Sade has explored love’s complexities through some of R&B’s most timeless songs. Born Helen Folasade Adu in Ibadan, Nigeria, and raised in England, she rose to prominence in the early ’80s with her eponymous band. Sade’s earliest tracks, such as “Your Love Is King” and “Smooth Operator” (from 1984’s Diamond Life), showcased her velvet-rich vocals and her ability to seamlessly mix R&B, jazz and soul; subsequent albums like 1985’s Promise and 1992’s Love Deluxe continued in that vein, delivering more quiet-storm staples such as “The Sweetest Taboo” and “No Ordinary Love”. 2000’s Lovers Rock brought a range of different styles into the fray, and featured the folk-tinged “By Your Side” and the reggae-infused title track. Never one to follow trends, Sade has approached her output like a true perfectionist, waiting 10 years before releasing 2010’s Soldier of Love and another eight before contributing “Flower of the Universe” to the 2018 soundtrack to Ava DuVernay’s A Wrinkle in Time. In 2024, she released “Young Lion”, a heart-rending tribute to her transgender son.