Diamond Life

Diamond Life
Diamond Life
Studio album by Sade
Released	16 July 1984
Recorded	October–November 1983
Studio	Power Plant (London)
Genre	Smooth soul; sophisti-pop;
Length	44:31
Label	Epic
Producer	Robin Millar
Sade chronology
Singles from Diamond Life
	"Your Love Is King"; Released: January 1984; "When Am I Going to Make a Living"; Released: May 1984; "Smooth Operator"; Released: August 1984; "Hang On to Your Love"; Released: September 1984 (US);

Diamond Life is the debut studio album by English band Sade, released in the United Kingdom on 16 July 1984 by Epic Records and in the United States on 27 February 1985 by Portrait Records. After studying fashion design, and later modelling, Sade Adu began backup-singing with British band Pride. During this time Adu and three of the original members of "Pride"—Paul Anthony Cook, Paul Denman and Stuart Matthewman—left the group to form their own band called Sade. After various demos and performances, Sade received interest from record labels and signed to Epic.

Recording for the album began in 1983 at Power Plant Studios in London and took six weeks to complete. The album's content was written by the group Sade and the production was handled by Robin Millar. Fifteen songs were recorded. The album contained a variety of musical elements including soul, jazz and sophisti-pop, mostly with love lyrics. The album spawned four singles, including "Your Love Is King" and "Smooth Operator".

Diamond Life received widespread acclaim from music critics and it was also a commercial success, winning the 1985 Brit Award for Best British Album. The album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart and number five on the US Billboard 200, and has been certified multi-platinum in both countries. Diamond Life sold over 10 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the top-selling debut recordings of the era and the best-selling debut album by a British female vocalist, a record that stood for 24 years.

^ Terich, Jeff (24 April 2014). "10 Essential Sophisti-pop albums". Treble. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 712.
^ "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 25 August 1984. p. 20. ISSN 0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 712.

[1] Terich, Jeff (24 April 2014). "10 Essential Sophisti-pop albums". Treble. Retrieved 19 November 2018.

[2] "Great Rock Discography". p. 712.

[3] "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 25 August 1984. p. 20. ISSN 0265-1548 – via World Radio History.

[4] "Great Rock Discography". p. 712.

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