A child of the 80s, Lushy Banton was introduced to music when artistes went to the dancehall to show their skills on the mic, or hanging out at recording studios for hours hoping for the big break.

In the 1990s, while living in Grant’s Pen, St Andrew, he was a regular at dances promoted by his father. That medium introduced him to artistes like Burro Banton, one of the giants of the 1980s sound system circuit.

Lushy Banton is now based in New York, after moving permanently to the US over 20 years ago, but longs for a hit song back home. His latest song is Crazy Love, inspired by the rumoured romance between Popcaan and Miss World 2019 Toni-Ann Singh.

“Jamaica is the home and heartbeat of dancehall/reggae music, so it’s only natural that you carry the home crowd,” he said, adding that The Big Apple scene is nothing compared to ‘yaad’.

“New York is 95 per cent indoor/club settings plus the brutal cold weather in the winter. The vibes are just not the same as a yard, where it is summer all the time. The music, the dress code, the swag, even the food is different. The aroma, the taste, the atmosphere, I could go on and on…”

Released in August, Crazy Love is written by Lushy Banton (real name Wayne Brown) and produced by Mark Walcott for Watsitnot Entertainment, the deejay’s label.

Lushy Banton has recorded for a number of producers including Bunny Lee and Stone Love.

His songs include Obama, a saluted the rise of Barack Obama as the US’s first black president; Brown Eye Girl; and Oh No with Wyclef Jean.