Shadowing Practice: Sade ~ E! interview 1992 ~ Arthel Neville - Learn English Speaking with Video

Four albums and a string was touring scheduled.

The sultry singer was plagued by excessive media attention and decided to take some time off.

But her hiatus didn't hinder her talent.

In fact, Sade's latest release, Love Deluxe, may be her best work to date.

This is no ordinary love.

No ordinary love.

This is no ordinary love No ordinary love Sade has a reputation for being understated,

which may explain why it's easier to get to know her through her music.

From the beginning, her lyrics have reflected on love and relationships.

A fan of funk, folk,

and flamenco, Chade gives the impression of having grown up around music all her life.

But when we sat down with her at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, she told us otherwise.

My mother deprived me.

We had about three records in our house.

I didn't grow up surrounded by music.

I was surrounded by strange instruments.

My mother was a nurse and we had this room in our house that had all these strange medical instruments.

She was like the district nurse, the nurse of the town, something that I grew up in.

But no musical instruments.

My father was a real soul and jazz freak.

and I didn't I wasn't brought up by him

but it's just I spent some time with him and

when I was with him we sort of spent hours of going through his dusty record collection

and getting excited

and selecting our tunes he was my DJ my dad did

he have a name I mean you know like a DJ

name no his name is good enough he he's called BC he would have

that would have been a good on-air name I think DJ BC.

I do BC, I do.

Okay, exactly.

Now, how did you get Sade, the name Sade?

Well, I was christened Helen Foller Sade.

And my Nigerian family, because I had my first few years in Nigeria, there's no way they're going to call me Helen.

It's an English name, you know.

So they just refused.

They decided that I was Sade, so I've always been Sade.

Now, I knew it was Helen, but I didn't realize Sade was actually a part of that.

Yeah.

Now, you were talking about the town where you grew up and with your mother, and I understand that you and your brother were the only colored kids in the neighborhood.

Did you have a lot of trouble because of that?

No, not really, because the attitude was really cool towards us.

I think we were a bit of a curiosity, you know, when we arrived there.

You know, people came to have a look at us, you know, check us out and touch us, talk to us, see if we smell like the rest.

But it was a kind, it was a, people were inquisitive, you know, they weren't prying, you know, they were fascinated.

and they accepted us, you know, as we were.

You know, I had a pretty good childhood and it was a good place to be.

It was a quite small town, village really, and we were the nurses' kids.

Your new album, Love Deluxe, is unmistakably chardé.

There I go with the R, chardé, which is excellent, by the way.

Were you concerned, though, having set out for four years, that what sold then may not have been a hit now?

I didn't really contemplate that because, you know, we were just thinking, let's make another album and just make it how it feels right.

and then with the like people may like it

and people may not

but that's not really the main objective is to make a piece of work

that you feel as proud as you can you know of

your own work why did you sit up for four years

well well partly I had to pursue a life was we'd been on the roll for quite a long time

and I think you just sort of you drift around in this sort of strange fantasy world and

sometimes you just need to get back

and live your life in order to really want to carry

on with what you do I need to just to get away but

when the rumors surfaced oh she had a nervous breakdown there's

the battle with drugs didn't you want to come out and say, hey, look, I'm okay?

Um, no. I think that you could put, you get too angry.

I think the more you defend yourself, the more frustrated you get.

So if you try and divorce yourself from the situation and just, well, you know who you are, you know, remember who you are,

and then you can carry on a reasonably normal life.

But you sit here and you say that and you're so calm when you say that, but are you saying that it didn't hurt you at all?

Oh yeah, yeah, I've been hurt, you know, just like the rest.

I'm easily hurt, but I think it's like a defense mechanism.

It's like there's different ways, you know.

I'm one of those people, I'm very calm, but when somebody winds me up, as an English expression, you know, when somebody makes me angry,

I blow my fuse and I explode.

And I have to avoid doing that, basically, and sit back and just sort of try and cut myself off and just say that you know who you are, Sade.

You know what's right about yourself.

You know what's bad about yourself, what's good about yourself, and then just cut the rest off.

Otherwise, you just can't stand on a soapbox and scream, you know, understand me.

People, you just have to wait in time people will

and in time people believe the right things that's part of the celebrity of it all

yeah having your life kind of unfold yeah yeah

or the fantasy of your life not necessarily the the reality

because you're i think your life in particular i think

because of your music people expect a lot of exotic things taking place at all times in your life

and you probably are

have a fairly regular normal day-to-day life or do you no not really

but i never have i don't think that's anything to do

with my fame i think some people are just sort of

chosen to be uh i don't know to have a fairly

sort of adventureful life you know ever since i was young

i've sort of lots of things have happened to me

and it's not a very tranquil calm life that i have but

i don't know if that's i don't think that's necessary to do with me being famous it's just

I was the one picked, you know, to have the trouble, the excitement.

So do you get bored easily?

No, but I don't think I, I wouldn't like to be bored, so I don't let myself get bored, you know.

If there's a problem, I'm either, I'm involved with it, you know, so.

I don't explain that very well.

So that means, so then, I don't know, this is my read on this, that you do get bored.

You cannot stand to be bored, so you make sure you're always doing something.

100

Yeah, I think I create action.

101

If there's no action, I would create it.

102

When Xtreme Close-Up returns, shot A, firefighter?

103

I wouldn't leave.

104

I'd stay in the inferno until I was fully laid out.

105

Welcome back to Xtreme Close-Up.

106

E's half-hour interview show with Sade.

107

I read an article, I think a long time ago, on you that said you don't mind going unadorned.

108

Do you wear makeup only when you have to?

109

Oh, no, I'm the sort of person to put makeup on.

110

If my house was on fire, I'd quickly put a bit of makeup on it.

111

I wouldn't leave.

112

I'd stay in the inferno until I was fully made up.

113

And when they say in the hotel, damp the towel and put it over your head and crawl, I'd wrap mine around like Elizabeth Taylor.

114

No, I'm not the naked face type, really.

115

That's pretty funny.

116

So, in case of an emergency, it's like, let me grab nothing, your first aid kit, but my makeup bag.

117

I'm not the oxygen mask on the airplane.

118

I'm not going to put that on my face and mess up my lipstick.

119

I'm going down.

120

But you're going to look good.

121

Yes.

122

Remember me this way.

123

Yeah, but I'm sitting here close, right next to you, and you don't look like you have a lot of makeup on anyway, so don't believe anything she's talking about.

124

But you do wear disguises sometimes, I understand.

125

Tell me about the Wendy wig, and what happened when you went to Disneyland.

126

Yeah, well, it's my alter ego, Wendy.

127

and Wendy has really thick glasses with thick black frames and then she has a fringe of dead straight black hair,

128

quite shiny and she's quite shy and she won't talk to anybody and when people come up to her and say,

129

you look a lot like Sade she goes, who's Sade?

130

Wendy doesn't know anything but no, it's just like my way if I have to go somewhere that's really, really crowded

131

then it's just pointless to go as me

132

because you know the long queue waiting Disney World with my niece

133

and it's like it's not good for her

134

because then the attention is taken away from her you know it's her day

135

and he right now now on the subject of wigs

136

and fashions and dressing up I understand that you once uh designed men's fashions

137

but now is it true that you don't particularly have to wear designer clothes yourself,

138

and in fact, you're not necessarily fond of going shopping.

139

No, I don't like to shop, because I get this sort of, I get delirious in shops.

140

You know, I start sort of wandering around.

141

I don't know if you've seen any of Romero's films,

142

you know, Zombie Dawn of the Dead or Zombie Flesh-Eating Monsters or something.

143

I feel like as soon as I walk into a supermarket, I'm intoxicated or into a department store.

144

I can't concentrate so i'm just not a good shopper i was much better

145

when i was younger do you like to dress up your house though

146

because you have your house in in london you just redid i understand

147

or recently redid well it was i got quite involved with the reconstruction of it

148

because it was a real crumbling uh ruin

149

but there's very little furniture in it at the moment there's

150

like one room with everything in it with my whole life

151

in it then the rest of the house is empty

152

and um so sort of drift around in this empty house

153

because i haven't had the opportunity to do anything about it and

154

it's like i'd rather make the music than buy furniture to

155

be honest with you i'd rather get involved with the band

156

and what i do um the studio is really well equipped

157

and that's it in the basement yeah somebody um there's one place you know i go there a lot

158

and somebody once said to me a friend of mine said you should take your vitamins

159

because i i don't i don't have a particularly healthy diet

160

and you should take vitamins every day how can you make yourself do

161

that leave them in the bathroom and then you'll overlook them

162

so she went down into the basement

163

and she put them on the floor in the middle of the hallway into the studio

164

so that i'll definitely see them and I'll definitely take them.

165

It's like the one place I'll always go is down there.

166

It's the one well-equipped part of the house.

167

Next up on Xtreme Close-Up, Sade on the bare necessities.

168

It's something that we require and which makes life more magical.

169

Welcome back to Xtreme Close-Up, E's half-hour interview show with Sade.

170

I gave you all the love I got, I gave you more than I could give.

171

I gave you love.

172

You sing a lot about having love and then losing it.

173

It's slipping through your fingers.

174

Is that the way it usually works for you?

175

No, I don't think so.

176

I think that I sing about different aspects of love, really.

177

I don't really think that there are all the love songs are sad love songs or melancholic Right, but some of them are and so I just ask you,

178

I'm picking out those because I ask you if that happens Well,

179

love is elusive Love is not easy to stay in that state but I think it's something that we require

180

and which makes life more magical.

181

I found your perspective on marriage quite interesting, and that is, who's to say that the person we marry or are with now,

182

who's to say that we are the same people, or they are going to be the same people ten years from now?

183

So that whole idea of being together forever.

184

Yeah.

185

Yeah, I mean, I think it's possible, and it's possible to love somebody forever.

186

I don't know if it's possible to stay with that person forever, but I believe in love.

187

But I think when two people are together, even friends, it's not so much the individuals who change, it's the perspective of the other person.

188

It's like you see somebody, not necessarily for what they are, you have your own version of them.

189

And then that version changes because you get to realize that there's a different perspective.

190

You're seeing them for what they are.

191

Are you realistic about who you are?

192

You know what I mean?

193

No. I don't think so.

194

No?

195

No, I don't think I have a good perspective of myself particularly.

196

Although I don't dislike myself.

197

I'm reasonably comfortable with me.

198

So what is that perspective that you have of yourself?

199

Well, I'm full of contradictions, you know.

200

I'm very calm, but I'm very angst.

201

I'm very untidy but I'm very tidy.

202

I'm very easy but I'm very angry on lots of things.

203

But the several sides of Sade are learning with time to live with each other.

204

Do you ever feel sort of anxious because you really sometimes need to get angry with someone or about something

205

there's a side of you that really wants to maintain peace?

206

Yeah, but I think sometimes in order to get peace you have to just be honest.

207

And sometimes it's better to get angry in order to...

208

Otherwise I always think that if you keep something back from somebody, it's like each time you hold something back or it's like a lie or it's like a brick wall.

209

And every time you do that, you put another brick in the wall and then you block them out completely.

210

So I believe in the truth, being really honest.

211

Now, you were with your husband Carlos for four years before you guys decided to get married.

212

And then you got married and then the relationship ended.

213

That's sort of ironic, isn't it?

214

Yeah, it is.

215

Yeah.

216

But it happens like that.

217

Yeah.

218

So I see my next question goes back to one of the questions I asked you before, and that is, what sort of man do you usually fall in love with?

219

But you won't even give me three of those characters, please?

220

Yeah.

221

No. I don't want you to have my formula.

222

You're going to get the ones that I want.

223

Oh, honey, they want you.

224

Trust me.

225

I can pull my hair back and I can try, but they want you.

226

So give them to me.

227

Are you as romantic and sultry as your music?

228

Well, I've got a bit of a strange notion of, you know, romance.

229

I think you can't really describe romance, what is romantic, because as soon as you do, then you demystify it and it's no longer magical and romantic.

230

So, I mean, I don't think particularly sending flowers or holding hands and walking down the Champs-Elysees in Paris is particularly romantic,

231

you know, because it's like a course that we have all trodden, you know, at some point, or, you know, it's like a code.

232

I can't say what I think is romantic, but there is romance in me.

233

Next up on Extreme Close-Up, The Secrets of Sade.

234

I sing about it, you know.

235

but I don't talk about it so much.

236

Welcome back to Extreme Close-Up, E's half-hour interview show with Sade.

237

To use the title of one of your songs, do you have a bulletproof soul or has it been pierced?

238

No, I don't have a bulletproof soul. So it's been pierced?

239

Um, yes, yes.

240

It makes you uncomfortable?

241

No. I wouldn't really want to be another way.

242

You know, I think that in life when the letdowns make like the foundation for the high points,

243

you know, I've got quite a lot of faith.

244

You do? in life, yeah.

245

And I think that you can never expect, you know, you'll be such a dull person and your life will be

246

so dull if things were always good and things were always easy.

247

And I think that definitely the low points make the high points more visible.

248

Then before we go, I know all of your songs are not about the pains, that pain that goes along with love.

249

But to talk about that, though, surely there's a lot of pain.

250

And that doesn't mean, though, you have not given up on love, and I'd imagine you wouldn't suggest to us that we give up on love.

251

No, never give up on love.

252

It's definitely the food of life.

253

So you're still okay on it, obviously.

254

Yeah, I'm happy.

255

but i mean you haven't given up on love is what

256

i'm saying oh no no i never give up on love

257

even though we know it hurts it sometimes yeah you get very uh uh uncomfortable

258

and very quiet when we start talking about this i sing about it you know

259

but I don't talk about it so much.

260

No. I think a lot of what I feel, what I think, goes inside the songs.

261

Is it easier for you to express yourself through your music than through podcast?

262

Yeah, I think so, yeah.

263

I think music, also for me,

264

music, other people's music, helps me express what I feel, you know. And that's me.

265

I always think if I hear a sad song, it's good for the soul, because even if you don't feel sad at the time,

266

it overwhelms you, and then you exercise any grief you might have hidden inside of you.

267

So I always think it's positive.

268

And then happy songs just make you feel up there somewhere.

269

So I think music's a good way of communicating and giving expression.

270

Well, I'll say, and I know I speak for a lot of people, then keep on communicating because we love you.

271

All right.

272

Thank you.

273

Thank you.

274

Nice to meet you.

275

You too.

276

Thank you.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 276 sentences and 3234 words to shadow. The speech runs for 21:04. The speaker talks at a natural 154 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

romantic /ɹoʊˈmæn(t)ɪk/ (adjective) — Fantastic, unrealistic (of an idea etc.); fanciful, sentimental, impractical (of a person).
bore /boɹ/ (verb) — To inspire boredom in somebody.
ordinary /ˈɔɹdɪnɛɹi/ (adjective) — Having regular jurisdiction; now only used in certain phrases.
nurse /nɝs/ (noun) — Anyone performing this role, regardless of training or profession.
necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/ (adverb) — Inevitably; of necessity.
romance /roʊˈmæn(t)s/ (noun) — An intimate relationship between two people; a love affair.
instrument /ˈɪnstɹəmənt/ (noun) — A device used to produce music.
magical /ˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪ.kəl/ (adjective) — Of, relating to, or by means of magic.
thick /θɪk/ (adjective) — Relatively great in extent from one surface to the opposite in its smallest solid dimension.
furniture /ˈfɝ.nɪ.t͡ʃɚ/ (noun) — Large movable item(s), usually in a room, which enhance(s) the room's characteristics, functionally or decoratively.
brick /ˈbɹɪk/ (noun) — A hardened rectangular block of mud, clay etc., used for building.
communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/ (verb) — To impart or transmit (information or knowledge) to someone; to make known, to tell.
uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/ (adjective) — Not comfortable; causing discomfort.
basement /ˈbeɪsmənt/ (noun) — A floor of a building below ground level.
reasonably /ˈɹiː.zən.ə.bli/ (adverb) — In accordance with reason.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

close up /kləʊzˈʌp/ (verb) — To close (remove a gap) completely or fully.
talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
grow up (verb) — To mature and become an adult.
stay in (verb) — To remain at home.
dress up (verb) — To put on special or fancy clothes.
bring up (verb) — To mention.
carry on /ˈkæɹi ˈɑn/ (verb) — To take baggage or luggage onto an airplane, rather than check it.
come out /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ (verb) — To be discovered; to be revealed.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 107 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: reputation /ˌɹɛpjʊˈteɪʃən/, impression /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/, notion /ˈnoʊʃən/, anxious /ˈæŋkʃəs/, reconstruction /ˌɹiːkənˈstɹʌkʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: ordinary /ˈɔɹdɪnɛɹi/, necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/, uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/, reasonably /ˈɹiː.zən.ə.bli/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like romantic, bore, ordinary.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	If there's no action, I would create · If my house was on fire, I'd quickly
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was plagued · being understated · was surrounded
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	have reflected · I've always been · I've been hurt
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	and which makes

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

Grammar in this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?