AOL live US webchat 14.11.00 aol: aol live would like to welcome international superstar sade. be sure to check out her us web site, www.sadeusa.com, and her uk web site, www.sade.com. she is chatting with us today about her new album, "lovers rock." welcome, sade! sade: it's good to be here, and to really be speaking to the people who really listen to the music. it's the first time for me, it's an event. be careful and be kind. aol: so... where have you been for the past several years? we've missed you! sade: i've been -- just after our last tour, i just took a break -- and waiting for the right moment to start out again. i [became] a mother, and i needed to be there for some time on a daily basis. you know, i just waited for the right moment so i could put myself completely into the new work. and it took a long time, i know. aol: is there a track from the new album you're particularly pleased with or proud of? sade: there all different personality, each song has its own personality or atmosphere. it's hard to separate one from another, and it's important. and when i am singing live, it's the time it's most clear to me which are my favourites, when i have to stand and deliver. aol: had you ever dreamed of the success, which started with "your love is king"? sade: no, i didn't have any kind of objective view of what was coming to me. and all i wanted to do on my own ambition at the time was make right songs with the bands that would come out on vinyl. that was my ambition. aol: whose music do you listen to when you relax? what's in your cd player right now? sade: cesaria evora, mercedes sosa, al green, aretha franklin, gregory isaccs, van morrison, q-tip. aol: of all the songs you've written, which is your favorite, and why? sade: i don't really have a favorite. and i can't say why. :) it depends on my mood. i don't listen to them; i listen to the songs when we sing them onstage. aol: who inspires you to be who you are today, and why? sade: there's not one person who inspires me. many people have given me something in my life -- musicians, artists and people. and i aspire to their greatness, people who i love and respect. not one particular person is my inspiration. aol: will you be touring anytime soon? sade: we're talking about touring, but so far there are no firm plans by when and how we are going to go about it. but i do want to sing onstage again. aol: what holiday gifts would you like this year? sade: i prefer a surprise. what do you have in mind? LOL aol: what will your new year's resolutions be? sade: what new year's resolutions? andrew's here, and he suggested be nicer to my band. aol: frythe o'leary asks: when did you first get your start as a performer, and do you have any advice for those who are trying to break through in today's music world? sade: i started out not really as a singer -- somebody i knew in the band asked me to help them out because they knew i loved music, and i knew i could sing. my advice would be to try and do best what you know how to do best, rather than be like anyone else. aol: a stephen m asks: hi, sade! my name is segun. like you, i have got a nigerian father and a european mother. what i am really interested in is, do you feel more african or more european? do you have any relations to nigeria? thank you in advance. sade: i still keep links with my family in nigeria. i have a relative named segun. i can't really split myself in that way. i don't question that i am both, because i am both, so i don't question. i feel comfortable with both. aol: slimtim81 asks: will 'lovers rock' be your last album? sade: i hope not. LOL. i can't imagine myself just stopping. 'cause i require it, to do what i do to feel complete. aol: club hilow asks: sade, do you have any plans to do movies? sade: no, no acting projects, but our next video, i'm going to be performing more as another person than me. aol: one lady day asks: sade, how much of an influence would you say, if any, was the music of billie holiday on you and your style? sade: so is billie holiday two lady day? lol. well, i loved her expression. i loved how she expressed herself, and how she persevered in the climate at the time, and at the time when it wasn't easy to be a black singer. she wasn't afraid to be who she was. and she didn't compromise in any way. aol: carterjeff78 asks: hi, sade. my favorite track on the new disc is "immigrant." i was wondering what the story is behind that track's lyrics. sade: when i was quite young, not so long ago, my mother told me about how when she and my father were first living in london. the man at the corner store didn't want to touch his hand when he gave him his change. he would place the money on the counter. and the song is like a photograph of that time, of when my father came to england, like a photograph in my memory, and how it was for him and his contemporaries. aol: monz mail asks: how has becoming a mom inspired your music? sade: i think it inspired me as a person. you have to be strong as a mother, and you look at yourself through your child's eyes. and you can become more of the person you want to be when you do that -- they remind you. children remind you of who you want to be. aol: swiftj 26 asks: did matthewman, hale and denman work on this latest album with you? did they write many of the songs? sade: they always contribute to the songs. we wrote the album together. we always write the songs together, although i write the lyrics. aol: mj14323117 asks: what do you do for fun? sade: umm... i play with my little girl. i make music. i like to dig in my garden, just to be in the element. i like to watch people from the distance in the middle of the city. i like to watch people. i love to dance. aol: where was the most recent video filmed? i am such a fan of it. is there a story behind its meaning? sade: it was filmed in la, in a studio, apart from the very end, which is the streets of la. and sophie muller's concept was -- after our time away as a band, having collected things on our journey through life's experiences, made an album and brought it to the world -- that was her idea. aol: loislayna asks: do you intend to continue singing for years to come? or are there other things you'd like more to pursue in life? sade: no, i still think i have a long way to go as a songwriter and a singer, because you grow all the time and you never stop learning and developing. i'd like to continue to pursue my own life and singing, because singing is part of my life. aol: do you have any closing comments? sade: it's nice to make a direct connection, and i'll be back online another day soon, 'cause i'm enjoying this! it's nice to make this connection with you all. aol: aol live would like to thank sade for chatting with us today about her new album, "lovers rock." for more information on sade, check out her us web site at www.sadeusa.com and her uk web site at www.sade.com. copyright 2000 america online, inc. all rights reserved.