Helen Folasade Adu, known professionally as Sade Adu (pronounced Shah-day) is a Nigerian-born English singer and songwriter. Born January 16, 1959 in Ibadan, Nigeria, Sade is a renowned jazz, pop, urban and adult contemporary vocalist, noted for her soulful, smoky contralto. She has achieved success in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s as the frontwoman and lead vocalist of the popular English group Sade.

Sade Adu is the second child born to her father, Bisi Adu, who was a Nigerian Lecturer in economics and her mother, Anne Hayes, who was an English nurse. At age four, after the separation of her parents, she came with her mother and brother Banji, to Clacton-on-Sea in Essex.

She studied fashion design at St. Martins College in London. In 1980 she entered the music business and joined a band called Arriva at the same time she was also working during the day as a fashion designer and designed clothes for Spandau Ballet. Then in 1981 she joined the jazz-funk group Pride, and began writing with the group's saxophonist, Stewart Matthewman, who along with Andrew Hale and Paul Denman became the founder members of the group Sade. They made their debut at Ronnie Scott's in 1983, and landed a record deal the same year, releasing "Your Love is King" in 1984. Sade has also appeared in the film Absolute Beginners (1986), where she made contributions to the soundtrack, and on the Brazilian soap opera Um Anjo Caiu do Céu. In 1997 she was sentenced in absentia to jailtime in Jamaica for reckless driving. After an eight year pause, during which time she was caring for her daughter Ila, she released a new album in 2000 and took a tour in 2001 throughout the USA.

Sade was awarded a Grammy for the album Lovers Rock in the "Best Pop Vocal Album; for solo artists, duos or groups" category on 27 February 2002. Besides Sade Adu as the vocalist, the group also consisted of Stuart Mathewman (guitar and saxophone), Paul S. Denman (bass), Andrew Hale (keyboards), and Paul Cook (drums).

Discography

Albums

• Diamond Life (Epic, 1984) (4x Platinum) #2 UK, #5 US
• Promise (Epic, 1985) (4x Platinum) #1 UK, #1 US
• Stronger Than Pride (Epic, 1988) (3x Platinum) #3 UK, #7 US
• Love Deluxe (Epic, 1992) (4x Platinum) #10 UK, #3 US
• Remix Deluxe (Epic, 1992) (Japanese)
• The Best of Sade (Epic, 1994) (4x Platinum) #6 UK, #9 US
• Lovers Rock (Epic, 2000) (3x Platinum) #18 UK, #3 US
• Lovers Live (Epic, 2002)Gold) #10 US

Singles

• "Your Love Is King" (1984) #6 UK, #54 US (1985 release)
• "When Am I Going To Make A Living?" (1984) #36 UK
• "Smooth Operator" (1984) #19 UK, #5 US (1985 release), #1 US Adult Contemporary
• "The Sweetest Taboo" (1985) #31 UK, #5 US, #1 US Adult Contemporary
• "Is It A Crime?" (1986) #49 UK
• "Never As Good As The First Time" (1986) #20 US
• "Love Is Stronger Than Pride" (1988) #49 UK
• "Paradise" (1988) #29 UK, #16 US, #1 US R&B
• "No Ordinary Love" (1992) #14 UK, #28 US
• "Feel No Pain" (1992) #56 UK
• "Kiss of Life" (1993) #44 UK, #78 US
• "Cherish The Day" (1993) #53 UK
• "By Your Side" (2000) #17 UK, #75 US
• "King of Sorrow" (2001) #59 UK

Video compilations

• Life, Promise, Pride, Love (Sony/Columbia, 2000)
• Sade - Live Concert Home Video (Sony/Columbia, 2001)
• Sade - Lovers Live (Sony Music Entertainment, 2006)

See also

• Best selling music artists

External links

• Official record company site
• http://www.cosmopolis.ch/english/cosmo13/sade.htm
• AskMen.com - Sade
• Sade at the Internet Movie Database
• Ryan Waters, Sade guitarist's site
• Johnny's Hause- Fan Site

1959 births | Living people | British jazz singers | British models | Music from London | Nigerian musicians | Officers of the Order of the British Empire | People of Nigerian heritage | Rhythm and blues musicians | Rhythmic Top 40 acts | Smooth jazz

Sade Adu | Sade Adu | Sade Adu | Sade | Sade Adu | Sade Adu | Sade | シャーデー | Sade Adu | Sade (banda) | Sade Adu | Sade