Singing sensation LUST, the four-man group which includes Lukey D, Thriller U, Singing Melody and Tony Curtis is poised to attain that much-talked-about ‘next level’ in their career when they begin a summer tour done in association with United Urban Motor sports/NASCAR Racing, the stock car auto racing giant.
This will see them performing alongside multi-platinum r&b group Prophet Jones – known for their mega hit Lifetime. – and another multi-platinum selling group Nappy Roots, known for their hit songs Watermelon Chicken & Gritz, and Wooden Leather.
“Nascar is the number one spectator sport. Over seven million people watch Nascar live and another 54 million watch the races on television, so you can understand what this means for LUST,” Garnett Newman, president of publicity and co-manager of Prophet Jones told Sunday Entertainment during a telephone call to his office in Florida.
Newman, who is also the tour promoter, is impressed with the talent that defines LUST. “I think he likes the group,” Melody told us in an interview prior to us speaking to Newman. This is how Newman described them. “LUST performed in Ft Lauderdale over the weekend and I . I just don’t have words to describe the performance. They were so effective in displaying their versatility. It was just incredible,” he gushed.
Newman noted that the tour, which kicks off the beginning of July is designed to show the synergy among reggae, r&b and hip hop music. “There is a thrust to bring Blacks, Latinos and people of colour into Nascar and at the same time this will expose the artistes to the people in America who don’t buy bootleg. The people who buy real CDs.”
Prophet Jones, Newman said, will be re- releasing a reggae version of their song Lifetime, featuring Singing Melody. “And that is going to be huge,” Newman promised.
Speaking with Singing Melody over the phone, it was easy to feel his enthusiasm about this upcoming tour. “LUST is really excited about this development,” Melody said, “but all of this is possible because the people of Jamaica – our fans – showed us love and gave us the encouragement to continue doing good music.”
Melody stated that LUST is definitely “focused on the group” and noted that they have a new manager, Garcia Campbell, who is a chartered accountant by training and “brings corporate to LUST.”
LUST has been hailed as one of the most talented groups out of Jamaica, and in 1998 set a new record with an amazing but well-deserved five award wins at the JMA Awards including for Best New Artiste, Best Live Performance (Group) and Best Vocal Performance (Group). However, the members of the group are known individually for their solo careers, and this, in the past has gotten in the way of progress for the group.
Melody, however, emphasised that this time LUST is the priority. “And I am speaking for the entire group when I say that. We still do individual work, but the focus is the group,” he said.
Reacting to the whole issue of making less money as a group, rather than as solo acts, he said, “To tell the truth, in the past money has not been the issue, because although we make less, we don’t mind sharing the $10, as we operate as a family. We know that the big money will come and we want to reap that as a group.”
LUST is now riding the charts with the single Just As I Am, a remake of the Air Supply hit which is doing wonders for the group’s career, both locally and internationally. And already there is a follow-up song, Do You Love Me, which will be released in the next two weeks. Just As I Am was produced by their manager, but the idea to do the song, Melody said, was Lukey D’s. “He came one day and said we had to do the song, and he could guarantee that it would go to number one,” Melody recalled. Prophetic words.
“We enjoy singing the song . even though it was done originally by two persons, there is a part that fits each of our four voices. And our fans really love and appreciate what we are doing,” Singing Melody said.
The NASCAR-affilaited US tour is scheduled to run from July through to November 3.
Source: Jamaica-Observer
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