Then & Now: Lumidee Reflects on 'Never Leave You,' Repping Harlem & Getting Back Into the Booth

Welcome to the third installment of Fuse's newest column, Then & Now! Throughout this interview series, we chat with some of your favorite artists from the '90s and early aughts about their careers' biggest highlights and what they're up to today. This week, we spoke to Lumidee.

Lumidee first bubbled on the scene in the summer of 2003 with the release of her first single "Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)," from her debut album Almost Famous. The tune, featured on Jamaican producer Steven "Lenky" Marsden's Diwali riddim, dominated New York radio, backyard cookouts and basement parties for months. Thirteen years and a sophomore album later (2007's Unexpected), the 32-year-old Harlemite continues to embrace her passion for music.

The artist never expected "Never Leave You" to become as successful as it did when she was just a teenager. "It definitely stood the test of time for me. It had to be like three days a week where people would hit me like, 'Oh I heard your song in the club,' or, 'I heard your song while shopping,'" Lumidee tells Fuse. "The record follows friends of mine as well! It’s crazy, it’s like I’m haunting them. I hated it before, but I learned to love it."