A British band, Sade were formed in 1982 under the name of their vocalist Sade Adu and originally served as the supporting act for her own band Pride which she created with Stuart Matthewman and Paul Spencer Denman.

After touring with the Pride for a while, this band received more attention from the media and record companies than the Pride and the two groups finally separated. Sade were then signed to Portrait Records and released their first U.K. single "Your Love Is King" which became one of the British 1984 Top 10 hits.

For their U.S. fans, they picked up "Hang on to Your Love" with a debut album "Diamond Life" following a year later. A newbie at that time, they won Best Album at BPI Awards and was nominated for Best New Artist at MTV Video Music Awards.

"Promise" was their next treatment. While its predecessor could only peak at No. 5 on Billboard Hot 200, this sophomore set ruled the U.S. albums chart and reigned three other albums chart in the country and across the pond. Their success continued when they were named Best New Artist at Grammy Awards in 1986, the same year when they embarked on their first world tour.

For a third album, Sade came out with "Stronger Than Pride" in 1988. It reached No. 7 on Hot 200, becoming their third record to crack the list's Top 10. Also, it successfully got a notable debut on various albums charts outside the United States.

This band returned to invade the U.S. with "Love Deluxe" four years later. After getting nominated for the Grammys but failing to bring home any trophy post Best New Artist win, they finally grabbed another statuette as Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group, thanks to the album's lead single "No Ordinary Love" which also became a soundtrack for movie "Indecent Proposal".

In 2000, Sade released another album "Lovers Rock". Like its predecessors, it also made a notable debut on various charts, including Billboard Hot 200, but failed to crack the U.K. Albums chart's Top 10. Following a tour across the U.S. the next year, they dropped a live album called "Lovers Live".

"Soldier of Love" was Sade's sixth studio album and their first release since "Lovers Rock". Commenting on the long wait, Sade herself said, "I only make records when I feel I have something to say. I'm not interested in releasing music just for the sake of selling something. Sade is not a brand."

After avoiding spotlight for around 10 years, they hadn't lost their strong fansbase. The comeback album debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. albums chart, bowing with 502,000 copies. It continued ruling the chart for two more consecutive weeks, pulling around a total of more than 897,000 copies in the country.