Jon Muq episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 24, 2025 · 1H 11M

Jon Muq

from Performance Anxiety · host Marc Shea

Today’s guest makes me feel blessed because his story illustrates just how fortunate I am. Meet Jon Muq. He’s a singer/songwriter from Austin TX via Uganda. Growing up, music was not a presence in his life. But sound was. He grew up without electricity so music was not a priority. But once he discovered music, it became an obsession; particularly the song We Are The World. Jon learned to play guitar on a borrowed acoustic. His first gig was playing in a hotel for food. The first song he ever wrote was for a friend in need. He began posting his music to social media which landed him a gig on Norwegian Cruise Lines. That gig was a huge culture shock. But once his contract was over, he was stuck in the Bahamas. He made his way to Austin and met people who helped him. But because of his visa, he wasn’t allowed to perform for three years. Jon tells me how Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys found the videos he was posting and reached out to him. After spending time getting to know each other, they went into the studio. It took a grand total of four days to make Jon’s debut, Flying Away. We talk about Jon’s approach to writing, his next album, and his theory on perimeters and burritos. Follow Jon on social media @jonmuq. Check out jonmuq.com for more information. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Grab merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send money through ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now enjoy Jon Muq’s story On Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. It’s pretty amazing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest makes me feel blessed because his story illustrates just how fortunate I am. Meet Jon Muq. He’s a singer/songwriter from Austin TX via Uganda. Growing up, music was not a presence in his life. But sound was. He grew up without electricity so music was not a priority. But once he discovered music, it became an obsession; particularly the song We Are The World. Jon learned to play guitar on a borrowed acoustic. His first gig was playing in a hotel for food. The first song he ever wrote was for a friend in need. He began posting his music to social media which landed him a gig on Norwegian Cruise Lines. That gig was a huge culture shock. But once his contract was over, he was stuck in the Bahamas. He made his way to Austin and met people who helped him. But because of his visa, he wasn’t allowed to perform for three years. Jon tells me how Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys found the videos he was posting and reached out to him. After spending time getting to know each other, they went into the studio. It took a grand total of four days to make Jon’s debut, Flying Away. We talk about Jon’s approach to writing, his next album, and his theory on perimeters and burritos. Follow Jon on social media @jonmuq. Check out jonmuq.com for more information. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Grab merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send money through ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now enjoy Jon Muq’s story On Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. It’s pretty amazing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Jon Muq

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How long is this episode of Performance Anxiety?

This episode is 1 hour and 11 minutes long.

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This episode was published on August 24, 2025.

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Today’s guest makes me feel blessed because his story illustrates just how fortunate I am. Meet Jon Muq. He’s a singer/songwriter from Austin TX via Uganda. Growing up, music was not a presence in his life. But sound was. He grew up without...

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