Leon Markcus

Chua Jun Rong, Leon, better known as Leon Markcus, is a Singaporean singer-songwriter with a passion for emotions. He was born in Singapore and has spent most of his life there.

His first album Mannequin (2016) entered the Singapore iTunes Album Chart at number 1. The following year he rose to fame for several singles such as Circles and Alive feat. Jeff Hue and was endorsed by the National Arts Council Singapore for the different topics he writes in his songs about mental health, as a teenager Markcus suffered from depression, an eating disorder, and tendencies to self-harm.

Outside of music, Markcus has spoken publicly about his support for queer rights in Asia. In particular through his music videos, as well as supporting him by acting and speaking at one of the biggest LGBT events in Hong Kong Pink Dot in 2017.

Markcus is openly bi. In 2018 he declared for the Millennials of Singapore’s Facebook page: 

I identify as a non-binary bisexual person, which basically means that I am someone who likes women and men but expresses my gender identity fluidly. I don’t conform to a specific masculine or feminine attribute. (…) Music became a way for me to speak about my thoughts and opinions openly without getting judged for it. I started to realize that teenagers like me were able to relate with my music. I also realized that through music, I was also able to reach out to youths at risk and give them the support I never had when I was much younger.