diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
index 705293489e3c319c0b13ec3f5f32a3c1fd1fe5ed..90db2a14e4bb807d6587f8ee166ec6a474d41962 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
@@ -111,7 +111,6 @@ void __perf_evlist__set_leader(struct list_head *list)
 	struct perf_evsel *evsel, *leader;
 
 	leader = list_entry(list->next, struct perf_evsel, node);
-	leader->leader = NULL;
 
 	list_for_each_entry(evsel, list, node) {
 		if (evsel != leader)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
index 1b16dd1edc8eb2c6d632ec313e7380aac6c575c7..7e93418a45d1df5803a9559dc7a5b02d678c3609 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ void perf_evsel__init(struct perf_evsel *evsel,
 {
 	evsel->idx	   = idx;
 	evsel->attr	   = *attr;
+	evsel->leader	   = evsel;
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&evsel->node);
 	hists__init(&evsel->hists);
 	evsel->sample_size = __perf_evsel__sample_size(attr->sample_type);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
index 3d2b8017438c372f69458a2a39301c3bdf70425b..cbf6d97f064638a2836b34c7568b8659916b5132 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
@@ -228,6 +228,6 @@ static inline struct perf_evsel *perf_evsel__next(struct perf_evsel *evsel)
 
 static inline bool perf_evsel__is_group_member(const struct perf_evsel *evsel)
 {
-	return evsel->leader != NULL;
+	return evsel->leader != evsel;
 }
 #endif /* __PERF_EVSEL_H */