Austin's Got Talent
Austin rapper Mama Duke rallies for America's Got Talent quarterfinals
Mama Duke has a lot of grassroots support behind her; is it enough to get her to the finish line?
Austin musician Mama Duke is asking her audience for their support in the America's Got Talent quarterfinals — and since going viral with her audition, it looks like she has a lot of support to work with.
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 singer and rapper passed the first stage, which was pre-recorded, easily; now she advances in the top 44 acts to perform at shows that will air live.
"America, Texas, Austin: I need your help," said Mama Duke in a video on Instagram. "This Tuesday we go way up in a big way, but I need you to vote."
Each week for four weeks, groups of 11 acts will perform to determine who makes it through to the semifinals. This round started on August 19, and those moving on in the competition have already been revealed. Mama Duke is in the second group, which will perform August 26.
Since the first group has received their deliberations, if Mama Duke progresses, we know she'll be joining a round with dance group Light Wire, trapeze duo Sirca Marea, and singer Jourdan Blue. Singer Steve Ray Ladson will go straight to the finals as the judges' pick from this group.
In her own quarterfinals group, Mama Duke is going up against Leo High School Choir, singer Ben Hightower, cheerleaders EDT Dance Team, magician Alain Simonov, singer Bay Melnick Virgolino, dancers Alex Zigner & Crew, robotics company Boston Dynamics, juggling group Jonglissimo, rollerskaters Duo Stardust, and Unreal Crew, according to TV Insider.
However this round goes for Mama Duke, she's already got the commemorative tattoo to celebrate the achievement of getting there.
Austinites can help by voting for their favorite act during the show. Three acts will make it through based on votes, and one will be chosen by the judges using their "Golden Buzzer" to skip the semifinals and go straight to the end.
Full instructions on how to vote can be found at nbc.com. The most important things to know are that viewers can vote online or on the AGT App; voting opens at 7 pm Central on Tuesdays and ends at 6 am on Wednesday mornings; and each registered email address gets up to 10 votes.
Or, fans can watch this fun video by the star herself:
The America's Got Talent semifinals will be held September 16, and the finals on September 23. Results from both rounds will be revealed in a different episode the next day.
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