 @@ export interface Logger extends EventEmitter {
 export type LogLevel =
   | 'silly'
   | 'verbose'
+  | 'debug'
   | 'info'
   | 'timing'
   | 'http'
diff --git a/packages/logger/lib/utils.ts b/packages/logger/lib/utils.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8c9dfffe5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/logger/lib/utils.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+/**
+ * This function is necessary to workaround unexpected memory leaks
+ * caused by NodeJS string interning
+ * behavior described in https://bugs.chromium.org/p/v8/issues/detail?id=2869
+ *
+ * @param {any} s - The string to unleak
+ * @return {string} Either the unleaked string or the original object converted to string
+ */
+export function unleakString(s: any): string {
+  return ` ${s}`.substring(1);
+}