Helen Folasade Adu, known professionally as Sade Adu or simply Sade, is a Nigerian-born British singer, known as the lead vocalist of her band Sade. One of the most successful British female artists in history, she is often recognised as an influence on contemporary music. Her success in the music industry was recognised with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2002, and she was made Commander in the 2017 Birthday Honours.
Sade are an English band, formed in London in 1982 and named after their lead singer, Sade Adu. Three members, Paul Anthony Cooke, Stuart Mathewman, and Paul Spencer Denman, are from Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Its music features elements of soul, quiet storm, smooth jazz and sophisti-pop. All of the band's albums, including compilations and a live album, have charted in the US Top Ten.
Diamond Life is the debut studio album by English band Sade, released in the United Kingdom on 16 July 1984 by Epic Records and in the United States on 27 February 1985 by Portrait Records. After studying fashion design, and later modelling, Sade Adu began backup-singing with British band Pride. During this time Adu and three of the original members of "Pride"—Paul Anthony Cook, Paul Denman and Stuart Matthewman—left the group to form their own band called Sade. After various demos and performances, Sade received interest from record labels and signed to Epic.
Lovers Rock is the fifth studio album by English band Sade, released on 13 November 2000 by Epic Records. The album was titled after a style of reggae music known as lovers rock, noted for its romantic sound and content, which frontwoman Sade Adu listened to in her youth. Lovers Rock was seen as a departure from the band's previous use of jazz elements, opting instead for a wider use of musical elements from soul music, R&B, soft rock, folk music, dub, reggae, neo soul and lovers rock. The album's production has been characterised as spare, with simple arrangements and reggae flourishes. A concept album, the lyrics focus on both the positive and the negative sides of love; the album's lyrical content also touches upon political themes.
"No Ordinary Love" is a song by English band Sade, released in September 1992 as the lead single and opening track from their fourth studio album, Love Deluxe (1992). The song is written by lead singer Sade Adu and Stuart Matthewman, and was a success in Europe and New Zealand. It reached number four in Italy, number 17 in New Zealand, number 19 in Finland and the Netherlands, number 20 in France and number 26 in the UK. In January 1993, the song peaked at number 15 in Canada and number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100. When re-released in May 1993, "No Ordinary Love" reached a new peak of number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and number 21 in Australia. In the accompanying music video, directed by Sophie Muller, Sade Adu plays a mermaid who wants to be a bride.
"By Your Side" is a song by English band Sade from their fifth studio album, Lovers Rock (2000). Written by Sade Adu, and produced by her and Mike Pela, it was released as the album's lead single in the United States on 3 October 2000 and in the United Kingdom on 6 November 2000. The track was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards in 2001. The music video for the single was directed by Sophie Muller. In 2002, the song was listed as the 48th greatest love song of all time by VH1.
"Kiss of Life" is a song by English band Sade from their fourth studio album, Love Deluxe (1992). It was written by Sade Adu, Stuart Matthewman, Andrew Hale and Paul S. Denman, and produced by the band and Mike Pela. The song was released as the album's third single in 1993 by Epic Records. It reached number 44 on the UK Singles Chart and number 78 on the US Billboard Hot 100, while becoming Sade's seventh top-10 single on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, peaking at number 10. It also received significant airplay on smooth jazz radio stations. Albert Watson directed the music video for the song.
"Your Love Is King" is a song by English band Sade from their debut studio album, Diamond Life (1984). The song was written by Sade Adu and Stuart Matthewman, and produced by Robin Millar. It was the album's lead single in the UK, released in January 1984, and the third single in the US, released there circa June 1985.
"When Am I Going to Make a Living" is a song by English band Sade from their debut studio album, Diamond Life (1984). It was released on 14 May 1984 as the album's second single. It was written by Sade Adu & Stuart Matthewman, and produced by Robin Millar.
"Smooth Operator" is a song by English band Sade from their debut studio album, Diamond Life (1984), and was co-written by Sade and Ray St. John. It was released as the album's third single in the United Kingdom as a 7-inch single with "Spirit" as its B-side, and as a 12-inch maxi single with "Smooth Operator" and "Red Eye" on side A and "Spirit" on side B. Released on 28 August 1984, it reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Hang On to Your Love" is a song by English band Sade from their debut studio album, Diamond Life (1984). It was written by Sade, and Stuart Matthewman, and produced by Robin Millar. It was also released in September 1984 as the album's first North American single and fourth single overall.
"Cherish the Day" is a song by English band Sade from their fourth studio album, Love Deluxe (1992). It was released as the album's fourth and final single in the United Kingdom on 19 July 1993. The music video was written and produced by Sade, followed by the co-writers Andrew Hale, and Stuart Matthewman.
"Paradise" is a song by English band Sade from their third studio album, Stronger Than Pride (1988). It was released in May 1988 by Epic as the album's second single. It is Sade's most successful track on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, peaking at number one for one week. The single also reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 21 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. Its music video was directed by Alex McDowell. "Paradise" is often considered one of the band's signature songs, alongside "Smooth Operator" (1984), "The Sweetest Taboo" (1985), and "No Ordinary Love" (1992).
Soldier of Love is the sixth studio album by English band Sade, released on 5 February 2010 by Epic Records. Following the release of Lovers Rock (2000), the band went into a 10-year hiatus. In 2008, the band regrouped in order to begin work on their sixth album, making it the first time each member had been together. The recording of the album primarily took place at the Real World Studios in Box, England, with additional sessions at El Cortijo in San Pedro de Alcántara, Spain. The album's recording began in 2009 and was completed in the summer of that year.
"Soldier of Love" is the first single and title track from Soldier of Love by the English band Sade. It premiered worldwide on 8 December 2009, and it was released on iTunes digitally on 12 January 2010. It was also the band's first new material in almost ten years, preceding their long-awaited sixth studio album of the same name which was released worldwide on 8 February 2010. The song was number-one on the Billboard Adult R&B. The song debuted at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming the band's highest debut on the chart. It peaked at number 52, making it the band's highest-peaking single on that chart since 1992's "No Ordinary Love".
English band Sade have released six studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, two extended plays, 23 singles, six video albums, 20 music videos, and have achieved four top 20 singles on the main chart of both the US and the UK.
"Never as Good as the First Time" is a song by English band Sade from their second studio album, Promise (1985). It was released as the album's third single and contained a vocal intro not included on the original album version, as well as a slightly different vocal mix. The song reached number 8 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart and number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Stuart Colin Matthewman, also known as Cottonbelly, is an English songwriter, record producer and musician. With Sade Adu, Paul S. Denman, and Andrew Hale, he gained worldwide fame as the guitarist/saxophonist of the band Sade. Stuart is also a member of Sweetback, and was one half of Twin Danger.
"The Moon and the Sky" is the third single from English band Sade on their sixth studio album, Soldier of Love. It was released on 24 August 2010.
"Is It a Crime?" is a song by English band Sade from their second studio album, Promise (1985). It was written by Sade Adu, Andrew Hale and Stuart Matthewman, and produced by Robin Miller. The song was released as the album's second single by Epic Records.
