Born Helen Folasade Adu on January 16th, 1959 in the city of Ibadan, capital of Oyo State in Nigeria.
Her father Adebisi was a economics professor and her mother Anne
Hayes was a nurse. They met in London and soon got married. Her parents had their first child, Banji, in London and then they moved to Ibadan where Sade was born.
Her neighbours in Ibadan insisted on calling her Sade instead of Helen.
When Sade was four her parents separated and she and her older brother moved with their mother to Essex in London's north end. They stayed with Anne's parents for a while, then moved to Holland-on-Sea when her mother, Anne, remarried.
Sade's introduction to music came in 1980, when she auditioned for a latin ensemble called ARRIVA.
Though her tenure with the group was short-lived, she produced "Smooth Operator" with a fellow band member.
A year after her ARRIVA audition, Sade found herself
auditioning for another group called PRIDE.
Though she initially failed the auditon, she later accepted an invitation to join them when the group found that they had no candidate who was more qualified.
She started with the group as a background vocalist, but it wasn't long before Sade was collaborating with saxophonist Stewart Matthewman and wowing crowds with her captivating performances as the band's frontwoman.
In 1983, EPIC records expressed interest in Sade.
Sade convinced EPIC that "Sade" was more than merely her name, but also the name of the group including her, Stewart Matthewman, Andrew Hale and Paul Deman.
The group's first album, Diamond Life, was released in Europe in 1984.
Although it was slated never to be released in the United States, when the album was released in the U.S., it was already on it's second single, "Smooth Operator", and the response in the US
was extremely positive.
Sade exhibited a rare blend of actual talent and beauty.
Diamond Life spent a phenomenal eighty-one (81) weeks on the charts.
Sade, 1985's best new artist at the Grammy Awards was dubbed by the media "The First Lady of Cool".
After the release of Diamond Life, Sade continued to astound her critics and draw millions of fans worldwide.
All four of Sade's albums have placed in the Top Five on Billboard's charts, and have sold more than 28 million copies worldwide.
Sade blends disparate styles of music with grace, poise and beauty.
Possessing a cool elegance and shrouded in mystery, she has managed to remain in the public's consciousness while only producing an album every several years.
Sade's songs have become modern classics, and are a testimony to the timeless quality and passion of their work.
Sade's next single "By Your Side" from the new Album Lovers Rock, will be released in the UK on October 30, 2000 and is expected elsewhere on November 14, 2000
Sade will perform the song "By Your Side" from her upcoming album at the MOBO Awards (UK) on Wed. Oct 4, 2000.
The event will be broadcast on Channel 4 (UK) on Thurs Oct. 5, 2000
Shopping
They met in London and soon got married. Her parents had their first child, Banji, in London and then they moved to Ibadan where Sade was born.
auditioning for another group called PRIDE.
