Listen, a song can't fix everything. People might not be sold on "Don't Worry, Be Happy" or whatever three little birds are telling them. But reggae was largely protest music; disco was a refusal to step out of the spotlight; and even the blues gave folks the freedom to express how un-free they were. How it makes you feel is important, and the importance often flies under the radar.
Admittedly, this may all be over-intellectualizing Austin artist Jon Muq's approach, but that's part of the beauty of it. By reiterating in interviews that his music is supposed to make people happy, the singer-songwriter from Uganda is employing a simplified marketing strategy that isn't so common nowadays — and it's working.
Muq has been featured in writing at NPR, Paste Magazine, Spin, and tons of other blogs and regional publications. He'll also be making his Austin City Limits Music Festival debut in 2024. "I’ve always admired the ACL ever since I moved to Austin 6.5 years ago," he wrote on Instagram. "It’s about time."
On May 31, he released his anticipated debut album, Flying Away, produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. With all this lead-up, listeners might expect a dramatic bursting onto the scene, but the gentle and pleasant tunes slide in smoothly and continue throughout.
This sunny, retro look suits Muq's happy and tasteful songwriting.Album cover courtesy of Jon Muq
Most write-ups across Muq's career mention Afropop; The style is certainly present, especially in the buoyant "Shake, Shake," a mid-tempo dance track built on staccato guitar textures and, appropriately, at least one shaker. But this is global pop, sung in English (one of the singer's seven languages) and likely unplaceable to most casual listeners in his new hometown.
"Uganda has 50 tribes and English is an official [language], but it's not that [big] a priority," said Muq in an interview with CultureMap in April. "So meaning, people will understand the music differently. Maybe 'Shake, Shake,' people dance. And my English vocabulary is not that big. So that's why all my songs are direct and simple so that someone elsewhere can understand easily."
Semi-incognito African influences woven through include ukulele and percussion instruments from Uganda on most of the tracks.
"I always appreciated that African sound, most especially from Uganda," "And since I sang English, the whole idea was to mix up two things at the same time to come up with a vibe. That's where the Afropop comes in."
Muq's amazing journey from Uganda to ACL hinges on two accidentally pivotal videos. The first was his original discovery: He used to busk on the streets of Kampala, Uganda's capital city and his hometown, collecting funds for homeless children. Someone posted a video of him singing, and Norwegian Cruise Line found their next entertainment hire.
Cruise contracts can be huge for artists, who aren't paying for rent or food while onboard, and Muq was ready to sign another. But by the time they landed in the Bahamas, Muq decided he wouldn't actually be flying home. He looked up events in the United States, and was struck by one at Casa Marianella, an Austin nonprofit that shelters displaced immigrants.
"I didn't know anything about Austin, except that there is city that's called Austin," says Muq. "I called the number, saying 'Can I come sing for free on your fundraiser?'"
Once at Casa Marianella, Muq met his roommates, a couple who he says "took him in." In the morning, he asked why he was seeing so many people walking around with guitars, and learned about South by Southwest. Whenever the couple left the house, Muq would practice the guitar, eventually learning The Beatles' "Blackbird" and recording the second video that changed his professional trajectory. This time, after three years, the discoverer was Auerbach.
"I just believe every system that's there is there for a reason. And if you feel like you have a song that you've created or something good you have created just post it," says Muq. "Not for the sake that someone will discover it, but some people watch; That's why those social media things exist. And you never know who are watching."
This assuredness is all over Flying Away, full of yearning, yet laid-back tracks like the vaguely funky "Runaway," the soulful and upbeat "Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying," and the ever-so-slightly gospel tinged "Love, Love, Love," where Auerbach's piano playing really locks in and takes a spotlight. Whatever diversity exists between tracks, this is tea-sipping music. Rainy days and sunsets are a bonus.
When asked if he makes happy music because he is happy, or because he wishes to be happy, Muq posits:
"Yeah, me as a person, I feel happy because [of] growing up differently, where I always ate one meal a day. [Now in] a place that has too much food and all the choices you can make? I'll never be sad. I don't have a reason to ever be sad at all. Even if we live in the world of demand and expectation, and wanting more and more, how can you still be happy? I think it's possible to be happy without expectations of more and more stuff. So through music, I make sure all the songs I write about are about joy and happiness."
Austinites looking for some of that joy and happiness can find it on Flying Away, now streaming and for sale on various platforms. Signed vinyls ($25) and CDs ($11) are also available via easyeyesound.com. See Jon Muq at the O4 Center on June 7 before he embarks on an international tour and festival circuit. Next time he'll be back is for Austin City Limits on Saturday, October 5.
