MUKI, the moniker of Mukul Jiwnani, is a Dubai-born Indian, Melbourne-based musician whose work is rooted in translating real life into honest, emotionally driven songs.
A songwriter shaped by personal experience, his music openly explores themes of mental health, vulnerability, and self-reflection.
A full-time musician since graduating, MUKI has been performing consistently since 2016, dedicating himself entirely to his craft.
His debut single 'Gasoline' marks the first release from his debut project, 'Trampoline EP'. "'Gasoline' is my debut single as MUKI, and it's deeply personal.
"With 'Gasoline', I wanted to capture the tension of a relationship that wouldn't survive despite every effort. It's a breakup song, but one about acceptance and moving on."
I sound like... John Mayer, Hozier and James Bay, but am also heavily influenced by rock and metal, having grown up listening to them.
My first gig... As MUKI was at Bodriggy in Abbotsford (22 January, 2026) in Melbourne doing a full original set, but my first cover gig was in a bistro-bar in Delhi, India, in 2013.
When did you settle on your artist name, and was it a unanimous decision... It took me a fair bit of time to figure out if I wanted to have a stage name or an alias having dealt with identity issues at an early age, but I didn't want to separate myself from the art and wanted to put my name to it.
At the end of the day it's a very different name and I got pretty tired of telling people how to pronounce 'Mukul Jiwnani', so I went with a nickname people already called me and I could already associate myself with it too; hence 'Muki'.
In the studio I usually... Bring a fully constructed demo from home, strip it all the way down to guitar, start from the ground up and see where the day can take us.
It's important for me to work with someone with an open mind because once I'm tapped into the creative, the songs sometimes will turn into something completely different than imagined and that's what I absolutely love about music, the freedom of it all.
If I could tour with anyone... It'd be John Mayer. He is one of the reasons I play guitar like I do today.
Social media is... Very challenging, and often takes a mental toll so I love to distance myself and not get too engrossed, but I also love the memes and posting absolutely random stories of my day so I can't be too far away. I love to share!
My favourite app at the moment is... Definitely NOT Hinge (definitely). It's probably Car Sales and Real Estate dot.com – I love cars and knowing how much they sell for so I can keep track of my favourite car for when I can afford to buy it! Real Estate because it's so fun looking at listings and visualising what I want for my next domicile.
To date, my most embarrassing moment was the time... I have probably suppressed that DEEP in my memories, but the best I can come up with right now is this one time when I was playing guitar for a mate's recital in uni.
I thought I'd give myself a little stage presence, so I start head-banging and moving a little bit out of pure joy and enthusiasm and accidentally knocked my mate's guitar amp over, almost falling down myself.
Not knowing what to do, I just froze onstage and I wanted to disappear forever. . . he was also getting marked on this; I hope this didn't ruin his score.
Life on the road can be... SO FUN! I love to travel, I did a tour (one could say) of cover gigs earlier this year where I drove to Brisbane and made myself a little work/fun road trip doing shows along the way in Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane.
I absolutely cherished each moment of the travel, the things I got to see and the fact that I could play to a completely different demographic when I get there and see how they react to my music. I want to be back on the road as soon as I can.
If you'll have me on your bill, all I ask is that my rider contains... In-ear monitors and pizza. And Up&Go.
The most scary scenario I've found myself in, was... The one time I was detained in SFO Airport and questioned for three hours in a windowless, metal-walled room because they thought I was gonna play a wedding there. I now have a permanent fear of airports (but I won't let that stop me from travelling).
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be your spokesperson... Ryan Reynolds. I think he'd be the most fun person to have around, and he'd probably do a great job.
If you had to live in a city abroad, where would you choose and why? In all honesty, I can't imagine living anywhere outside of Melbourne.
I am absolutely in love with this place and everything it is. I have considered living in London just for the exposure, so if I had to choose it'd be London.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party... Ed Sheeran, Eminem and Dave Grohl. That'd be a fun dinner party.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? My famous, in the tri-household area, the best baked chicken pasta with probably a random potato experiment on the side.
When it comes to pets are you a lover or hater of our furry friends? I absolutely LOVE all kinds of furry friends. Ever since I was a kid I've also asked my mum if we could adopt a monkey and I've always wanted a lion cub. Don't ask. . .
No matter the expense, send me a case of... Literally anything you find at the guitar store.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was... In November, before I got a back spasm mid-gig and had to be taken to the ER; a more funny story than it sounds, there's even pictures of me in a wheelchair trying to use the vending machine at The Alfred. I promise I'm okay now.
What's the one chore you dislike the most... Folding up the laundry. It's literally my biggest enemy along with having any closet space in which clothes live on the bed until they move to the chair when I have to sleep.
Do you have any phobias... I once drowned in the water at a beach in Dubai when I was very young; I tried to scream but nobody heard it (probably because I was underwater) and I obviously didn't know how to swim, I never learnt to swim after that.
It's funny because I absolutely LOVE being near the water and going to the beach, I just can't swim or take any risks in the waves.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? I would absolutely go on a cooking show to get yelled at by Gordon Ramsey just to experience it. Or I'd go on a hidden camera comedy like 'Impractical Jokers'; that'd be awesome.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down? It'd be my best mate Liliana. I'd hide her phone until she had a complete mental breakdown. So give or take four minutes, but I'm all in for doing something more elaborate with months of planning.
Best local takeaway joint for a midnight feed that will leave you with a food coma? Unfortunately my guilty food after a gig ends at 2am has always been Maccas for me, it's just so easy. But there's a kebab place in Fitzroy called Lambs on Brunswick and the cheese and chips just hit so hard after 2am.
Which fictional character best describes your personality? This is tough. I'd say it's Shaggy from 'Scooby Doo' partially because I was called Shaggy in school for years, because of the way I looked and behaved (and my beard).
I can definitely relate and see where that guy is coming from. Also I'd love to have a dog I could talk to.
Last show you binge-watched? 'The Mandalorian' (I LOVE STAR WARS). There's something about the Star Wars universe that fills me with peace and and joy; it could be that I've grown up with it, but now that the quality of VFX is so good, it's so easy to keep watching and forget about life for awhile.
