Sade: why the soul icon still fascinates so much

Introduction

For those who do not know the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, located in Cleveland, Ohio, here is a little history on an institution that has become as important to the world of music as Hollywood Boulevard is to the world of cinema. That’s saying something.

We are at the beginning of the 1980s. Rock is then a major style, and the idea germinates in the head of a producer, Bruce Brandwen: to make a television show which would dedicate icons of the years 1950-1960, to film their performances, to award them prizes and to sell the all in pay-per-view (pay to watch). The show was to be called The Kings and Queens of Rock and Rollbut becomes The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the instigation of an advertiser.

In short, the show is transformed into an annual ceremony (the first having taken place in 1986) and a museum, opened in 1995 and designed by Ieoh Ming Pei, which contains complete documentation on the history of rock.

Each year, those selected are honored in a space specially dedicated to them, within the Cleveland Museum itself. To be eligible, their first recording must be at least 25 years old – the artist must have had a notable influence on the history of rock (and over the years on music).

La partie heavy metal au Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

There are four categories: “Performers” (performers), “Non-Performers” (off-stage artists), “Early Influences” (pioneers) and, since 2000, “Sidemen” (performers). support”). A committee made up of music historians establishes an initial list by category, then experts (academics, journalists, producers or people with experience in the music industry) vote.

Sade, first woman of African origin inducted

As you can imagine: whoever says rock’n’roll says rather… “male”, unfortunately. During the first edition, no women were part of the selection. No women either in 1992, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2016 – whatever the category. Diversity, whether linked to gender, geographical origins or musical style, has come a long way.

At the beginning, the inductee was rather an Anglo-Saxon man (United States, England). It is only over the decades that diversity has been introduced into the selections.

To name just a few, here are the female artists who have received this distinction: Aretha Franklin (1987), The Supremes (1988), Bessie Smith (1989), Tina Turner (1991 and 2021), Dinah Washington (1993), Mahalia Jackson (1997), Billie Holliday (2000), Nina Simone (2018), Go-Go’s (2021), Sylvia Robinson (2022) and Missy Elliott (2023).

Even if this list is notorious, it is infinitely reduced compared to men, while many women could have accessed such a reward. Until 2024, the share of inducted female performers represented only 8.4%. Fortunately, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame evolves with society.

In 2026, six women were part of the selection: Sade Adu (Sade) and Gillian Gilbert (New Order) in the performers category, Celia Cruz (“The Queen of Salsa”, first Latin American woman to be inducted), Queen Latifah and MC Lyte for the Early Influence Award, and Linda Creed for the Musical Excellence Award.

It’s a bit the same thing when we wonder about the origin of artists. If we exclude theIN‰United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, the share of women and men not belonging to these countries is 7%.

The presence of Sade Adu this year is therefore quite a symbol, like that of Celia Cruz and Fela Kuti – it was about time.

A unique vocal and musical signature

Born in 1959 in Nigeria, proud of her African origins, Sade Adu arrived in England at the age of three, following her parents’ divorce. First turned to fashion as a stylist then a model, the young woman allowed herself to be seduced by music, which took her into the light. In 1982, she founded and joined the soul/jazz group Sade.

From the start, the band imprints a musical and vocal signature. Neither exclusively pop, jazz or soul, their sound embodies a fusion of all these styles. Sade’s music is sophisticated and minimalist, like the soft, hushed and elegant voice of his performer.

With his group, Sade Adu has never sought to be fashionable or ride on often ephemeral trends. Above all, she wants to offer a universe, an atmosphere. She never pushes her voice like many of her sisters: the artist wants her to be restrained, discreet, with few ornaments but terribly expressive, touching, enveloping.

Sade Adu’s interpretation – awarded by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – is a reflection of the style she created with her friends: a sensual, refined, subtle R’n’B – the quiet storm. Less is more, say the Anglo-Saxons. And the singer understood it well.Â

Finally, at a time when artists must be everywhere, show themselves in order, they tell themselves, not to fall into oblivion, Sade Adu has always favored discretion – allow around ten years between each album. Since 1984, she has produced six records, the last dating from 2010.

For her, quality takes precedence over quantity. This discretion and rarity have created a certain mystery around the singer, especially since she does not shy away from collaborations, even artistic ones – never duets, for example. It is only twice that Sade has participated in film scores (Flower Of The Universe pour A shortcut in time et The Big Unknown pour The widows). But that doesn’t stop him from having a career worthy of the name.

A career crowned with success

From the start, success was there. In 1984, his first album, Diamond Lifecardboard. Carried by the tubeSmooth Operatorthe record sold ten million copies, and the awards rained down: a Brit Award for best album in 1985, then a Grammy Award for best new artist – here the best, in this case – in 1986.

The following opuses follow the same trajectory: Grammy for best R’n’B performance by a duo or group with vocals for No Ordinary Love (1994), Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album for Lovers Rock (2002), Grammy for R’n’B performance by a duo or group with vocals for Soldier Of Love (2011). In the extra-musical field, Sade Adu received two distinctions from the Queen of England.

In all, the interpreter of By Your Side sells more than 60 million albums worldwide – and that in just six records. Despite the rarity of the productions, the audience is still there, decade after decade. In a rapidly evolving market,Soldier of Lovethe latest studio album to date, still reached three million sales, proving the lasting success of the group.

All of their albums have entered the Billboard 200 and reached the Top 10 – Diamond Life et Promise in first place. The American music channel VH1 has also ranked Sade at 50^e place of the 100 greatest artists of all time.

A notable influence on music

Many musical figures recognize Sade’s major contribution. In rap, for example, many samples have used his sounds. On Radio France, Tim Levaché from Movement makes an edifying assessment: “Sampled by virtually all American rap, from Freddie Gibbs to MF Doom to LL Cool J, Joey Bada$$, Snoop Dogg, Mac Miller, Nispey Hussle, Mobb Deep, Drake and many others […]Sade has quite simply become one of the most sampled groups in the history of American rap, and has continued to obsess artists who have become icons of this music.« 

« Whether sampled, quoted or interpolated, that is to say replayed in the studio, the group’s music has been present for decades in French rap, and continues to live on today through its offerings. In the 90s/2000s, it was Sniper who sampled Sade on Stone ThrowerATK on What are you becoming?sample of Jezebel also used by Expression Direkt on Nothing Bathesor even Myth Syzer for its first placement in 2010 on Vodka Redbulltitle of La Fouine“he continues.â€

Artists like Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, The Weeknd and Maxwell readily cite Sade as an influence. Because the singer and her band have reinvented soul and R’n’B, while opening the door to neo soul.

What emerges when artists speak about her is this quiet power, this voice that immediately cuts through. She can be away for a long time, but always stays on top. Sade Adu is unique, and there will never be another like her.

Through his constant trajectory based on an artistic and musical identity – and not on a fashion, Sade Adu has created in 40 years a musical heritage inscribed in the history of contemporary world music. It is this artistic coherence and this longevity which make his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame an absolute no-brainer.