LUST back on top with Just As I Am

Male singing group, LUST, is back on top of the charts. The group’s impressive reading of Air Supply’s 1985 nugget Just As I Am, has already taken pole position here in Jamaica as well as on the New York and Canada Reggae charts.

Singing Melody, one of the members of LUST (the other members are Lukie D, Thriller U, and Tony Curtis), told this column that the decision to update the Air Supply track happened based on a suggestion by Lukie D. “It was Lukie D’s idea because he is a fan of Air Supply. He found the song and invited us to sing it. We knew the song would have taken off the way it did because we had great confidence in it,” said Melody.

LUST has been knocking on the doors of stardom ever since the group came to fore in 1997. Their debut single Sweetness of Your Love spent multiple weeks at the top of the local charts and earned the group several awards the following year at the now defunct Jamaica Music Industry Awards.

Asked what has kept the group together all these years, Melody said, “Good friendships, love, respect for each other, understanding, and our voices blend well and complement each other.” Lukie D had left the group briefly in 1998 and was replaced by Ricardo ‘Rik Rok’ Ducent. Lukie D later returned to the group after Ducent left to pursue other opportunities with Shaggy’s Big Yard label.

Melody pointed out that LUST plans to maintain the pace that was set by the success of Just As I Am. “LUST was on top back then and we were concentrating on our individual careers for a while and that caused the impact of the group to wane a bit. Now we are back on top and that is exactly where we intend to stay,” he said.

A follow-up single to Just As I Am has already been earmarked for release. Melody, who refused to divulge details about the song, said a video for the track will be done shortly. The group is currently being pursued for several performances in the Caribbean and North America.