Sade 

Sade Adu was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, and moved to England at four. After studying at Saint Martin's School of Art, she gained notice as a fashion designer and model. Joining Pride in the '80s, she later formed the band Sade and signed with Epic Records in 1983.


Following their debut, "Diamond Life," Sade soared to fame with one of the best-selling albums of its time. Sade performed at Live Aid in 1985 and appeared in "Absolute Beginners" in 1986. They released "Stronger Than Pride" in 1988 and "Love Deluxe" in 1992. After Sade's child was born in 1996, the band took a hiatus.


After an eight-year hiatus, Sade reunited in 1999, presenting "Lovers Rock" in 2000, a departure from their jazz-infused style. Their next album, "Soldier of Love," arrived a decade later. Since then, they've released tracks like "Flower of the Universe" for Disney's "A Wrinkle in Time" and "The Big Unknown" for Steve McQueen's "Widows" soundtrack.


Helen Folasade Adu, born January 16, 1959, in Ibadan, Nigeria, has a Yoruba middle name meaning "crowned with wealth." Her parents separated when she was four, and she moved to England with her mother. Sade later pursued fashion design at Saint Martin's School of Art after completing her education in Essex.


After studying fashion design and modeling briefly, Sade joined the British band Pride as a backup singer. Teaming up with Stuart Matthewman, they began performing their own sets at Pride gigs. Her rendition of "Smooth Operator" caught the attention of record labels, leading to the formation of the band Sade in 1983, consisting of Matthewman, Andrew Hale, Paul Denman, and Paul Cook. They signed with Epic Records in 1983.


After signing with Epic Records, Sade and her band recorded their debut album, Diamond Life, in six weeks at The Power Plant in London. Released on July 16, 1984, the album achieved remarkable success, reaching number two on the UK Album Chart, selling over 1.2 million copies in the UK, and winning the Brit Award for Best British Album in 1985. It also topped charts internationally and reached the top ten in the US, selling over four million copies there. Diamond Life became one of the best-selling debut albums of the '80s and the most successful debut by a British female vocalist ever, with over six million copies sold globally.


"Your Love Is King," released on February 25, 1984, emerged as the lead single from the album. It attained success in Europe, reaching number seven in Ireland and number six on the UK Singles Chart. However, its US performance was modest, peaking at number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Smooth Operator," the third single, released on September 15, 1984, became the album's standout track in the US. It peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Black Singles chart, and secured the top spot on the Adult Contemporary chart. In Europe, it reached the top 20 in several countries including the UK, Austria, Switzerland, France, and Germany.


In late 1985, Sade released their second album, Promise, which topped charts in the UK and the US, marking their first number one album on the US Billboard 200. It spent two weeks at the peak position and sold over four million copies in the US alone, certified four times platinum by the RIAA. The album produced two successful singles, "Never as Good as the First Time" and "The Sweetest Taboo." The latter, released as the lead single, remained on the US Hot 100 for six months, peaking at number five. Sade's popularity led some radio stations to reintroduce the practice of playing album tracks, including "Is It a Crime" and "Tar Baby," on their playlists. In 1986, the band won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

In 1986, Sade ventured into acting with her debut in Absolute Beginners, a film based on Colin MacInnes' book depicting late-1950s London life. Portraying Athene Duncannon, she also contributed vocals to the film's soundtrack. Though screened at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival, the film earned £1.8 million in the UK. Sade's third album, Stronger Than Pride, released on 3 May 1988, mirrored her prior success, achieving triple platinum status in the US. The album's singles, notably "Paradise," peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, marking the band's first single to achieve this feat.


Love Deluxe, the band's fourth studio album, debuted on October 26, 1992, reaching number three on the US Billboard 200. With 3.4 million copies sold in the US, it earned quadruple platinum status from the RIAA. The album topped charts in France and achieved top-ten status in New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK, eventually gaining gold certification in the UK. In November 1994, the band released their first compilation album, The Best of Sade, which achieved top-ten status in both the UK and the US, earning platinum and quadruple platinum certifications, respectively. Featuring tracks from previous albums and a cover of Percy Mayfield's "Please Send Me Someone to Love" (1950), the compilation album became a fan favorite.


After an eight-year break, the band released their fifth studio album, Lovers Rock, on November 13, 2000, garnering praise from music critics. The album peaked at number 18 on the UK Albums Chart and number three on the US Billboard 200, eventually achieving triple platinum status certified by the RIAA, with 3.9 million copies sold in the US by February 2010. Lovers Rock secured Sade the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album on February 27, 2002, and its lead single "By Your Side" received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2002. Despite losing to Nelly Furtado's "I'm Like a Bird," the single earned recognition as VH1's 48th greatest love song of all time.


To promote the album, Sade and the band embarked on their fifth concert tour, the Lovers Rock Tour, announced in April 2001 via the band's website. Initially planned for 30 shows starting in the summer, the tour was extended by eight weeks due to high demand, totaling over 40 shows. Regarded as a comeback tour, it was the band's first performances since 1994. Despite expectations, the tour remained exclusive to North America, earning over 26 million and ranking as the 13th biggest tour in the region.


After the Lovers Rock Tour, the band released their first live album, Lovers Live, on February 5, 2002, by Epic Records. It reached number ten on the US Billboard 200 and number 51 on the UK Albums Chart, their first album outside the UK top twenty. The album earned gold certification from the RIAA on March 7, 2002, with 562,000 copies sold in the US, while the DVD achieved platinum status on January 30, 2003, for shipping 100,000 copies.

References

1.  Brannigan Lynch, Joseph (11 January 2010). "Sade Strikes Back! The '80s soul star unleashes a surge of dancing desert soldiers". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
2. ^ "Sophisti-Pop Music Genre Overview". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
3. ^ "Music's Top 40 Money Makers 2012". Billboard. 9 March 2012. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
4. ^ Thorn, Tracy (28 March 2018). "The queen of "quiet storm": Tracey Thorn on the return of Sade". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 17 January 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
5. ^ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
6. ^ Olausson, Lena; Sangster, Catherine (2006). Oxford BBC Guide to Pronunciation. Oxford University Press. p. 338. ISBN 0-19-280710-2.
7. ^ Sandall, Robert (31 January 2010). "Sade Emerges from Her Own Country Retreat". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2015.(subscription required)
8. ^ "The 100 Greatest Women In Music". VH1 News. Viacom International, Inc. 13 February 2012. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2012.