A very special What's In The Box for Valentine's Day, as we spotlight Helen Folasade Adu, the iconic lead singer of the band Sade.
Sade Adu was a model turned singer when she began backup singing for the British band Pride, where she formed a songwriting partnership with guitarist/saxophonist Stuart Matthewman, and the two began performing the song "Smooth Operator", with bassist Paul Denman, and drummer Paul Cook. The popularity of the group blew up and joined by keyboardist Andrew Hale, they would form the band Sade. The group would sign with Epic Records and powered by "Smooth Operator", their debut album Diamond Life, reached the top ten in the US, and became one of the top-selling debuts of the '80s.
Their second album, Promise, which peaked at number one, and went four times platinum, as the single "The Sweetest Taboo," was so popular radio stations began adding songs to their playlist, so the single "Is It a Crime" would hit so big that it garnered a video to follow "The Sweetest Taboo". The band won a Grammy for Best New Artist, and Sade made her acting debut in Absolute Beginners.
Sade would follow their success with their third album, Stronger Than Pride, which went three times platinum, powered by the song "Paradise" and their 4th album Love Deluxe peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, and went four times platinum. The single "No Ordinary Love" would get heavy airplay on MTV and the Love Deluxe tour would see the group pack the biggest arenas across the globe.
The band would go away again, this time for 10 years, until their 6th album, Soldier of Love, was released, and debuted atop the Billboard 200. At the 53rd Grammy Awards they won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
To say that Sade Adu is one of the most iconic voices in the history of music is an understatement. Her voice and her music have become synonimous with love, romance, heartbreak and heartache, and the band would be one of the most successful groups to span decades of time. To continue to not only remain relevant on the pop scene decades after their debut, Sade's legacy is that of one of the greatest R& B bands of all time.
A very Happy Valentine's Day via the sexiest voice of all time.