Jon Muq

Jon Muq grew up surrounded by music, but he didn’t grow up dreaming of being a musician—he just didn't know it was calling him yet.

That changed one afternoon in Kampala, Uganda. While cleaning his cousin’s house, he stumbled across an old CD of "We Are the World." He pressed play, and something inside him shifted forever.

He didn’t touch a guitar until he was 19. The very first time he held one close, he knew instantly: this was going to give him his answers. Not fame. Not a career. Answers.

The Journey Out

One day, his best friend filmed him singing to homeless children on the streets of Kampala. That video traveled farther than either of them ever imagined—landing right in front of a recruiter for Norwegian Cruise Line.

The job that followed earned him a passport, a visa, and eventually a move to the United States. In 2017, he landed in Austin, Texas, and it has been home ever since.

The Sound & The Stage

Austin is where everything accelerated. Dan Auerbach—guitarist for The Black Keys and founder of Easy Eye Sound—heard Muq sing and signed him on the spot. Auerbach produced Muq’s debut album, Flying Away (2024), a seamless blend of his Ugandan roots with Western pop and folk that sounds like no one else.

That is the essence of Jon Muq as an artist. His songs spring from real-life resilience, distance, and the courage of starting over. He’s lived every word, so he never has to fake it.

Jon has since shared stages across the U.S., UK, and Europe with legendary voices including: Billy Joel, Van Morrison, Mavis Staples, Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae, Trevor Hall, and Valerie June. Fitting company for an artist who turns his life into song.