Sade

About Sade

Sade formed in 1982 from members of the Latin soul band Pride, settling into a stable core of Sade Adu on vocals, Stuart Matthewman on saxophones and guitars, Paul Denman on bass, and Andrew Hale on keyboards. The band debuted at Ronnie Scott's Club in London in December 1982 and signed to CBS Records (later Epic) in October 1983. Their debut single "Your Love Is King" hit the UK Top Ten in February 1984, setting the stage for their first album.

Diamond Life arrived in July 1984 and became a multi-platinum presence in both the UK and US, winning the 1985 Brit Award for Best British Album. The single "Smooth Operator" with its Julien Temple-directed video became their first major US hit in spring 1985 and pushed the album into the American Top Ten. That same year, Sade Adu performed at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium, becoming the only African-born artist to appear before the live 75,000-person audience. Their second album Promise followed in late 1985, reaching number one in both the UK and US and earning the band their first Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1986.

Subsequent albums Stronger Than Pride (1988) and Love Deluxe (1992) maintained the band's commercial momentum before an eight-year gap preceded Lovers Rock in 2000, which won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. Soldier of Love arrived in 2010 and became the first Sade album to debut at number one on the US charts since Promise, winning a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group. As of 2014, worldwide sales exceeded 75 million units, and the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2026. The Groove Hunter currently tracks 8 editions across titles including Diamond Life, Promise, Love Deluxe, Lovers Rock, Soldier Of Love, and multiple best-of compilations.