Sade Adu
Encyclopedia
Helen Folasade Adu OBE (born 16 January 1959; better known as Sade), is a British singer-songwriter
, composer
, and record producer
. She first achieved success in the 1980s as the frontwoman and lead vocalist of the Brit
and Grammy Award
winning English group Sade
.
, Oyo State
, Nigeria. Her middle name, Folasade, means honour confers your crown. Her parents, Adebisi Adu, a Nigerian lecturer in economics of Yoruba
background, and Anne Hayes, an English district nurse, met in London
, married in 1955 and moved to Nigeria. Later, when the marriage ran into difficulties, Anne Hayes returned to England, taking four-year-old Sade and her older brother Banji to live with her parents. When Sade was 11, she moved to Holland-on-Sea
to live with her mother, and after completing school at 18 she moved to London and studied at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
.
While at college, she joined a soul band, Pride, in which she sang backing vocals. Her solo performances of the song "Smooth Operator
" attracted the attention of record companies and in 1983, she signed a solo deal with Epic Records
taking three members of the band, Stuart Matthewman, Andrew Hale and Paul Denman, with her. Sade and her band produced the first of a string of hit albums. Their debut album Diamond Life
was in 1984. She is the most successful solo female artist in British history, having sold over 110 million albums worldwide.
In 2002, she appeared on the Red Hot Organization
's Red Hot and Riot, a compilation CD in tribute to the music of fellow Nigerian musician, Fela Kuti
. She recorded a remix of her hit single, "By Your Side", for the album and was billed as a co-producer.
. In 1989, she married Spanish film director Carlos Pliego. Their marriage ended in 1995. She gave birth to a daughter, Ila Adu, in 1996 after a relationship with a Jamaican musician.
In 2002, she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to popular music. Prior to the release of Soldier of Love
in 2010, the Daily Mail
described her as "famously reclusive".
Studio albums
Other albums
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. She first achieved success in the 1980s as the frontwoman and lead vocalist of the Brit
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
and Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning English group Sade
Sade (band)
Sade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
.
Biography
Sade was born in IbadanIbadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
, Oyo State
Oyo State
Ọyọ State is an inland state in south-western Nigeria, with its capital at Ibadan. It is bounded in the north by Kwara State, in the east by Osun State, in the south by Ogun State and in the west partly by Ogun State and partly by the Republic of Benin....
, Nigeria. Her middle name, Folasade, means honour confers your crown. Her parents, Adebisi Adu, a Nigerian lecturer in economics of Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
background, and Anne Hayes, an English district nurse, met in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, married in 1955 and moved to Nigeria. Later, when the marriage ran into difficulties, Anne Hayes returned to England, taking four-year-old Sade and her older brother Banji to live with her parents. When Sade was 11, she moved to Holland-on-Sea
Holland-on-Sea
Holland-on-Sea is a seaside town in east Essex in the United Kingdom. Located south of the little village of Great Holland and directly north of Clacton-on-Sea, it has bus links to Walton-on-the-Naze and Clacton-on-Sea. It is a short coastal walk down the coastline to Clacton.There are four...
to live with her mother, and after completing school at 18 she moved to London and studied at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. The school has an outstanding international reputation, and is considered one of the world's leading art and design institutions...
.
While at college, she joined a soul band, Pride, in which she sang backing vocals. Her solo performances of the song "Smooth Operator
Smooth Operator
"Smooth Operator" is a song by the English group Sade, released as the fourth and final single from their debut album Diamond Life . It was released as a 7" single with "Spirit" as its B-side, and as a 12" maxi single with "Smooth Operator" and "Red Eye" on side A and "Spirit" on side B...
" attracted the attention of record companies and in 1983, she signed a solo deal with Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
taking three members of the band, Stuart Matthewman, Andrew Hale and Paul Denman, with her. Sade and her band produced the first of a string of hit albums. Their debut album Diamond Life
Diamond Life
-Personnel:*Sade Adu – vocals*Andrew Hale – keyboards*Stuart Matthewman – guitar, saxophone*Paul S. Denman – bass*Paul Cooke – drums*Terry Bailey – trumpet*Pete Brown – assistant engineer*Tom Coyne – remastering*Martin Ditcham – percussion...
was in 1984. She is the most successful solo female artist in British history, having sold over 110 million albums worldwide.
In 2002, she appeared on the Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
's Red Hot and Riot, a compilation CD in tribute to the music of fellow Nigerian musician, Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti
Fela Anikulapo Kuti , or simply Fela , was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick.-Biography:...
. She recorded a remix of her hit single, "By Your Side", for the album and was billed as a co-producer.
Personal life
She squatted in Tottenham in the 1980s, with her then boyfriend Robert ElmsRobert Elms
Robert Elms is an English writer and broadcaster. Elms was a writer for The Face magazine in the 1980s, and has a self-confessed love of clothes and fashion...
. In 1989, she married Spanish film director Carlos Pliego. Their marriage ended in 1995. She gave birth to a daughter, Ila Adu, in 1996 after a relationship with a Jamaican musician.
In 2002, she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to popular music. Prior to the release of Soldier of Love
Soldier of Love (album)
Soldier of Love is the sixth studio album by the English group Sade. It is their first album of original material since Lovers Rock . The album was initially released on 5 February 2010 in Germany, and it was released worldwide on 8 February 2010 and in the United States on 9 February 2010...
in 2010, the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
described her as "famously reclusive".
Sade
- For more details on this topic, see Discography of Sade
Studio albums
- 1984: Diamond LifeDiamond Life-Personnel:*Sade Adu – vocals*Andrew Hale – keyboards*Stuart Matthewman – guitar, saxophone*Paul S. Denman – bass*Paul Cooke – drums*Terry Bailey – trumpet*Pete Brown – assistant engineer*Tom Coyne – remastering*Martin Ditcham – percussion...
- 1985: PromisePromise (Sade album)Promise is the second studio album by the English group Sade. It was released in the United Kingdom on 16 November 1985 by Epic Records and in the United States on 21 December 1985 by Portrait Records....
- 1988: Stronger Than PrideStronger Than PrideStronger Than Pride is the third studio album by the English group Sade. It was released in the United Kingdom on 14 May 1988 and in the United States on 4 June 1988 by Epic Records.-Track listing:...
- 1992: Love DeluxeLove DeluxeLove Deluxe is the fourth studio album by the English group Sade. It was released in the United Kingdom on 11 November 1992 and in the United States on 20 October 1992 by Epic Records.-Track listing:...
- 2000: Lovers Rock
- 2010: Soldier of LoveSoldier of Love (album)Soldier of Love is the sixth studio album by the English group Sade. It is their first album of original material since Lovers Rock . The album was initially released on 5 February 2010 in Germany, and it was released worldwide on 8 February 2010 and in the United States on 9 February 2010...
Other albums
- 1992: Remix DeluxeRemix DeluxeRemix Deluxe is a rare, five-track CD by Sade with remixed versions of some of the group's best songs, released exclusively in Japan in 1992.-Track listing:#"Feel No Pain" – 5:12...
- 1994: The Best of SadeThe Best of Sade- Personnel :* Sade Adu – vocals, producer, arranger* Andrew Hale – keyboards* Stuart Matthewman – guitar, saxophone* Paul S. Denman – bass* Terry Bailey – trumpet* Pete Beachill – trombone* Karl Vanden Bossche – percussion...
- 2002: Lovers LiveLovers LiveLovers Live is the first live album by the English group Sade. It was released in the United States on 5 February 2002 and in the United Kingdom on 18 February 2002 by Epic Records, and was recorded during one of the shows of their Lovers Live Tour in 2001...
- 2011: The Ultimate CollectionThe Ultimate Collection (Sade album)The Ultimate Collection is the second compilation album released by English R&B/soul band Sade. It was released on 3 May 2011. The album includes many singles from the band's long career including the hit singles "Your Love Is King", "Smooth Operator", "By Your Side", "No Ordinary Love" and...