INSIDE THE WORLD OF LUCKY DUCK
Lucky Duck is an emerging artist from Ardsley, New York, whose music combines emotional honesty, fearless experimentation, and an eclectic mix of genres. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Boygenius, Clairo, and beabadoobee, Lucky Duck has developed a sound that is deeply personal yet refreshingly unpredictable.
His debut album, SANITY, released on September 18, 2026, is a six-year labour of love. Recorded in Queens, New York, alongside producers Denise Barbarita, Steve Jabas, and Benhú, the album moves seamlessly between trip-hop, country hip-hop, and industrial rock, exploring themes of burnout, faith, toxic relationships, self-discovery, and empowerment.
You're from Queens. What's the best part about being a native New Yorker?
As a wise man once wrote, New York is the greatest city in the world. So I think just being a native New Yorker is pretty great. No matter where you go, people know something about New York. There aren't that many other places in the US that people around the world know so much about. Texas, maybe Chicago, LA for sure, but New York is on another level. It feels good to be from such an iconic place.
We have so many amazing people and cultures, incredible Thai food, Dominican food, Puerto Rican food... anything you can imagine. We're just a really cool city, and I feel like that breeds a lot of cool people, myself included [laughs]. I think growing up here gave me this ingrained confidence, this very much "I'm the shit" attitude. And a lot of that comes from the city I'm from.
Who first inspired you musically?
Before I became Lucky Duck, I started out as a SoundCloud rapper named Empath. 2014 Forest Hills Drive by J. Cole and Illmatic by Nas were the albums that really got me into rap.
Were your parents musical?
I'm definitely the most musical person in my family. As far as I know, I'm the only one pursuing music as a career. It's my dream job. My dad actually has a pretty good voice, though. I've got to give him credit for that!
Even though my parents aren't musicians, they introduced me to a lot of amazing music. My mum was a club kid, so through her I discovered a lot of 80s music, including Kylie Minogue. She's Australian, you see. She also loves art rock and indie and alternative music, like Gorillaz, Spoon, and Phoenix.
My dad is more of a classic rock guy. He loves The Police and U2, but he's also a big fan of strong female singers like Joan Jett and Alanis Morissette.
So, yeah, they have great taste, and they're still keeping up with what's happening in music.
What was your childhood like?
I feel like I had a pretty interesting childhood. My little brother is autistic, so that was a big part of my upbringing. During my adolescence, I also went through my own share of personal and psychological struggles, which definitely had an impact on me.
I've always been a bit of an outsider. Music was the first thing I really felt passionate about.
I was born in New York City, then moved to Queens, and eventually moved up to the suburbs. So I guess you could say I'm partly a suburban kid, but I also feel very much like a New Yorker, especially having spent the past few years back in Queens.
Your debut album, SANITY, came out in September. Can you tell us about the making of it?
This album has been a work in progress, on and off, for the past six years. I wrote the first song, "Moonlight", in February 2020, and finished recording the last song, "Tell Me", in April 2026. So it's essentially a supercut of my life from 19 to 25. I'm 26 now.
It's been a huge evolution for me, both in terms of finding myself and finding my place and my team within the music industry. I definitely had to pay my dues and take my time to find the right people to work with.
Thankfully, I started working with Denise at Monolisa Studios. She's amazing, and she introduced me to Steve, Rich, Ray, and all these incredible producers and engineers.
We eventually became something of a band and made most of the album together. I started working with Denise in 2024. Before that, I'd been playing around with the songs, but I was also busy experiencing life and actually having something to write about. Then there was the pandemic, and for a while I wasn't in a particularly good place mentally, which slowed everything down.
At one point, I thought I was just going to become an agent or something. I knew I wanted to work in music; that was always clear to me. But somewhere along the way, I found my confidence again and realised, no, no, no, I genuinely want to be an artist. I want to be the face, the brand, all of it. It took me a while to get there.
Once things got going, a lot of the process was about experimenting in the studio. I already had plenty of songs written, so we picked the strongest ones and developed the best ideas. There was also a lot of trial and error.
I think the key to making this album was the people I worked with. They're all incredibly talented and creative, and they really helped bring everything together. Somehow, it all ended up flowing naturally, even though every song explores a different genre.
Why did you call the album SANITY? Is there a story behind the title?
I called it SANITY because music, creating, and collaborating with other people are my sanity. I need to make art and work on something. It's an essential part of who I am.
Also, a one-word album title is so chic! And SANITY sounds pretty rock 'n' roll to me, which ties in nicely with the album's aesthetic and the different genres explored throughout it.
Two of my favourite tracks on the album are "Fadin'" and "Mama Disco". Can you tell us a little about those songs?
Thank you! I love those songs!
"Fadin'", according to my producer Denise, who produced the track, is basically girl-rock sung by a man. It's indie pop-rock, and it's a really special song to me.
One thing that always stands out is the tracking session when we recorded all the instruments. We had Ray on bass, Rich on drums, Steve on guitar, and Denise running the room.
We just jammed for seven hours and recorded everything. I think it was during the first half of 2024, because I released the song in the second half of that year. It was one of my first post-pandemic sessions where I actually got to be in a room with everyone and make music together. It was so much fun.
The song is about being in a relationship that's coming to an end but being too afraid to actually talk about it with your partner. Instead, you just let things fade away. It's a sad, melancholic, but ultimately hopeful song. I love it so much. It's definitely one of the coolest songs I've ever written, and it's always received great press. I'd say it's my first hit.
And then there's "Mama Disco", which is obviously my newest hit! That one's really been resonating with people, and it's such a fun track. It was produced by Benhú, who's also my first-ever featured artist.
He's my Taiwanese primo! We met in Portugal when I was studying abroad in Madrid. I went to Lisbon for the weekend, and we just happened to be staying at the same hostel. The hostel organised a bar crawl, so we ended up going together.
We really hit it off. We were both making music, and then he reached out in the spring of 2025 and suggested we collaborate. I was like, "Dope, let's do it!"
We just started trading ideas. He was in Taiwan, and I was in Queens, but the distance didn't matter. He ended up producing "Romanticize", "Tell Me", and "Mama Disco".
The album blends so many different genres. Was that a deliberate approach, or did it happen organically?
It happened organically. I usually try to go into a session with a vision. For example, with "2Strong", I was imagining something really heavy, almost metal, like a mosh-pit-ready rock song. I generally have an idea of what I want each track to sound like.
Of course, some songs evolve along the way. "Only 1 Me", for instance, was originally a song called "All I Want Is Everything". I initially imagined it as something more along the lines of Jack Johnson or Jason Mraz, like "Banana Pancakes" — a sunny, guitar-driven sing-rap ballad.
Ultimately, the album is a combination of different genres, different collaborators, and all their creative ideas. That's also why I describe it as a little mixtape-y. It's a bit of everything, and it's a little all over the place.
But that's also a reflection of me. I want the album to represent who I am as a person. It's an authentic portrayal of myself.
What's your main instrument?
My beautiful baritone voice!
What's your philosophy on life?
I try to live by a few key words and basic values: movement, keeping it moving, keeping it pushing, surrounding myself with good people, being a good person, and continuing to create.
And, most importantly, having fun! I prioritise joy.
What's one song by another artist that you could listen to a hundred times without ever getting tired of it?
I want to give you a deep cut here and put you onto something you might not know. I love "Don't Turn Back" by Colby O'Donis. He sang on "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga and "Beautiful" by Akon. I just love the beat and the rhythm of that song.
What's something about your creative process that might surprise people?
I'll take something from my most recent session. The producer, Craig, told me I'm basically an encyclopedia of music.
I'll reference anything from British garage music to Ryan Leslie to Jack Johnson. Honestly, everything is inspiration!
If listeners could take away just one thing about you from SANITY, what would you want it to be?
That I'm a multilayered, complex individual with lots of different sides to me.
Each song gives you a glimpse into who I am, not just through its lyrics and themes, but also through its genre and aesthetic. The different sounds reveal my musical taste and the elements of music I naturally gravitate towards.
I want people to understand that there's a lot more to me than meets the eye, and I think SANITY captures that pretty well.
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Interview by staff at MBTM
