Jon Muq

Jon Muq, a singer and songwriter who grew up in Uganda, now calls Austin, Texas home and shapes his sound through instinctive choices that fuse Afropop with folk, rock, and soul. He refined his abilities performing in Kampala hotel venues and aboard a cruise liner before relocating to the United States, where he secured a deal with Easy Eye Sound. His debut release on the label, the Dan Auerbach-produced track “Runaway,” appeared in late 2023.

Born in Mutungo, Uganda, Muq developed an early fascination with the school’s brass ensemble and later became its bugler. During adolescence he discovered the U.S.A. for Africa charity single “We Are the World,” then painstakingly replicated every part while emulating contrasting American vocalists such as Michael Jackson and Kenny Rogers. He soon began composing original English-language material and practiced guitar on a borrowed instrument, using it for performances at neighborhood hotel bars. A recording of one such performance secured his first overseas engagement, singing on a Norwegian cruise ship; that job supplied the visa enabling his move to the United States.

By then Muq had assembled an extensive repertoire of Western covers alongside self-penned pieces that merged music of the African diaspora with the folk, pop, rock, and soul he had performed for years. After settling in Austin he met Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, who placed him on the Easy Eye roster. The label’s first offering from Muq was the melodic and heartfelt single “Runaway,” issued near the close of 2023.