Lucky Duck Explores Six Years of Creativity and Self-Discovery on Debut Album 'SANITY'

Queens, New York-based singer-songwriter and rapper Lucky Duck introduces his debut album, SANITY, a nine-track project that captures six years of artistic experimentation, personal growth, and creative collaboration. Released September 18, 2026, the album brings together influences ranging from disco and funk to alternative rock, hip-hop, and metal, reflecting Lucky Duck's commitment to creating music without limitations.

Written and recorded between the ages of 19 and 25, SANITY features standout tracks including “fadin',” “Only 1 Me,” “2STRONG,” and “Mama Disco,” the latter featuring Taiwanese producer Ben Hu. Beyond its diverse musical direction, the project represents Lucky Duck's belief that creativity is essential to his identity and personal well-being.

We caught up with Lucky Duck to discuss the six-year journey behind SANITY, the unexpected collaborations that shaped the record, and what's next for the emerging artist.

Your debut album, SANITY, represents six years of your life, from ages 19 to 25. Looking back at the person who wrote “MOONLIGHT” in 2020 versus the artist who finished the album in 2026, how has your relationship with music, creativity, and yourself evolved?

I think my relationship with music has definitely evolved, and honestly, a lot of it has been tied to my self-esteem and self-image.

When I was first starting out, around the time I wrote “Moonlight” in February 2020, I was beginning to transition from being a SoundCloud rapper named Empath to writing more songs that leaned into singing. “Moonlight,” which is on the album, was actually the first song I wrote for it. I remember thinking, “I don’t feel like this belongs to the Empath project. I feel like it’s something else, something bigger than Empath.” Empath felt like this very internet-based entity, and I felt like I was moving toward something bigger and different. 

Then the pandemic happened, and there was a lot of personal stuff going on in my life. Quite frankly, I just didn’t feel good about myself. I think being an artist, putting yourself out there, posting a song on YouTube, or even covering a song on your Instagram Story takes cojones. And sometimes, you go through periods in your life when you just don’t feel like you have that confidence. It’s tough.

From 2020 to 2023, I was working on music on and off. Sometimes I didn’t have the budget, and obviously, there was the pandemic and a lot of other things going on. But I’d say the biggest reason the album took six years was that, at certain points, I wasn’t sure I even wanted to be an artist. I knew I loved music and entertainment, and I wanted to be around it, but I thought maybe I’d just work in the music industry instead. Maybe I’d be an agent, an assistant, or do marketing—something behind the scenes.

But I think that, through a lot of therapy and doing the work on myself, I gradually gained confidence. Timing was also a big part of it. Eventually, I realized, “No, I actually do want to be an artist. I want to be a face. I want to be the brand. I’m ready to put myself back out there.”

So, in 2023, I debuted as Lucky Duck, and I just kept going. I kept making music videos, putting myself out there, and doing things that genuinely scared the fuck out of me. And now, here we are: the album came out about a month ago, and my confidence is in such a good place. I’m just so happy that the album is finally out. It’s proved to me that you have to stick the landing, see things through, and finish what you started.

I’d say the difference between 26-year-old me, which is who I am now, and 19-year-old me is that I’m just a lot stronger. I’ve been through a lot of life, and I think all of that growth had to happen. I’m so happy to finally be in a place where I can promote my music and fully embrace being a musician. Before, I don’t think I was really in that place. I was young, figuring it the fuck out, and still trying to figure out who I was. Now, I feel like I’m finally ready to be the artist I’ve always wanted to be.

You've described making music as something essential to your sanity rather than simply a creative outlet. Was there ever a period during those six years when music became particularly important to your mental or emotional well-being, and how did that experience influence the album?

I think music has honestly always been my saving grace. I even think back to middle school and high school, when things weren’t great for me or my family, and I barely had any friends. Music was something I could really obsess over, and that was around the time I was starting out as a SoundCloud rapper named Empath. So, in a lot of ways, music has always saved me. I really can’t live without it.

Whether it’s listening to a song at the gym or working on something of my own, I think the act of creating and having something to work toward is just necessary for me. That’s why SANITY is honestly the perfect title. It just makes sense for who I am and what music has always meant to me.

Over those six years of making this project, there were times when I didn’t have much else going on in my life. Maybe I was working some dead-end job, but the thing I had to look forward to that day was going to the studio. Sometimes, that was genuinely the only thing in my life that felt exciting, something I could look forward to and feel good about. 

And, you know, when you tell your friends, “Hey, I’m going to the studio,” people are always like, “Yo, that’s so cool. What the fuck?” So I think I’ve always needed something that makes me feel cool, something that gives me a sense of purpose and excitement. And for me, that’s always been music.

The album moves between everything from disco and funk to country rap and heavy metal, which is an unconventional approach for a debut project. Did you ever feel pressure to establish a more recognizable sound, or was showcasing your versatility always more important than fitting into a particular genre?

I think I’m still finding my sound, to be honest. I think that takes time, but maybe I’m also just the sound, you know? I’m really influenced by artists like Tinashe right now, who just dropped her album PopStar, which is amazing, by the way. You should check it out. She’s such a genre-fluid, genre-bending, almost genreless artist, but the throughline is her. No matter what kind of music she makes, you can still tell it’s Tinashe. And someday I want to have the lucky duck sound. The Jasper sound. 

My producers have told me, “Maybe the throughline is just you, Jasper.” And I’m like, “Sure, maybe!” I still feel like I’m trying to find myself amid all the noise, but ultimately, I just wanted to make interesting pop music. I write in a very pop-oriented style because that’s what I learned, so I do think the album falls under the umbrella of alt-pop.

I also think the throughline is Steve, Denise, and everyone else I worked with. They’re all really smart, intentional people who helped bring the tracks together and make the album feel like a cohesive story. And honestly, I think there was a lot of luck involved, too, because it’s kind of crazy to walk into the studio and say, “Hey, I want to make a country song,” and then, “Okay, this next song is going to be trip-hop,” and then, “This one’s going to be a big, fat disco party.” You’re just sitting there wondering, “How the fuck is all of this going to fit together?”

But weirdly enough, it does. And I wouldn’t just toot my own horn and say that without acknowledging that I had moments when I felt self-conscious about it. Thankfully, I worked with really cool people who would tell me, “No, no, no, just trust me. It’s actually going to work, and you’re going to hear it and be like, ‘Wait, that’s crazy.’”

So, overall, I’m just really proud of the music. My only goal going into this was to make interesting pop music, and I feel like I accomplished that.

Your collaboration with Ben Hu began with a chance encounter at a hostel in Lisbon and eventually resulted in three tracks on SANITY. How did working with someone on the other side of the world influence your creative process, and what made that partnership work so naturally?

I mean, he’s kind of become this pen pal, this overseas friend. We mainly communicate through Instagram, and I think he brings his own sauce to the project. I feel like the tracks we worked on together are some of the happiest songs on the album. He brought a lot of joy into the music, which is great because I’m in a much happier place now, too.

I think the album as a whole is kind of sad, but it starts out sad and ends on a happy note, which I really love, cuz that reflects me and the time spent on it, the 6 years. He’s just incredibly talented, and he really understands my vision. There’s always a bit of a gamble when you work with a new producer. You’re like, “Are they going to get it or not?” And he gets it, but he also brings his own ideas to the table. I’m a very creative person, but I can’t think of everything myself, so having someone who can bring something new to the music is really important.

The creative process feels really natural because we’re both open to ideas. If something isn’t working in a track or I need something to sound different, he doesn’t have an ego about it, which is great. At the end of the day, it just comes down to communication. 

Now that SANITY is finally out after six years of development, what have you learned about yourself through the process of completing your first album, and what creative directions are you most excited to explore now that you're no longer tied to finishing this chapter?

I’ve learned that my strengths are songwriting, project management, and project coordination. And I know that sounds like a LinkedIn post, but honestly, I think I really discovered that at the end of 2024, when I went to Denise and said, “I want to make an album.” I truly felt it in my blood, my heart, my loins. I knew I wanted to do it, and I knew it was going to be a lot of fucking work. I told myself I was going to work on it every single day, and I genuinely did.

I worked on the album every day throughout 2025 and continued all the way up until it came out in 2026. It was about waking up every morning and asking myself, “How can I move this album forward today?” Maybe I needed to book a studio session, rewrite a song, follow up on a mix, put together a music video, give feedback on cover art, or create content. Whatever it was, I was always thinking about what I could do to push the needle forward.

I’ve been making music since I was 14 and releasing it since I was 16, so I’ve also watched the industry change dramatically. Spotify and Apple Music came onto the scene around the time I was getting started, and it’s been fascinating to see how streaming has changed the music business, along with the whole content game. TikTok really took off around 2020, when we were all stuck indoors, and that changed things, too. I’ve taken everything I’ve learned over the past decade and brought it into this project, and I’ve become so much more confident in myself as an artist along the way.

I think this album is the culmination of everything I’ve learned, and that’s a really cool feeling. I’ve been saying, “Yo, I’m working on an album,” for the past six years, and now I can finally say that I fucking did it. It’s out. It’s actually out! I think the biggest takeaway is realizing that I can do it. That’s given me so much more confidence in my process, but it’s also helped me recognize where I still want to grow, what I want to improve on for the next project, and which creative directions I’m most excited to explore.

One thing I definitely want to focus on next is making more vocal-driven songs. I feel pretty confident in myself as a songwriter, but I want to become a stronger vocalist. There’s actually a song I’m working on right now that I think will show people that side of me. I want to feel just as confident calling myself a singer as I do calling myself a songwriter. That’s probably my biggest goal for this next chapter.

Beyond that, I want to keep experimenting. I love experimental music, but I also really love dance music. I got really into raving last year, so I’m curious to see if I can bring some of that energy into my own sound, too. We’ll see what happens.

As I mentioned earlier, I really admire artists like Tinashe because she doesn’t restrict herself to one genre or sound. I don’t want to put myself in a box, either. I just want to have fun, keep experimenting, and continue pushing myself creatively.