Leon Markcus
Leon Markcus | |
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| Birth name | Chua Jun Rong, Leon |
| Born | 2 February 1996 Singapore |
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| Years active | 2015–present |
| Labels | Independent |
Chua Jun Rong, Leon (born 2 February 1996), known professionally as Leon Markcus, is a Singaporean singer and songwriter. Markcus has described himself as an "emotionally driven songwriter" and often documents his own personal ordeals in his music.[1] Markcus' debut extended play, Mannequin (2016), entered the Singapore iTunes Album Chart at number 1. In 2017, Markcus came to prominence upon releasing a reworked version of his debut single 'Circles' featuring local musicians, Veronica and Thievves. His follow-up single, "Alive feat. Jeff Hue" (2017) later that year, rallied the support of the National Arts Council Singapore for its themes on self-harm and mental health awareness as well as a departure from his musical stylings from his previous extended play, Mannequin (2016). "I wrote 'Alive' at a time when I was struggling with suicidal thoughts. I wanted it to be a catchy song where people don't realise how meaningful the lyrics are till they listen closely." Markcus opened up about his inspiration behind the genre change. [2]
Apart from music, Markcus has publicly spoken about his support for queer rights in Asia. Most notably, through his music videos as well as lending his support by performing and speaking at Pink dot Hong Kong in 2017.[3]
Personal life
Markcus was born in Singapore and spent most of his life there. As a teen, Markcus suffered from depression, an eating disorder as well as self-harm tendencies. "I was around 14 or 15 when I wrote "Alive", a time when I was engulfed in self-harm and thought I didn't belong on this planet."
He identifies as non-binary & bisexual.[4] Having publicly spoken about his support for queer youths in Asia. "I truly believe that they deserve to have the freedom to appreciate and love their partners in the light instead of hiding in the shadows. It is a cold world here for these youths," he said. "And I thought, I love my home, I also want my friends to be able to feel at ease as well as to appreciate a place that accepts them for who they are without being denied their basic rights to love. Everyone deserves equal opportunities for happiness. No one should ever be made to feel like they don't belong or they are undeserving of the life they are given."[5]
Musical career
Beginnings
Markcus began working as a freelance songwriter during most of his secondary school education. He also dabbled with acting. Occasionally making cameos on OKTO (then Kids Central) on shows such as, Sketch 2. Markcus then started gigging around bars and one-off events all around Singapore. During this time, Markcus often participated in talent shows held around Singapore, his most notable achievements were winning his first school talent show at the age of 11, subsequently, a talent competition held by Ngee Ann Polytechnic (HMS Got Talent) covering Jessie J's Mama Knows Best[6] as well as the 2017 annual CLEO Eligible Bachelor Competition hosted by Cleo Magazine. (The Freshest Face Award by The Face Shop)[7]
2015–2016: Mannequin
Error: no page names specified (help).Markcus began working independently on original material, and claims to have written over 200 songs over the span of two years. He eventually narrowed the album down to five songs and began working with local music producer Edric Hwang who has previously worked with talents such as, Pentatonix and Derrick Hoh. He released his debut single, "Circles", on November 5, 2015.[8] The single gathered little reviews but managed to catch the attention of Singapore's Chinese Newspaper Agency, Lianhe Zaobao, who ran an article on the life of Markcus and his journey as a student-singer/songwriter.[9] Markcus also released a music video for the track, which was self-directed and filmed by his friends.
On April 19, 2016, Markcus announced that his extended play would be titled Mannequin, through his socials, along with a music video of the title track of the same name. The music video reached minimal success. Then, in June later that year, Markcus would release his debut extended play, Mannequin (2016), which found itself at number 1 on the Singapore iTunes Chart. Followed by his music video 'Killer Clown' in August. The Straits Times would give the Extended Play a rating of 3 out of 5 stars.
2017: "Circles" feat. Veronica & Thievves [Reworked] & "Alive"
On 27 April 2017, Markcus released a reworked version of his 2015 single, "Circles", which features local independent musicians Veronica & Thievves from Disco Hue along with an accompanying music video.
Following good reception of the reworked single, Markcus announced that he would be leaving his pop-rock genre roots behind as heard from his previous works and would devote his time to exploring electronic music. On 29 June 2017, Markcus released "Alive feat. Jeff Hue", on all digital music streaming platforms coupled with a music video on the 29th of July 2017. This would spawn a large amount of support from the queer community as well as the arts scene here in Singapore for its positive, empowering and bold message relating to Markcus' own struggle with mental health[10][11]. With that, Markcus embarked on his Dead or Alive Regional Tour, which started in Singapore and ended in Hong Kong.
2018 - 2019: Hot City Feat. Bilal Hassani, SXW Feat. Kotic Couture & Upcoming E.P.
On 3 May 2018, Markcus teased audiences with a 10-second preview of his next single in collaboration with French singer and YouTuber Bilal Hassani (who would be representing France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Roi" after scoring 200 points in the final of Destination Eurovision.) on his Instagram. The single was officially released on the 25th of May 2018 coupled with a music video inspired by Singaporean pop culture.[12] Markcus was mentioned alongside fellow Singaporean Musicians Charlie Lim and Jasmine Sokko as Harper's Bazaar 15 Most Sensational Rising Musicians.[13] Hong Kong's RTHK Teen Time celebrated the release of the single by broadcasting Markcus' previous discography throughout the week as well as a Radio Interview with the young musician. The single has also been nominated for the first ever Youth Music Awards Hosted by Scape for the Category of "Best Song to Party To", with Yung Raja taking home the award for his song "Mustafa".[14][15] In the same year, Markcus was also scheduled to headline both the Hong Kong and Taiwan Pride Festival.
On 22 January 2019, Markcus announced that his upcoming single "SXW ft. Kotic Couture" would be released on 8 February 2019, the cover art of the single was released a week after the announcement via Instagram. During an interview prior to the single release, Markcus mentions that "the single would be more dark and it is basically me giving a middle finger to playboys and online dating"[16] A self-directed music video was dropped a month later following the single's release. It has also managed to be featured on Taiwan's CKB LIVE 成功電台[17] as well as Hong Kong's Ming Zhou Weekly Feature where Markcus discusses his challenges as an openly queer musician.[18] Markcus has also opened for Emily Burns during her promotional Asia tour. Currently, Markcus is working on an E.P due later this year.
Artistry
Markcus' favourite artists include Katy Perry, Jessie J and Lily Allen. During an interview with Asian Pop Radio, Markcus briefly mentioned local acts such as Nat Ho and Joshua Simon citing them as the driving force behind Singapore's bold and booming pop music scene. "Without these musicians doing what they do, I would never be able to do the things I do, cause they really paved the way for mainstream pop music." Markcus has also been compared to Australian Singer-Songwriter Troye Sivan for his bold representation of LGBTQ+ themes in their music.
Markcus' music has been described as "theatrical".[19] as well as "commendable, refreshing and a deeply personal collection of flamboyant, dramatic pop music that sets him apart from his other budding home-grown talents".[20]
Discography
- "Circles" – Single (2015)
- Mannequin Extended Play (2016)
- Mannequin Extended Play – Korea Ed. (2017)
- "Circles" feat. Veronica & Thievves [Reworked Single] (2017)
- "Alive" feat. Jeff Hue (2017)
- "Hot City" feat. Bilal Hassani (2018)
- SXW feat. Kotic Couture (2019)
Tours
- Headlining
- The Dead or Alive Tour (2017)
References
- ↑ "Meet Leon Markcus, the Singapore pop star taking a stand for LGBTI youth". Gay Star News. 2017-10-26. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
- ↑ "Staying 'Alive' with Leon Markcus". Youth.SG. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
- ↑ "Singapore Singer Leon Markcus's Standing Up For LGBTQ Kids". Instinct. 2017-10-26. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
- ↑ "Millennials of Singapore". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
- ↑ "Meet Leon Markcus, the Singapore pop star taking a stand for LGBTI youth". Gay Star News. 2017-10-26. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
- ↑ "You're Gonna Hear Li-Onn Roar | npTribune". nptribune.com. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
- ↑ May 2017, Adora Wong 16 (2017-05-16). "CLEO's Most Eligible Bachelors 2017 Freshest Face Winner Leon Markcus". CLEO Singapore. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
- ↑ Leon Markcus (2015-11-05), Leon Markcus - Circles (Official Video), retrieved 2018-04-30
- ↑ "Student Musician Leon Markcus". Lianhe Zaobao. 16 December 2015.
- ↑ Aug 2017, Hidayah Idris 2 (2017-08-02). "CLEO Bachelor Leon Markcus' New MV Features Another CLEO Bachelor". CLEO Singapore. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
- ↑ "Singapore star Leon Markcus opens up on his eating disorder". South China Morning Post. 2017-11-08. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
- ↑ "Meet Leon Markcus: Singapore's out and proud pop star". OUTInPerth - LGBTIQ News and Culture. 2018-05-25. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
- ↑ September 2018, Allysha Nila 7 (2018-09-07). "15 Of Singapore's Most Sensational Rising Musicians To Check Out ASAP". Harper's Bazaar Singapore. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
- ↑ "Youth Music Awards". *SCAPE Singapore. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
- ↑ Michelle Arteche (January 29, 2019). "Highlights of the SCAPE Invasion Youth Music Awards 2019". Hear65. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
- ↑ "Bisexual pop star releases 'heartbreak anthem to f**kboys'". Gay Star News. 2019-01-31. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
- ↑ "CKB LIVE 成功電台". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
- ↑ "大方唱出情慾 LGBT歌手Leon Markcus：新加坡改變了". 明周文化. 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
- ↑ "Leon Markcus recruits THIEVVES and VERONICA for future bass remix of "Circles"". JUICE Singapore. 2017-05-02. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
- ↑ hermes (2016-07-06). "Music reviews: Local singer-songwriters Nicholas Chim and Leon Markcus get personal in new works". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
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