In their 27-year career, British R&B group Sade, international stars since the release of their debut album Diamond Life (1984), has avoided collaborative ventures, particularly duets for lead singer Sade Adu.
After turning down a request to work with Drake last year, Sade had explained: "I’ve never collaborated because I’ve always avoided working outside my safety zone – I can be exactly who I am and can fail or succeed within the moment. I feel safe working like I do. I wouldn’t want to work in a situation where I am expected to deliver, because I think I wouldn’t deliver."
However, after meeting Jay-Z last September at a New York benefit hosted by mutual friend Alicia Keys, the 52-year-old Nigerian has made an exception for the group’s latest greatest hits collection.
As a follow up to their platinum-selling Soldier of Love, which spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard album chart and won a Grammy, Sade is releasing The Ultimate Collection in May. In addition to classic Sade songs, the album will include three new, never-before heard songs including Moon & The Sky featuring Jay-Z.
This week, Sade also announced the second leg of their summer tour, with Grammy winner John Legend, kicking off June 16.
Sade has enjoyed phenomenal success both internationally and stateside. The band has seen all five of their studio albums land in the Top 10 on Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart selling a total of more than 50 million albums worldwide to date.