Mid-Week Intermission Artist Edition: Mama Duke
Drop-In season is really heating up, and we don’t just mean the weather! To keep us cool, we checked in with Mama Duke ahead of her headlining performance on the H-E-B Stage this summer. Fresh off a recent album release — You Can Open Your Eyes Now — in this Mid-Week Intermission she tells us what keeps her writing, experimenting, and advocating here in Austin. And if you don’t know her music yet, better get listening!
Long Center: Welcome to Mid-Week Intermission! We usually like to ask folks for a song to go with their interview – anything come to mind?
Mama Duke: Absolutely! By the time everyone is reading/seeing this, my new single “Feels So Good To Be You” will be out. It’s ironically the same song I auditioned with for America’s Got Talent. I’m so damn excited to finally share it with everyone.
LC: We are beyond excited to have you at The Drop-In this year, but before we get to the music, we have to point out that you do so much more. Can you tell us about ATX Social Club and your other projects?
Mama Duke: Sure! I always say that artists (especially musicians) are way more layered than we’re often given credit for. People hear “musician” and imagine one lane, but we wear so many hats. I used to say, “If I wasn’t an artist, I’d create a platform for artists.” A space where we’re not boxed in, where we can just fully exist.
Then it hit me — I can do that now. I don’t have to wait. That’s how ATX Social Club was born.
It started as a live-streamed hip-hop show, but it quickly evolved into something bigger. It’s a rotating hub. It’s a club, really for artists to build, share, and connect. One week we’re doing live interviews, the next it’s a jam session for the community, and then we’re sitting in a private listening session giving real-time feedback on unreleased music and demos. It’s fluid, just like us.
Lately, with my own career picking up speed, it’s naturally taken a back seat. But I”m excited to say that some things are moving behind the scenes that’ll allow me to pour more into it again soon. ATX Social Club is and will always grow as I do.
LC: We especially love your relationship with Austin FC. How did you get so involved and why is it impotant to have community spaces like Austin FC and The Drop-In?
Mama Duke: What I’ve always admired about Austin FC is how deeply they’ve been rooted in real community since day one. When they first started planting their flag in Austin, they showed out for the people who make this city what it is.
They first reached out and asked me to bang the drum and help lead the team onto the field — a moment I’ll never forget. From there, they brought me in for a commercial, then invited me to host a soccer benefit tournament, then again to host a workout camp at Q2 Stadium, and eventually even brought me back for another campaign. This time with Matthew McConaughey. And the rest is history.
What sticks with me is that they could’ve chosen any artist, big or small, at any point. But they chose me — and they keep choosing artists like me, who may not have the biggest platform yet, but have the heart, hustle, and potential to represent this city authentically.
That’s powerful. That’s why spaces like Austin FC and The Drop-In are so important. They’re not just showcasing the artists already shining, they’re helping light the fuse for the ones about to. Big names, big brands, and big opportunities shouldn’t just spotlight what’s already known, they should be bridges to what’s next. And when they do that, everybody wins.
LC: We have to confess that “1987” from your newest album has been on repeat in the LC office this summer. How has it felt getting this project out? What was this album all about for you?
Mama Duke: Omg! That’s the coolest shit ever! *wait, can I cuss*? Lol! Mannnnnnn. I needed that energy this morning. It’s honestly the coolest thing in the world to pivot and drop a pop album at the top of the year and it be embraced. No questions, no concerns, just a “Hell yeah… we like this new sound!” It’s so fun performing these new songs. It’s even cooler to watch my fan base grow. There’s a whole different demographic that these songs have opened me up to and I’m loving it! This album was 100% a breakthrough into the new me. No hang-ups on what I should be doing or what genre I need to be focusing on. Just a break-up (experimental) album that worked out enough to release! lol
LC: You are everywhere right now. Austin Woman Magazine’s “2025 Change Makers,” The Contemporary, awards & collabs galore, and all over The Austin Chronicle.
What did it feel like to be called a “local rap icon,” as they said?
Mama Duke: I have truly waited my whole life for these opportunities and exposure. Imagine how delusional you have to be to see this in your future. But I saw it! There’s a feeling everyone has that they should be doing something and I’ve been fortunate enough to have been tuned into my inner voice for as long as I can remember. Of course I have doubts. I still have a normal job that humbles me. Lol! But I’m lucky enough to have changed my perspective on it all. The goal is obviously to do this full time but there’s lessons in all this. How cool is it to say that I’m headlining one of the nights of The Drop-In? What a wild wild wild wild wild wild wild ride. I want people to know that you can really create your own reality by yourself.
LC: What’s your take on the Austin hip-hop scene, and how do you think it’s changed since you got started?
Mama Duke: You know, if I’m being transparent, all of my friends are experimenting these days. So the “rap scene” that I started out in is slowly looking like something else. Maybe I’m not tapped in enough? That could be a possibility but my experience is that the small spotlight Austin put/puts on the rap scene has caused a lot of artists to explore and pivot. We are by no means leaving the rap scene but I think some of us are such big hustlers that we haven’t slowed down enought to even think this question out fully. We’re too busy out here making it happen!
LC: Do you think there’s a “secret sauce” for Ausitn where music is involved? What keeps you writing and creating here?
Mama Duke: Yes! I think people are so bothered with a ton of people moving here but I choose to look at it through a different lens. How cool is it that people want to come to the place where we’ve already got planted roots? We know the streets, we have the connections, we have the contacts, etc. I think Ausitn feels so alive lately. The security sauce is finding your community. Finding the like-minded folks that move how you move — want what you want, and can move the needle. The secret sauce is making your own magic!
LC: And because we can’t wait — what can folks look forward to at your Drop-In set? Any teasers you can leave with us?
Mama Duke: I’m performing with my first full band for this set! Sheeeeesh. I had to bring out all the tricks for this one! …and obviously the biggest one (I spoiled in the first questions) is that I’m performing my new single for the very first time. The same song I auditioned with on America’s Got Talent, “Feels So Good To Be You” — what is even life right now!
Thanks, Mama Duke!
Keep your eyes on @longcenter on social media so you don’t miss Mama Duke with Skateland at The Drop-In.
🌟 Don’t forget, it’s FREE
✍️ RSVPs appreciated
🤙 Drop-ins always welcome
At the Long Center, we’ve always got a new partnership or something cool we know you’ll want to check out! Find and follow us @longcenter on your social media platform of choice, and we’ll see you real soon.
