Jade

Formed in Chicago in 1991, Jade belongs to early-1990s American R&B, positioned between new jack swing, hip‑hop soul and vocal harmonies inherited from soul. The trio—Joi Marshall, Tonya Kelly and Di Reed—first emerged with “I Wanna Love You,” released on the Class Act soundtrack in 1992. That same year they issued the album Jade to the Max, which established an urban, melodic sound, propelled by tracks such as “Don’t Walk Away,” “One Woman” and “Looking for Mr. Do Right.” In 1993 Jade also appeared on the live album BET’s Listening Party. Their second album, Mind, Body & Song, came out in 1994 and shows the group taking a more direct role in writing and co-production, with songs like “5-4-3-2 (Yo! Time Is Up)” and “Every Day of the Week.” Jade then contributed to the collective track “Freedom” for the Panther soundtrack in 1995, before a period of slowdown and separation. The name Jade resurfaced sporadically over the years, with a comeback in 2014 and renewed stage appearances in the 2020s, extending the trajectory of a group committed to the R&B aesthetic of its era.