Why being a reclusive artists like the legendary Sade would never work for artists in today’s times.

What exactly is a reclusive artist? Is it someone who only puts out music on their time? Or is someone who is particular about their craft and sends out music when they feel the project is complete? Sade is one of the few artists who can be reclusive and be embraced when she decides to grace us with her music.

She is a savvy business woman who has invested her money so she never has to work again. She negotiated 14% royalties (which is unheard of) verses the cash advance most new artist opt to receive from Epic records at the beginning of her career, which is no small task. Sade’s music is timeless and has been sampled by many artists such as LL Cool J’ s “Papa Luv it” which sampled “Is it a Crime”, Dwele and Slum Village “Keep On” which sampled “Paradise” and Angie Stone’s “Everyday” which sampled “Sweetest Taboo”. Even though she hasn’t put out an album in over 4 years she has sold out every concert venue she has performed, becoming one of Billboard top selling artist at number six just two slots down from Lady Gaga.

Sade is a gem and not a lot of artist can afford to be reclusive as she has; artists have to stay relevant to survive financially. She has manage to capture a younger audience within the last couple of years due to her collaborations on her last album with Jay Z and Kanye West. Artist such as Sade are rare and today’s artist cannot follow her path because they aren’t original and there’s always someone in the background waiting to take their place. If an artist can hold their own and coin their craft then maybe we would have better music and have anticipation for the next project.