Jon Muq’s inner light shines on his debut album’s sunny and soulful new single “Flying Away From Home,” an autobiographical song of passion and hope and an anthem for dreamers everywhere.
Stream: “Flying Away From Home” – Jon Muq
It’s time for you to fly, fly far, far away, into a life you envision in your mind.
Deep down, we’re all dreamers.
Everyone has something they’re aspiring to; something that keeps them up at night, and drives them onward during the day. They all start off as fantasies – faraway visions of another life – and despite our best efforts, many of us give up on our dreams as we get older.
But singer/songwriter Jon Muq never stopped chasing his dreams; he left his home and family in Uganda in pursuit of them, and he ended up halfway around the world, in Texas, as a result of them. Every bold step he took was in the direction of his dreams, and now, his debut album’s songs stand as a resounding testament to those dreams coming true. His latest single is an autobiographical story and an inspiration for everyone who’s ever wondered if there might be something more for them in this life: Muq’s inner light shines on the sunny and soulful “Flying Away From Home,” a heartfelt song of passion and hope and an anthem for dreamers everywhere.
I always dreamed I’d go away
Somewhere maybe I could fly
So I left my home when I was 23 years old
And sailed away into the night
Daddy told me not to go
I regret that we were fighting
Now I think he finally knows
Sometimes you have to search
Before you find it
The light can seem so very far away
But everything you left so far behind it
Is in your heart to stay
To help you find your way
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Flying Away From Home,” the latest single and title track off Jon Muq’s forthcoming debut album, Flying Away (out May 31, 2024 via Easy Eye Sound). Produced by Dan Auerbach, Flying Away finds 31-year-old Muq sharing his life story (thus far) through twelve sweetly smoldering songs full of love and light, tenderness and soul.
Musically speaking, Muq is a melting pot: A genre-defiant mixture of genres and styles, spanning sounds across the African diaspora together with folk, rock, soul, and Afropop. All five of his released tracks to date have been uniquely and undeniably his and his alone. He introduced himself last September with the achingly emotive “Runaway,” whose intimate confession, “I feel like a runaway: I got a home, but I just can’t find it,” spoke to the courage it takes to follow through for yourself.
Muq has been teasing a steady stream of songs over the past seven months, showcasing his breathtaking voice, his storytelling lyricism, his stunning melodies and his rich guitar skills all while relentlessly touring throughout North America (he’s currently booked through mid-October, with plenty of festival stops lined up in addition to shows with The Black Keys and Mavis Staples). “Flying Away From Home” is Muq’s fifth overall single, following “Runaway,” “Shake Shake,” “One You Love,” and “Bend” – and not only is it one of his most honest and earnest songs to date, but it’s also one of his most uplifting, inspiring, and empowering.
I was born to live for more
And I don’t know the reason why
When opportunity came knocking at my door
I looked it right into the eyes
When I wandered down the road
They didn’t know what I was thinking
I just knew I had to go
Sometimes you have to search
Before you find it
The light can seem so very far away
But everything you left so far behind it
Is in your heart to stay
To help you find your way
It’s a special thing when your authentic life story – your real, lived experiences – can inspire others, and that truth is not lost on Muq. “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,” he explains.
He was just following his North Star – music. “Flying Away From Home” is a reminder, both to himself and others, just how far life can take you, if you let it.
“I wrote this song to really tell my story of my life so far, and share the spark that guided me as I left Uganda,” Muq tells Atwood Magazine. “Though there was doubt — both from me and others around me — I knew what I needed to do. I was and still am searching for my passion, which is music and telling stories. I’ve always been driven by my search for music, and this is what I wanted to explore in this song.”
“I wrote this song, and like the rest of the album, things really came alive in the studio with Dan. Working with him has been life-changing and he really helped shape my songs.”
Bright vocals and sweet strums create a cheerful atmosphere, out of which Muq marvels at his journey and offers words of wisdom to all those setting out to follow their own dreams:
Everyday I’m growing stronger
Everyday is something new
I can’t wait until tomorrow
Sometimes you have to search
Before you find it
The light can seem so very far away
But everything you left so far behind it
Is in your heart to stay
I was and still am searching for my passion, which is music and telling stories. I’ve always been driven by my search for music, and this is what I wanted to explore in this song.
Today’s single release arrives together with a special cinematic accompaniment: Directed, illustrated, and animated by Amos David McKay (Two Headed Boy), the “Flying Away From Home” music video brings us face-to-face with Muq as he recreates his adventure from busking in Uganda to gigging in Texas. Spliced alongside McKay’s vivid animations are clips and photographs of Muq’s journey – each one a snapshot of another step along that long path, another musical memory that got him to where he is today. They highlight the fact that Muq has been pursuing music his entire life; that he’s worked tirelessly for these opportunities he’s been granted, putting in more than his fair share of blood, sweat, and tears, and dedicating thousands of hours to his pursuit.
It’s endearing to watch his hard work pay off in real time, and he makes sure we know that if he could do it, then we can to: The end of the video features Muq, guitar in hand, standing in front of the words Follow Your Dreams. It’s like a postcard – one that, instead of sending to a friend or relative, we might hang in our bedrooms, as a reminder to never stop dreaming.
Stream Jon Muq’s new single “Flying Away From Home” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for much more to come as the singer/songwriter prepares to release his debut album: Flying Away is out May 31, 2024 via Easy Eye Sound!
Sometimes you have to search
Before you find it
The light can seem so very far away
But everything you left so far behind it
Is in your heart to stay
To help you find your way
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:: connect with Jon Muq here ::
Stream: “Flying Away From Home” – Jon Muq
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