Rising Stars: Meet Duka

Today we’d like to introduce you to Duka.

Hi Duka, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As far as singing goes, I don’t have the common story of single ever since I was little and always knowing I wanted to be a singer. I was actually kind of a late bloomer. I didn’t really realize I had a talent for singing until I was about 16/17 and even then, I kept it to myself for about a year. In the summer before I started college, I joined a youth choir at church and gained the confidence to sing out loud. A month after arriving to college, I met one of my current best friends, John. John was a guitarist who heard me sing and said five words that would change the course of my life forever: “Let’s go write a song.” That was 14 years ago and I’m still, at heart, that 18 years old kid who just wants to write a song. Right after college, I moved back to Atlanta and discovered Department Store on Edgewood. Their open mic was like the most hype concert you’d ever been to. You could literally feel the ground bending beneath you as people jumped. In hindsight, this was definitely due to horrible building construction and code but, nonetheless, it helped fuel the legend of Edgewood. It only took one visit to know that I had to get up on that stage. Up until then, I was shaky with my answer when it came to what I wanted to do with my life but from that moment on, I confidently put myself on a path to become successful in music. Today, with all I’ve learned and practiced, I feel closer than ever to that dream. This wasn’t achieved alone, though. I’ve been able to be this persistent with the support of my friends & family and my collective, FREEAIRFREEWATER (J Alston & Dope Diana).

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Chasing your dreams is never the smoothest of roads but 2020, in particular, was a difficult year. We lost my father in June of 2020 and so in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic, I had to face losing a father. And on Father’s Day, no less. I’d started writing a song called “Broken” about him three days before his death and that song ended up being a major pivot in my career and put more eyes on me than ever. So while it was a difficult time, I believe it was a time of immense growth and a signal to a new chapter of my life. The song felt like a final gift from my father.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a singer/songwriter/producer. I specialize in songwriting and that’s what I’d say I’m most known for; my pen. I’m most proud of the growth I’ve experienced while pursuing this dream. With the help of generous friends and YouTube University, I’ve taught myself music production & audio engineering and have essentially become a one stop shop for music-making. Just seeing where I started and where I currently am makes me so proud, happy, and excited for future possibilities. What sets me apart from others is the ability to execute different aspects of the music-making process at a high level. I’m the son of Nigerian immigrants so that “Naija no dey carry last” mentality sits deeply within me. Everything I do must be done well. I demand more from myself than anyone does. If I’m ever sitting in 2nd place, that’s fine but I’ll never stay there. And this is the value I’ve had to learn to see in myself no longer shy away from. I still find it very important to move with humility. My goal is to be great but also be a reflection of who God created me to be and who my mother raised me to be. I understand that what I have is a gift and I treat it as such.

What does success mean to you?
Success is happiness and having peace in your life. Success is balance and being able to bless those you love with the fruits of what you’ve worked hard to obtain. Success for me would be doing what I love full time while remaining the purest form of myself and staying close and connected to my family throughout that process.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Instagram.com/dukesmcfly
• Facebook: Facebook.com/dukamusic
• Twitter: Twitter.com/dukesmcfly
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/DukaMusic
• SoundCloud: SoundCloud.com/dukesmcfly
• Other: https://lnk.to/FOMOFridays

Image Credits:
J Alston Amber Bournett