Sade Adu
biography, Soldier of Love, Lovers Rock and Best of CD


Added on February 1, 2010
New by Sade: Soldier of Love, Sony, February 2010. Order the CD from Amazon.com, Amazon.de, Amazon.co.uk. - Sheet music by Sade Adu.
 
Article added on January 2001
Sade Adu is one of the distinctive voices in pop music. She has developed her unique, inimitable style which sets her apart from the average pop singer. Sade was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, in 1959. She is the daughter of a Nigerian economics professor and an English nurse. After her parents' divorce, she grew up in Colchester, Essex, England, where she moved with her mother when she was four. At the age of seventeen, she began to study fashion at St. Martin's School of Art. She also worked as a photo model.
 
In 1980, Sade became a member of the Latin-funk group Arriva. She began to write her own songs. Her first title was Kisses From The Kama Sutra. Together with the guitarist of Arriva she wrote Smooth Operator, which later became one of her biggest hits. In 1981, Sade switched to background vocal singer in the London funk band Pride. Rapidly, she became a fixed member of the band and began to compose together with the group's saxophonist Stuart Matthewman. For two years, she toured with Pride. In 1983, she separated from the band. Matthewman, Paul Denman and Andrew Hale followed her. Together with the drummer Paul Cook, they intended to form a new band. The soul-jazz-pop quintet made its debut at Ronnie Scott's Club in 1983. The then Pride-manager Lee Barrett had invested £8,000 in the project. In 1984, Sade signed with Epic Records. The contract guaranteed her £60,000 and 14% of the record revenues. The rest of the band had to deal with Sade - that was an usual deal in the record business at the time.
 
Already in February of 1984, Sade had a hit with the single Your Love Is King. In the UK a #4, in the US a #54. Four weeks later, Sade began to record her debut album. In May, the single When Am I Gonna Make A Living was released and made it to #31 in the UK. The album Diamond Life was released in July (UK#1, USA#5, D#1). The record stayed in the British charts for 98 weeks and sold over six million copies worldwide. The single Smooth Operator was another hit (US#5, UK#18, D#11). In 1985, Diamond Life was awarded the prize for Best British Album of 1984.
 
Sade's second album, Promise, was released the same year and was another success (US#1, UK#1, D#2). The singles Sweetest Taboo (UK#26, US#5, D#28), It Is A Crime (UK#43, D#57) and Never As Good As The First Time (US#20, D#65) also made it into the charts. The debut album's recipe had hardly been changed, irresistible sweet and soulful music. After a world tour, Sade moved to Spain. In 1987, she acted in the movie Absolute Beginners. She was not only featured in the role of singer Athene Duncannon, she also contributed the song Killer Blow to the film.
 
In 1988, her album Stronger Than Pride was released (US#7, UK#3, D#4). After a pregnancy leave, Sade had produced it almost all on her own. The title song Stronger Than Pride (UK#44, D#51) as well as the singles Paradise (US#16, UK#29, D#21) and Nothing Can Come Between US also sold relatively well. Again, she went on a world tour. In 1989, she married the music producer Carlos Scola. But the marriage broke up within a few months and plunged the singer into a deep depression.
 
In 1992, her album Love Deluxe with the singles Feel No Pain (US#56) and No Ordinary Love (UK#26, US#28, D#43) was released. It was her weakest album so far, but the song No Ordinary Love was later used in the film Indecent Proposal with Robert Redford, Demie Moore und Woody Harrelson. Since then, fans had to wait for new songs by Sade. In 1994, the Best of was released.
 
Although one misses the catchy tunes of former releases on Sade's new album, Lovers Rock (Sony, November 2000), her femininity and sensuality still set her apart in a music scene which almost completely lacks these qualities. Lovers Rock may not be sensational, but it is still an enrichment. The newly released and remastered Best of CD by Sade is a must for fans and all the people who are not familiar with her former albums and hits. Only here, her singing deploys all its magic. It is not without reason that a lot of people used to make love and conceive children while listening to her dreamy, soulful melodies. - Sheet music by Sade Adu.