diff --git a/cmd/tracegen/main.go b/cmd/tracegen/main.go
index 6c7a07e8158..d9646b7e718 100644
--- a/cmd/tracegen/main.go
+++ b/cmd/tracegen/main.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 
+	"github.com/go-logr/zapr"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/jaeger"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace"
@@ -32,14 +33,21 @@ import (
 	semconv "go.opentelemetry.io/otel/semconv/v1.4.0"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace"
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
+	"go.uber.org/zap/zapcore"
 
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/internal/jaegerclientenv2otel"
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/internal/tracegen"
 )
 
-var logger, _ = zap.NewDevelopment()
-
 func main() {
+	zc := zap.NewDevelopmentConfig()
+	zc.Level = zap.NewAtomicLevelAt(zapcore.Level(-8)) // level used by OTEL's Debug()
+	logger, err := zc.Build()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	otel.SetLogger(zapr.NewLogger(logger))
+
 	fs := flag.CommandLine
 	cfg := new(tracegen.Config)
 	cfg.Flags(fs)
@@ -48,13 +56,13 @@ func main() {
 	otel.SetTextMapPropagator(propagation.TraceContext{})
 	jaegerclientenv2otel.MapJaegerToOtelEnvVars(logger)
 
-	tracers, shutdown := createTracers(cfg)
+	tracers, shutdown := createTracers(cfg, logger)
 	defer shutdown(context.Background())
 
 	tracegen.Run(cfg, tracers, logger)
 }
 
-func createTracers(cfg *tracegen.Config) ([]trace.Tracer, func(context.Context) error) {
+func createTracers(cfg *tracegen.Config, logger *zap.Logger) ([]trace.Tracer, func(context.Context) error) {
 	if cfg.Services < 1 {
 		cfg.Services = 1
 	}
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 5d709977e58..f87e0eb5a3e 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/dgraph-io/badger/v3 v3.2103.5
 	github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify v1.6.0
 	github.com/go-kit/kit v0.12.0
+	github.com/go-logr/zapr v1.2.4
 	github.com/go-openapi/errors v0.20.3
 	github.com/go-openapi/loads v0.21.2
 	github.com/go-openapi/runtime v0.26.0
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index c51734751d7..d9587fd4f78 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -193,6 +193,8 @@ github.com/go-logr/logr v1.2.4 h1:g01GSCwiDw2xSZfjJ2/T9M+S6pFdcNtFYsp+Y43HYDQ=
 github.com/go-logr/logr v1.2.4/go.mod h1:jdQByPbusPIv2/zmleS9BjJVeZ6kBagPoEUsqbVz/1A=
 github.com/go-logr/stdr v1.2.2 h1:hSWxHoqTgW2S2qGc0LTAI563KZ5YKYRhT3MFKZMbjag=
 github.com/go-logr/stdr v1.2.2/go.mod h1:mMo/vtBO5dYbehREoey6XUKy/eSumjCCveDpRre4VKE=
+github.com/go-logr/zapr v1.2.4 h1:QHVo+6stLbfJmYGkQ7uGHUCu5hnAFAj6mDe6Ea0SeOo=
+github.com/go-logr/zapr v1.2.4/go.mod h1:FyHWQIzQORZ0QVE1BtVHv3cKtNLuXsbNLtpuhNapBOA=
 github.com/go-openapi/analysis v0.21.2/go.mod h1:HZwRk4RRisyG8vx2Oe6aqeSQcoxRp47Xkp3+K6q+LdY=
 github.com/go-openapi/analysis v0.21.4 h1:ZDFLvSNxpDaomuCueM0BlSXxpANBlFYiBvr+GXrvIHc=
 github.com/go-openapi/analysis v0.21.4/go.mod h1:4zQ35W4neeZTqh3ol0rv/O8JBbka9QyAgQRPp9y3pfo=
@@ -804,6 +806,7 @@ go.uber.org/atomic v1.11.0/go.mod h1:LUxbIzbOniOlMKjJjyPfpl4v+PKK2cNJn91OQbhoJI0
 go.uber.org/automaxprocs v1.5.2 h1:2LxUOGiR3O6tw8ui5sZa2LAaHnsviZdVOUZw4fvbnME=
 go.uber.org/automaxprocs v1.5.2/go.mod h1:eRbA25aqJrxAbsLO0xy5jVwPt7FQnRgjW+efnwa1WM0=
 go.uber.org/goleak v1.1.10/go.mod h1:8a7PlsEVH3e/a/GLqe5IIrQx6GzcnRmZEufDUTk4A7A=
+go.uber.org/goleak v1.1.11/go.mod h1:cwTWslyiVhfpKIDGSZEM2HlOvcqm+tG4zioyIeLoqMQ=
 go.uber.org/goleak v1.2.1 h1:NBol2c7O1ZokfZ0LEU9K6Whx/KnwvepVetCUhtKja4A=
 go.uber.org/multierr v1.6.0/go.mod h1:cdWPpRnG4AhwMwsgIHip0KRBQjJy5kYEpYjJxpXp9iU=
 go.uber.org/multierr v1.11.0 h1:blXXJkSxSSfBVBlC76pxqeO+LN3aDfLQo+309xJstO0=
@@ -1098,6 +1101,7 @@ golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20210106214847-113979e3529a/go.mod h1:emZCQorbCU4vsT4f
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20210108195828-e2f9c7f1fc8e/go.mod h1:emZCQorbCU4vsT4fOWvOPXz4eW1wZW4PmDk9uLelYpA=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.1.0/go.mod h1:xkSsbof2nBLbhDlRMhhhyNLN/zl3eTqcnHD5viDpcZ0=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.1.2/go.mod h1:o0xws9oXOQQZyjljx8fwUC0k7L1pTE6eaCbjGeHmOkk=
+golang.org/x/tools v0.1.5/go.mod h1:o0xws9oXOQQZyjljx8fwUC0k7L1pTE6eaCbjGeHmOkk=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.1.12/go.mod h1:hNGJHUnrk76NpqgfD5Aqm5Crs+Hm0VOH/i9J2+nxYbc=
 golang.org/x/xerrors v0.0.0-20190717185122-a985d3407aa7/go.mod h1:I/5z698sn9Ka8TeJc9MKroUUfqBBauWjQqLJ2OPfmY0=
 golang.org/x/xerrors v0.0.0-20191011141410-1b5146add898/go.mod h1:I/5z698sn9Ka8TeJc9MKroUUfqBBauWjQqLJ2OPfmY0=