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Show Sade Adu Brasília – October 2011. Photo by Julio Lopes- Wikimedia commons

Top 10 Fun Facts about Sade

Helen Folasade Adu CBE (born 16 January 1959), professionally recognized as Sade Adu or simply Sade (/de/ shah-DAY), is a Nigerian-born British singer best known as the lead vocalist of her iconic band. She is widely regarded as an impact on contemporary music and is one of the most successful British female artists of all time.  

Her achievements in the music industry were recognized in the United Kingdom with an Officer of the Order of the British Empire award in 2002, and she was made Commander in the 2017 Birthday Honours.

1.Sade’s move from Nigeria to the United Kingdom at a young age

Sade was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, and raised in Essex, England, until the age of four. Before joining the band Pride in the early 1980s, she schooled at Saint Martin’s School of Art in London and acquired moderate acknowledgment as a fashion designer and part-time model.

She created the band Sade after grabbing recognition as a performer, and signed a record deal with Epic Records in 1983. A year later, the band released Diamond Life, which went on to become one of the greatest albums of the time and the greatest debut by a British female vocalist.

2.Her band had a live performance in shortly after they were well known

Show Sade Adu Brasília – October 2011. Photo by Julio Lopes- Wikimedia commons

Sade performed at the Live Aid charity concert at Wembley Stadium in July 1985, and the following year she appeared in the film Absolute Beginners. Following the release of their third and fourth albums, Stronger Than Pride (1988) and Love Deluxe (1992), the band went on hiatus following the birth of Sade’s child, during which time the singer received lot of media attention for unproven allegations of mental health and addiction issues.

3.Adu’s early childhood and her upbringing

Adu, the daughter of a Nigerian economics professor and an English nurse, was never addressed by her English first name, Helen, in her community. Her parents began referring to her as Sade, a diminutive of her Yoruba middle name, Folasade. Her parents divorced when she was four years old, and she moved to Essex, England, with her mother and younger brother.

4.She was a platinum seller for her outstanding music

She’s sold 50 million copies all around the world, nearly half of them in the United States, and has had a four-decade career, all on her own terms and with little compromise to her sound. During most of which, she has remained out of the spotlight, avoiding the typical press junkets affiliated with the release of a new album.

5.The famous ‘Smooth Operator’ was a best selling song that broke many records

Show Sade Adu Brasília – October 2011. Photo by Julio Lopes- Wikimedia commons

Sade’s breakthrough hit single was “Smooth Operator,” which appeared on the group’s debut album Diamond Life. The song was released in the United States in 1985 and peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Sade’s first Top Ten hit.

Sade and Ray Saint John of the band Pride wrote the song about a high society man living a luxurious lifestyle. “Across the north and south, to Key Largo, love for sale,” one of the lyrics said, implying that the women in his life are also how he makes money.

“His heart is cold,” the final lyrics say, implying that he had no romantic interest in his ladies; a real smooth operator in that sense.

6.Sade had a documentary made about her successful music career

There’s a whole story about Sade’s life beneath the stage throughout a concert that no one has ever seen before. You certainly get a different perspective on Sade than you’ve ever seen before. One of the band members is performing all of the sudden changes beneath the stage. From the outside, it appears to be very stylish and costly cinematic – just quite big and majestic. And underneath the stage, it’s more akin to a school play. Everyone is running around, bumping into each other, and attempting to change.

7.Not only does she sing but she acts as well

Sade made her acting debut in 1986 as Athene Duncannon alongside David Bowie in Absolute Beginners, a musical rock film based on Colin MacInnes’ novel. She also sang “Killer Blow” for the soundtrack of the film. The film was initially a flop, but it later became a cult classic, owing primarily to the soundtrack.

8.The band did not release songs for 8 years and still took other long breaks after that

Show Sade Adu Brasília – October 2011. Photo by Julio Lopes- Wikimedia commons

After an eight-year hiatus, the band reformed in 1999 and released Lovers Rock in 2000. The album deviated from their previous work’s jazz-inspired mannerisms, showcasing softer sounds and pop combinations. The band then went on another long break, not releasing new music for ten years until the release of Soldier of Love.

After the release of that album, the band went on a third extended break, and have only released two songs since (“Flower of the Universe” for the soundtrack of Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time, and “The Big Unknown” for the soundtrack of Steve McQueen’s film Widows).

9.Sade had one of her biggest year as an artist in 2001

Sade ventured on an extremely successful world tour in 2001, portions of which were featured on Lovers Live (2002). Sade’s first album of original material in a decade found the band incorporating new instrumentation and rhythms while maintaining the smooth vocals that had defined it since the 1980s.

Soldier of Love (2010)’s Grammy-winning title track implemented martial beats and rough guitars, and reviewers applauded the trip-hop and reggae inspirations that coloured Sade’s signature style heartfelt tunes.

After another long break, Sade contributed the song “Flower of the Universe” to the A Wrinkle in Time film soundtrack (2018). In 2002, she was assigned an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and in 2018, she was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

10.She was on the cover of Essence Magazine in 2001

Sade is a very  introverted person who has featured on both the front and back covers of a special edition of Essence magazine in March 2001. In broad terms, she tries to avoid the media and only gives interviews on rare occasions. Sade has noted, “Of course, I’m a diva, but I’m not shy or reclusive; I just prefer to spend my time with people rather than reporters.”