(1959-)

Who Is Sade?

In the early 1980s, Sade signed with Epic Records and recorded her first album, Diamond Life, in 1984. A huge hit thanks to such singles as 'Smooth Operator,' the album won Sade a Best New Artist Grammy, and her subsequent multi-platinum albums established Sade as a top-selling soul and pop artist.

Profile

Sade was born Helen Folasade Adu on January 16, 1959, in Ibadan, Nigeria. Raised in London by her English mother, Sade developed several interests as a teen, including singing, fashion design and modeling. She sang with a few local bands before signing with Epic Records and recording her first album, Diamond Life, in 1984. A huge hit in her native England, the album also had mass appeal across the pond thanks to such singles as "Smooth Operator." In 1986, she won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

Sade's subsequent multi-platinum albums, Promise, Stronger Than Pride and Love Deluxe, established her as a top-selling soul and pop artist. She took a new route with her 2000 album, Lovers Rock, which was released eight years after Love Deluxe and incorporated a more mainstream sound. The record, and particularly the chart-topping single, "By Your Side," helped her win over new audiences. Two years later, the album and ensuing tour inspired her first live recording, Lovers Live. Sade returned to the studio and released her sixth album In February 2010, Soldier of Love.

Sade married Spanish filmmaker Carlos Scola in 1989; the couple divorced three years later. In 1996, she and Jamaican record producer Bobby Morgan had a daughter, Ila Morgan.

QUICK FACTS

Name: Sade
Birth Year: 1959
Birth date: January 16, 1959
Birth City: Ibadan
Birth Country: Nigeria
Gender: Female
Best Known For: Sade is a singer who struck a cord around with world in the 1980s with sultry, soul-inspired songs like 'Smooth Operator.'
Industries

Astrological Sign: Capricorn
Nacionalities