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Eustace C. Hamilton better known as Thriller U, is a Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter. He was born Eustace Hamilton in Kingston, Jamaica, on 14 August 1969. While attending the Spanish Town Secondary School in St. Catherine Jamaica, his interest in music and songwriting started to develop.
Thriller U’s style is similar to that of Frankie Paul. His 1989 recording of ‘It’s Over’, produced by Hugh ‘Redman’ James, was a hit and he toured the UK on the strength of it. The song was a lament to an unfaithful lover, over a classic rhythm with an irresistible riff. He released a number of singles, including ‘Big Bamboo’, ‘Private Property’, ‘Are You Really Ready For Love’, ‘I’ll Prove It To You’, ‘Where Would I Go’, and ‘Since You Came Into My Life’. He also recorded with Pan Head (‘Run Down The Man’), Flourgon (‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’), and Johnny P (‘Young And She Green’). He worked with a number of producers including Ossie Hibbert, Bobby Digital, King Jammy, and Donovan Germain. The George Michael ballad ‘Careless Whisper’, and the Jennifer Rush epic ‘The Power Of Love’, were both successfully covered by Thriller U, produced by Redman in 1990 and Ossie Hibbert in 1991, respectively. Although often considered a Jamaican purveyor of lovers rock, he occasionally drifted into the dancehall style, notably on the track ‘Sweetest Sound’, which was featured on his album with Admiral Tibet, Two Good To Be True. In 1991 he recorded one of the many reggae versions of ‘I Wanna Sex You Up’ with Johnny Nice and Studio One legend Jennifer Lara. Sly And Robbie set up a new project, Punishers, and enrolled the services of Thriller U for ‘One Day In Your Life’. In 1995, Thriller U enjoyed a hit with ‘The Mind Is Willing’. While enjoying a successful solo career, he also joined the vocal group L.U.S.T. (Love, Understanding, Sensitivity, and Trust), alongside Singing Melody, Tony Curtis, and Lukie D. The combined performers stated that the group was going to put the ‘flava back into reggae’. L.U.S.T. performed at MIDEM 1998 and later in New York at the third Culturama festival, to critical acclaim.
Everton Hardweare (born 23 November 1967), better known by his stage name Singing Melody, is a reggae artist from Kingston, Jamaica. He is known for his abilities as a vocalist, his production work, and for combining aspects of reggae and R&B in his own releases.
In the 1980s, he met well-known reggae/dub producer King Tubby. Tubby produced his first single, “Tie Me,” which was released on Firehouse in 1987. He then caught the attention of production duo Steely & Clevie, who produced his first hit, a reggae cover of the R&B single “Shower Me with Your Love” by Surface.
In 1990, Melody recorded the Japanese language single “Sayonara Tokyo” for Sony Music Japan and was subsequently booked to perform at a concert in Japan. Based on the success of the single and concert, Melody signed with Parish Records and released his first LP, titled Original, in 1992, which was distributed by the Queens-based record label VP Records.
Singing Melody found widespread success with his sophomore LP Sweeter, which was released by VP Records in 1999. The single “Want You Back” reached #1 on the Jamaica Star’s reggae/dancehall chart, and the music video for the song reached the #2 position on the MTV2 playlist. The song also won “Song of the Year” at the 1999 Reggae/Soca Music Awards. Melody also won the “Best Male Vocalist International” award at the 12th annual Tamika Reggae Awards.
In the 2000s, he began producing tracks for artists including Morgan Heritage, Richie Stephens, and Turbulence. He started his own label, S.H.E.M. Music Productions, and helped promote the annual Kingston reggae concert “Symphony Under the Stars.”[6] In 2002, Singing Melody released his third LP, Expressions, on VP Records.
Singing Melody released his fourth LP, They Call Me Mr. Melody, on 17 January 2012. It will be released on S.H.E.M. Music/Fat Eyes and distributed by VP Records. The first single from the album is “Collide”, a cover of the Howie Day song of the same name. The single reached the #1 position on the Top 20 music chart for Aruba. The album includes productions from Donovan Germain, Tony “CD” Kelly, Lynford “Fatta” Marshall, and others.
In the 2000s, Singing Melody formed the reggae group L.U.S.T with Lukie D, Thriller U, and Tony Curtis.