In Celebration of Sade
Chanté Joseph celebrates the timelessness of one of the UK's most iconic artists, ever, Sade.
SadeLIFE Photo Collection
Helen Folasade Adu—known by the unforgettable stage name Sade—is a timeless British artist. Even four decades into her career, she is seen as a muse for some of the biggest artists today, from Drake to Beyoncé.
SadeLIFE Photo Collection
Sade first forayed into the creative world through fashion design in the early '80s, having moved from Essex to London to study at Saint Martin’s School of Art.
SadeLIFE Photo Collection
As a regular partygoer at some of London’s most eccentric and evolving clubs, she built up friendships that turned into clientele with famous faces who desperately sought after her designs.
SadeLIFE Photo Collection
Music slowly became a priority for Sade when she began performing as a backup singer with the Latin-funk band Pride. At the time, music was merely a 'hobby' for Adu; she initially declined the invitation to join the band, but later changed her mind.
SadeLIFE Photo Collection
As a singer with Pride, she began to connect with Stuart Matthewman—the band's guitarist and saxophonist—and the pair co-wrote songs inspired by their mutual love of classic soul.
They soon brought Paule Cooke and Paul Denman in, officially forming a musical side project to Pride. Adu's band soon began opening for Pride, and the adoration received from crowds quickly began to outshine that of the headliner.
SadeLIFE Photo Collection
In 1983, Sade — the band—was officially formed, and they promptly began drawing attention to their sound.
SadeLIFE Photo Collection
Breaking out at a time when electropop music dominated the charts was difficult; Sade's smooth, jazz-soul-pop hybrid sound pushed against the synth-driven records of the day, but they were determined to be heard.
SadeLIFE Photo Collection
Despite the trends, the undeniable hype the band created made them of great interest to labels who saw how influential they were.
SadeLIFE Photo Collection
Sade was not only a talented artist but a sharp businesswoman; unphased by the greed of the music industry, she was determined to be signed on her terms which meant prioritising her band, producer and ownership.
She soon signed with Epic Records and the band released their first album, Diamond Life, in 1984. Their debut was a dreamy ode to love that infused jazz, soul and pop in nine timeless tracks and, of course, was a roaring success.
SadeLIFE Photo Collection
The group sold 10 million copies worldwide, quickly becoming one of the best-selling albums of its time.
SadeLIFE Photo Collection
Diamond Life also broke records as the best-selling debut album by a British female vocalist—a record held by Sade for 24 years strong.
An icon living, after selling in excess of 100 million records worldwide, Sade and her band are still in the music-making business.
This digital work has been produced in collaboration with PRS Foundation and POWER UP. The article first featured in TRENCH x Union Black's Chapter One: Game Changers zine.
Words by Chanté Joseph
Photography via LIFE
Video by Sade, Barry Grey
Commissioned by TRENCH
