Tuesday September 5, Austin TX – Today Jon Muq, a singular singer-songwriter born in Uganda and living in Austin, Texas, announced his poignant debut single, “Runaway,” produced by Dan Auerbach and released on Easy Eye Sound. Blending sounds across the African diaspora, drawing eclectically from folk, soul, rock and afropop, Muq’s haunting vocals are front and center, a sound truly their own and instantly provoke reflection and resilience.
The single is accompanied by a music video, featuring Jon Muq alone, playing his guitar in his room – a fitting introduction to his remarkable story, a tale that is interwoven with the instrument which for Muq became a portal to another world.
Listen to “Runaway” HERE
Watch the music video on YouTube HERE
On “Runaway,” Jon Muq said: “Running away from anything good or bad is never a weakness but rather courageous.”
Troubadour is an overused phrase in this business, but it feels apt as Muq has lived many musical lives and mostly in transit: a journey that took him from Uganda, where he experienced food scarcity and political instability, to eventually the United States where he has quickly developed into a fast rising opening act. He has already opened for artists including Billy Joel, Norah Jones, and Mavis Staples and soon will tour the U.S. as special guest for Corinne Bailey Rae and then with Amythyst Kiah.
His first musical performances were also on the move. Muq would spend hours singing and walking around the village of Mutungo at night, singing songs, mostly in English. “Since Uganda has 45 tribes, it has more than 45 languages.” Muq said, “People sing in their own languages. My language is Luganda, but I have always sung in English.”
During one of his roaming concerts, he made a discovery that changed his life.
“One evening I was walking and singing, and I heard someone playing an instrument.” Said Muq, adding “This was my first time to see a guitar in my life. I asked if I could come back tomorrow and whenever else they were playing.”
He acquired a guitar and taught himself quickly, soon taking a regular gig at a local hotel to an opportunity for musical adventure when a video of him serenading homeless children on the streets of Kampala led to a stint as an entertainer on Norwegian Cruise Line.
“They saw the video and asked me if I wanted to sing on a boat.” Said Muq, “This was like a city on the water. I couldn’t believe it would float. My friends thought the pictures I showed them had been Photoshopped.”
That experience not only refined his repertoire but helped him secure a passport and visa to America.
Although Muq dreamed of music success he will be the first to admit there was no grand plan to his career, no strategy or roadmap – just the desire to take things as far as they could go.
“I never expected it to work this way. I never said, I’m going to get a job at a hotel. I’m going to get a job on a cruise line. I’m going to work with Dan Auerbach. Everything happened because I was following sound. I was chasing it. I was just singing.”
Muq currently calls Austin home, but he’s on the road more than he’s in Texas, touring frequently and bringing his sunny songs to audiences of all kinds. “When I arrived in America, I was coming from a different part of the world, and I was very lost. I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t know what was coming tomorrow. I was just following my instinct. I always thought, if I can communicate with people through music, it will make me feel like I am not alone.”
TOUR DATES
Sep 5 – Stony Brook, NY – Stellar Center For The Arts (w/ Corinne Bailey Rae)
Sep 6 – Washington D.C. – Lincoln Theatre (w/ Corinne Bailey Rae)
Sep 8 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts (w/ Corinne Bailey Rae)
Sep 12 – Cincinnati, OH – Memorial Hall (w/ Corinne Bailey Rae)
Sep 14 – Chicago, IL – Rockefeller Memorial Chapel (w/ Corinne Bailey Rae)
Sep 17 – Nashville, TN – CMA Theater (w/ Corinne Bailey Rae)
Sep 19 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall (w/ Corinne Bailey Rae)
Sep 20 – Durham, NC – Carolina Theater (w/ Corinne Bailey Rae)
Sep 21 – Nashville, TN – Bobby Hotel rooftop, 3pm
Sep 22 – Sugar Hill, GA – The Eagle @ Sugar Hill (w/ Corinne Bailey Rae)
Sep 24 – Birmingham, AL – Alys Stephens Center (w/ Corinne Bailey Rae)
Sep 26 – New Orleans, LA – Orpheum Theatre (w/ Corinne Bailey Rae)
Sep 27 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head On Stage (w/ Amythyst Kiah)
Sep 28 – Sellersville, PA – Sellersville Theater (w/ Amythyst Kiah)
Sep 29 – Sag Harbor, NY – Sag Harbor American Music Festival 2023
Oct 1 – Amherst, MA – The Drake (w/ Amythyst Kiah)
Oct 3 – Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom (w/ Amythyst Kiah)
Oct 4 – Portsmouth, NH – Music Hall Lounge (w/ Amythyst Kiah)
Oct 5 – Fall River, MA – The Narrow Center for the Arts (w/ Amythyst Kiah)
Mar 1, 2024 – Miami, FL – Cayamo Cruise 2024
