After winning Lithuania’s national selection EUROVIZIJA.LT, Lion Ceccah will represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna this year.
But behind the bold costumes, theatrical performances and striking stage persona lies a broader creative vision – one that blends experimental pop, elements of drag culture and a conscious exploration of gender identity, while reimagining what contemporary Lithuania looks and sounds like.
Who, then, is Lion Ceccah: a pop singer, performance artist or a creator who resists labels altogether?
From Alen Chicco to Lion Ceccah
Nearly a decade before earning the Eurovision ticket, Lion Ceccah first stepped onto a major stage under a different name. In 2017, he appeared in a televised music project as Alen Chicco.
His given name is Tomas Alenčikas. Pop music, he says, has always been a space for experimentation and self-discovery.
“Many people think a pop artist takes the easiest path and doesn’t spread any message in Lithuania,” he said in a 2019 interview with LRT.lt. “I want to change that. I want my work and my songs to speak, and I want people to believe in them.”
He embraces makeup and visual transformation not as an act, but as an amplified version of his inner self.
“When I stopped doubting myself and understood the potential I carry, I didn’t want to stop,” he said.
Extrovert on stage, introvert within
On stage, Lion Ceccah captivates audiences with elaborate costumes, carefully constructed visuals and artistic installations. Offstage, he describes himself differently.
Media frequently label him “extravagant”, a description he rejects.
“If you saw me on a regular day, I walk around in sweatpants,” he said in a 2023 interview with LRT KLASIKA radio. “That word probably fits my performances more. I’m definitely not an extravagant person – I’m an introvert. On stage, I switch on a different level of myself.”
Beyond singer or performer
Artist, singer, dancer, actor, drag performer – Lion Ceccah resists all of these labels.
“I really don’t like calling myself a singer, dancer, actor or performer,” he said. “The word ‘performer’ doesn’t say anything – what are you performing? It’s a strange Lithuanian word that removes the element of creativity from a person.”
He prefers the concept of performance art, which he says allows freedom without predefined expectations.
“I don’t want to strategise myself. I surrender to fantasy and experimentation. I look for colours within myself. I like to surprise myself,” he said, adding that he eventually stepped away from drag to focus more fully on music.
Reimagining ‘our Lithuania’
Lion Ceccah’s debut album, “Mūsų Lietuva” (“Our Lithuania”), draws inspiration from Lithuanian sung poetry but avoids traditional folk aesthetics in its visual presentation.
Instead of relying on the country’s national colours or nostalgic imagery, he sought to portray a modern, globalising nation.
“We are becoming more Western every day. We bring in new words and integrate them into our language – why should our image remain limited to yellow, green and red?” he said. “Lithuania can be anything. We shouldn’t simplify ourselves.”
The album includes an illustrated booklet portraying diverse Lithuanians he has encountered – people who may not fit conventional expectations.
Beyond masculine and feminine
One of the most frequent questions Lion Ceccah faces concerns his gender identity on stage.
He says his artistic expression deliberately moves between and beyond traditional categories.
“In Lithuania, we still have a very clear image of a male performer and a female performer. I don’t see that we yet have a performer who exists between the two,” he said.
“I am a man. When people ask to see me on stage ‘as a man’, I understand they don’t understand – I am a man,” he added.
At the same time, he said he strives to be neither strictly male nor female in his artistic expression.
“For a long time I ran from that, but now on stage I play with my gender identity. Taking myself too seriously on stage is not interesting to me. I don’t even want to watch performers who are afraid to experiment,” he said.
