Nu Shooz were a 1980s dance music group fronted by Portland, Oregon husband‑and‑wife duo John Smith and Valerie Day. Nu Shooz originally released «I Can't Wait» as a single in Winter 1985 on Poolside Records. The original recording was done at «Cascade Recording» in Portland in Fall 1984. «I Can't Wait» was a big hit on Portland radio stations and got the attention of Atlantic Records who signed them. Atlantic had Nu Shooz re‑record «I Can't Wait» and issued the new version in February 1986.

They scored two major pop/R&B/dance hits: «I Can't Wait,» which climbed to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Its follow‑up, «Point Of No Return,» also topped the dance chart and hit #28 on the Hot 100. Both singles were on their album «Poolside» which made Billboard's Top 200 Album chart as high as #27 and selling a half million copies, garnering a gold record.

Their final pop chart entry was «Should I Say Yes?» which hit #41. They had two more dance hits, one of which, «Are You Lookin' For Somebody Nu,» topped out at #2 on the dance charts in 1988. This single was on the album «Told U So» which climbed Billboard's Top 200 Album chart to #93.