Koang Deng Kun Kong is a South Sudanese born-Canada based[1] musician, songwriter, dancer and artist professionally known as K-Denk. He was born in Renk.[2][3][4]
Denk began his music career in 2004 as a choir member in the Kakuma Presbyterian Church choir.[5][6] Denk took part in Tusker Project Fame 2010 representing South Sudan,[7] which was widely regarded as his breakout moment.[8][9] He has sung with other artists in the past.[10] In 2018, Denk went on a tour of South Sudanese refugee camps in Uganda and Kenya as part of an "outreach programme" for people affected by the South Sudanese civil war.[11] Denk's song Brighter Day was played over the radio to celebrate the 2018 ceasefire that brought an end to the civil war.[12]
Denk has 4 sisters and 1 brother. His father died in 1992 as a result of the Second Sudanese Civil War.[27] In 2013, Denk received significant attention when he openly declared his allegiance to the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition, posting a video where he brandished an assault rifle.[28][29] Denk later rescinded his support for the group, instead going back to music and declaring his support for a peaceful resolution to the South Sudanese Civil War.[30] Denk, between 2010 and 2013 attended Admas University Ethiopia, and in 2017 graduated with a diploma in music from Day Star University Nairobi, Kenya.[31][32]