Controversial former Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez reportedly attempting to launch DJ career
Iván Duque Márquez, the former President of Colombia, has reportedly surprised many by attempting to launch a DJ career.
The right-wing politician served as President of the South American nation from 2018 to 2022 and since leaving office, he has ventured into a surprising new arena: mixing music behind the DJ decks.
As evidenced by clips shared on social media over the last year – see below – he has been sporting t-shirts reading “DJ DUQ”, with La Republica reporting that he span records at an event in Cartagena celebrating “young businessmen” in February last year, where he can be seen raising his hands to the crowd.
As far back as July 2023, Duque was sending Instagram posts showing himself at a DJ console wearing a Rolling Stones t-shirt. At the end of last month, he appeared at a youth innovation event in Bogotá, where he played reggaeton records for the audience.
@glamprensa_ El expresidente Colombiano Iván Duque se ha hecho viral por su puesta en escena como Dj mientras participaba como conferencista en un congreso de líderes y empresarios jóvenes en Cartagena. Los asistentes al Congreso del Global Leadership Community fueron algunos jóvenes presidentes y representantes de empresas mundiales. Al parecer, luego de la intervención de Duque como expositor, le pidieron que cerrera el evento con su faceta como DJ.
After being president of Colombia, Ivan Duque now dedicates himself to the music industry as DJ. pic.twitter.com/fKiCVunhAI
— Crazy Ass Moments in LatAm Politics (@AssLatam) June 3, 2025
Duque’s presidency is remembered for significant social unrest, with protests repeatedly breaking out during his four-year term. Protesters were unhappy about inequality in the country, youth unemployment, police violence and cuts to public services.
His government’s heavy-handed use of security forces drew criticism from human rights organisations such as Amnesty for its excessive force. Open Democracy estimate that 945 activists were murdered during his regime in total.
Towards the end of his presidency, the 2021 protests against his tax and healthcare reforms led to his approval ratings taking a severe drop and at the 2022 general election, the left-wing candidate Gustavo Petro was victorious, making a sharp shift in direction for the country.
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Max Pilley
NME
