As a teenager Sade worked in several part-time jobs, including as a waitress and a bike messenger, but inspired through her love of the likes of Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Gil Scott-Heron, Marvin Gaye and Al Green, she devoted all of her free time to music. She went to London to become a fashion design student at St. Martin's College Of Art which let to her being involved in a show in New York in which some of her work was featured. It was tied in with Spandau Ballet's first U.S. appearance. However, her musical passions quickly overtook her budding fashion career and shortly after her return to London she went along to an audition and was soon performing as one of three vocalists in an upcoming jazz-funk collective known as Pride.

Early in 1984, Pride evolved into a group bearing the name of it's lead singer and main songwriter, Sade. Joining her in this new band were former Pride members, Stuart Matthewman (sax and guitar), Andrew Hale (keyboards) and Paul Spencer Denman (bass). Their instrumental and compositional talents brought additional form and color to Sade's words and melodies, providing a solid base for her natural vocal charisma. The team would continue to play and write together for the next decade.

"Diamond Life" Sade's 1984 debut album, was preceded by her first single "Your Love Is King," which was a Top ten hit in the U.K. and across Europe. The single and the album were to many people, including myself, like an oasis in a desrt of triteness. The album later spawned two more chart hits, "Smooth Operator" and "Hang On to Your Love". Diamond Life received the British Phonographic Institute's 1985 'Best Album' award, while Sade netted the Grammy for 'Best New Artist'. Across the pond, The New York Times's reviewer, Stephen Holden, called it "the year's most impressive debut album." In total "Diamond Life" spent 81 weeks on Billboard's album charts! It is STILL the all-time best-selling debut by a British female singer! Soon afterwards Sade made her film debut in Julien Temple's "Absolute Beginners", performing the song "Killer Blow," which she co-wrote.

"Promise", Sade's second album, showed the critics that Sade were no one hit wonders. It produced the hit singles "The Sweetest Taboo," "Never As Good As the First Time," "Jezebel" and "Is It A Crime" which moved quickly to the Number One position on the American pop and R&B charts! "Promise" also further established Sade, not particularly willingly, as a much sought- after media figure. Her social conscience spurred her to speak on many issues. I remember being saddened at her speaking out strongly against the then Conservative government. Of course I realise now that she was right.

After touring for eight months in Europe, the Far East and the U.S, including New York's Radio City Music Hall and shows for Live Aid and the African National Congress, she took a much-needed sabbatical from public life. To escape the glare of publicity, Sade moved from London to Madrid. Once, in a rare interview, she was asked if it was actually a myth that she was a shy, reclusive Diva. She smiled and said, "I'm a diva, of course. But I'm not shy, or reclusive. I just spend my time with 'people', rather than journalists."

"Stronger Than Pride" was released in 1988 and ended her self-imposed exile. This was the first Sade album to be completely produced and arranged by the vocalist and her band. It featured songs like "Nothing Can Come Between Us", "Love Is Stronger Than Pride" and "Paradise". Sade spent most of 1988 on the road, playing to packed house in Europe, Australia, Japan and her first full-scale arena tour of the US. Those shows found the singer and her band performing at new peaks of confidence and intensity. Upon returning from the road, Sade bought and virtually rebuilt an old house in London and constructed the basement studio where she and the guys began to work on what would become Sade's forth hit album.

"Love Deluxe", released in November of 1992, was welcomed as Sade's most adventurous and ambitious effort to date, uncompromising in the emotional honesty and musical integrity of such numbers as "No Ordinary Love," "Kiss of Life," "Like A Tattoo," "Cherish The Day" and "Pearls." Love Deluxe ended up spending a remarkable 90 weeks on the Billboard charts and was followed by another highly successful touring in the US, Europe and Japan. At the same time even more people were being converted into Sade fans thanks to the prominent use of "No Ordinary Love" in one of that year's most controversial movies, 'Indecent Proposal'.

"The Best Of Sade", was a fantastically successful 'Greatest Hits' package. The finest examples of Sade's awesome talent collected blended together in one album proved an irresistible attraction to music lovers all over the world. This compilation, which boasted sixteen of Sade's greatest performances, drawn from her four multi-platinum Epic releases, was a HUGE success. This was 'despite' of the high sales of her first four albums, which had ALL hit the Top Five on Billboard's Pop and R&B charts, sold more than eleven million copies in the U.S. and more than 27 million worldwide. Plus Sade's singles, such as the Top Five Pop smashes "Smooth Operator" and "The Sweetest Taboo" and Top Ten R&B hits like "Never As Good As the First Time," "Nothing Can Come Between Us," "No Ordinary Love," "Kiss of Life" and the #1 R&B entry "Paradise", had all become modern standards. Most fans who own the first four albums will admit that they ALSO own "The Best Of Sade"! Perhaps they bought it because it also contained "Please Send Me Someone to Love," previously only available on the soundtrack album of the Denzel Washington film "Philadelphia".

"Sade Live", a live recording of a 1993 concert VHS, was released on VHS at the same time as "The Best Of Sade". It was an amazing 90-minute, 17-song concert video that managed to capture the magic of being at a 'Live' Sade event. It was eight years before we were blessed with another Sade album... but WOW! It was certainly worth the wait!

"Lover's Rock" was THE album of 2000! It will probably turn out to be one of the best sellers through 2001 as well! The first single from the album, "By Your Side", sounded as much of a reassurance to her loyal fans, as it was to the love of her life.

STOP PRESS: on February 26th, sade will be releasing 'King of Sorrow', the second track to be taken from her critically acclaimed album 'Lovers Rock'. Sade will be performing this track on the Parkinson show in the uk, which airs on February 24th. Sade has been nominated for a Brit award in the 'Best British Female Solo Artist' category. The awards will be shown on uk tv on Monday 26th of February.

Check the official site soon for new exclusives including the brand new video for 'King of Sorrow', news of the fantastic new remixes and a brand new interview.
http://www.sade.com

PLUS two Sade videos are now available on the amazing new medium of DVD.