If the biggest dream for a busker is to play music on streets throughout the world, then it’s safe to say that Dutch-born, London-based musician Markus K has lived that dream - several times over. As 2024 gets underway, he continues to travel, sing, and bring his songs to as many people as possible

What you need to know about Markus K

A seasoned musician and live performer, Markus K hails from Holland but has spent the last 30 years based in Liverpool, England.

However, ‘based’ isn’t really the right word to use for Markus K, considering that he has become something of a world traveller in recent years. The artist, who is a blues-rock virtuoso, decided that he had reached a point in his life where he just wanted to travel and play music.

Armed with an acoustic guitar, an electronic guitar, a gravelly blues voice, some percussion, and some electronica - including his much-loved Looper - Markus K has travelled all over the world busking and performing in front of perfect strangers.

His setlists are often a nice mix of original songs he’s written himself and what he called “drastic reworks of classics.”

Markus K is one of those artists who sees busking as a high art form. He plays music so as to encourage “inner peace and conscious living”; for these reasons, new fans seem to fall in love with him pretty much everywhere he goes…

Markus K is blues and soul music down to its bare bones. He even looks the part - with his beard, long grey hair, shades, and Panama hat.

Having performed his whole life, Markus K is one of those true, natural artists who thrives in front of an audience. He was busking long before viral videos and online fame were a thing (although he now has a big online presence and his videos do get tens of thousands of views). And, with the kind of fervent fanbase that he has, it’s likely that he’ll still be busking long after other, younger street performers have given up.

He has recorded several albums of his live music over the years, all of which have received praise. Speaking about his music style, he said: “I tend to record everything I do, busking sessions, online broadcasts, jams with friends.”

Where you can hear Markus K perform live

He prides himself on being an international busker. With that in mind, he has performed everywhere from Kenya to India, and from Spain to Luxembourg.

Pinning down the location where you might find him is a difficult thing to do, but you’ll likely know his unmistakable brand of blues-soul when you hear it on a city street near you.

What else you should know about Markus K

Markus has built up a community of fans over the years, many of whom continue to follow him on sites like Bandcamp, where they’ve been able to contact and converse with him directly.