Feels So Good To Be Her
Austin musician Mama Duke gets 'Golden Buzzer' to move on to AGT finale
The Golden Buzzer gives Mama Duke immunity until the competition's last round.
Austin singer and rapper Mama Duke is going straight to the America's Got Talent finale after receiving the "Golden Buzzer" from judge and fellow musician Mel B.
Mama Duke performed in the competition show's live quarterfinal on August 26. Most acts were subject to community votes to determine if they would go on to the semifinal round or leave the competition, but not this one. Mel B chose to use her only Golden Buzzer — and the only one available for the episode — to give Mama Duke immunity until the final performance.
Mama Duke made a big impact right away at her audition. She sang a brand-new original song, "Feels So Good To Be You," a disco-flavored rap track that almost instantly reached No. 5 on the iTunes pop chart. Her palpable joy and confidence got the audience on their feet, along with all four judges, for dancing and a standing ovation.
The rapper's talent and likability has certainly helped her in going viral, but her smart strategy also seems to have given her a huge leg up, whether it was name-dropping the judges in her first performance, or staying in contact with her quickly growing fan base as the season went on.
Her quarterfinal performance utilized similar ideas, building on the competition's narrative arc in song form. The mix she rapped over featured some of the judges' reactions from her audition, and the song's lyrics combined clever turns of phrase with callbacks and other references to how the competition works — a smart tactic for making the audience feel like they're involved in the journey.
Her fashion choices have also been important in creating a recognizable brand. Viewers have enjoyed seeing her step out in colorful sweaters, creating both an opportunity to immediately subvert expectations (wait, this YMCA employee can rap?), and a feel-good image that feels authentic and fun. She had an outfit reveal in the beginning of the song and drew attention to her fashion sense later on, rapping "Divine intervention is when you can dress like this and still keep it feminine."
This performance was also risky, because despite being a good singer — and despite knowing that the sung chorus was one of the best parts of "Feels So Good To Be You" — Mama Duke decided not to sing this time. The rapper summed up a common social media reaction to her audition in the quarterfinal song's lyrics: "I don't even like rap, but she different."
It certainly seems to have paid off. All the judges had glowing responses to the performance, and Mel B took that success and ran with it. She even compared Mama Duke to another famous rapper, saying "Missy Elliott better be watching out for you, because you're coming right now."
The America's Got Talent semifinals will take place September 16, and the finals, on September 23. Voting happens overnight, and results from both rounds will be revealed in a different episode the next day.
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