If you grew up listening to hit songs like “Smooth Operator” and “Sweetest Taboo,” you’ll definitely know the musical legend Sade Adu.
Sade Adu is a British-Nigerian singer who is known for her grace and unmistakably soothing voice. Her sultry, soul-inspired songs struck a chord around the world in the 80s and 90s.
The four-time Grammy Award winner turned 60 yesterday, January 16, 2019. To honour her, let’s take a look back at her life and times.
Early Life
Helen Folasade Adu was born on January 16, 1959, in Ibadan, Nigeria, to Adebisi Adu, a Nigerian lecturer in economics, and Anne Hayes, an English district nurse.
At the age of 4, Sade’s parents separated. Her mother, Anne Hayes, then returned to England, taking Sade and her older brother Banji with her to live with their grandparents near Colchester, Essex.
When Sade was 11 years old, she moved to Holland-on-Sea, Essex, to live with her mother. After completing her education at Clacton County High School at age 18, she moved to London and studied fashion design at Saint Martin’s School of Art.
Career
Sade began backup singing with the British band Pride after completing three years of coursework in fashion design and modelling. During this time, she formed a songwriting partnership with Pride’s guitarist/saxophonist Stuart Matthewman; together, backed by Pride’s rhythm section, they began doing their sets at Pride gigs.
Her solo performances of the song “Smooth Operator” attracted the attention of record companies, and in 1983, Sade and Matthewman split from Pride, along with keyboardist Andrew Hale, bassist Paul Denman, and drummer Paul Cook, to form the band Sade.
Following the release of the band’s debut album, they went on to release a string of multi-platinum-selling albums. Their follow-up, Promise, was released in 1985, peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200, and went on to sell four million copies in the US.
Sade would later go on to make her acting debut in the British film Absolute Beginners (1986) before the release of the band’s albums, Stronger Than Pride (1988) and Love Deluxe (1992). After the release of the fifth album, Lovers Rock (2000), the band embarked on a ten-year hiatus during which Sade raised her daughter.
Following the hiatus, the band returned with their sixth album, Soldier of Love (2010), which became a commercial success and won a Grammy Award.
Awards
Her first album, Diamond Life, was a best-selling debut by a female vocalist, and it sold over six million copies.
Her album Promise got multiple platinum certifications in the United States and Europe. In 1986, the album also got her band the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
She also won three more Grammys in 1994 for her song ‘No Ordinary Love,’ in 2002 for ‘Lovers Rock,’ and in 2011 for ‘Soldier of Love.’
In 2002, Sade was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to music.
In 2017, she was promoted to Commander of the same Order (CBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours, also for musical services.
In 2018, Sade returned to the music scene when she released a song titled “Flower of the Universe” for the movie “A Wrinkle in Time.”
Sade is said to have an estimated net worth of $70 million.
Personal Life
In 1989, Sade Adu married film director Carlos Pliego. Their marriage ended in 1995. Sade moved briefly to the Caribbean to live with Jamaican music producer Bob Morgan in the late-1990s, but they later separated.
During her relationship with Morgan, Sade gave birth to Mickailia, now known as Izaak, on 21 July 1996. Sade has been in a relationship with a former Royal Marine since 2007, and from this relationship, she has a stepson.
Her son, Izaak Theo Adu, came out as a transgender man in 2016.
