Sade

The New Yorker described Sade's voice as a "grainy contralto full of air that betrays a slight ache but no agony, and values even imperfect dignity over a show of pain", a "deeply English" quality that makes categorizing the artist's voice difficult. Her voice was described by the BBC as "husky and restrained" and compared to singer Billie Holiday. BBC called her songwriting "sufficiently soulful and jazzy yet poppy, funky yet easy listening, to appeal to fans of all those genres."

In May 1983, Sade performed their first US show at the Danceteria nightclub in New York City. On 18 October 1983, Sade Adu signed with Epic Records. Following the record deal, the group began recording their debut album, Diamond Life, and it was released on 16 July 1984. In 1986, Sade made her acting debut in Absolute Beginners.Sade's third album, Stronger Than Pride, was released on 3 May 1988. In March 2018, she released the acoustic ballad "Flower of the Universe" for the soundtrack to the Disney film A Wrinkle In Time.