Sade Adu (pronounced Shah-day) is an English and Nigerian singer and songwriter born on January 16, 1959 in Ibadan, Nigeria as Helen Folasade Adu. Sade is a jazz, pop, urban and adult contemporary vocalist, noted for her soulful, smoky contralto. She achieved success during the 1980s and 1990s as the frontwoman and lead vocalist of the popular English group Sade. Sade Adu was born as the daughter of a Nigerian father and English mother. After the separation of her parents, she came with her mother at age four to Clacton-on-Sea. She studied fashion design in London and worked as a model until she entered the music business in 1980. She initially was the vocalist for two UK funk groups, Arriva and Pride, before launching the group that bears her name with an appearance on the Channel 4 variety show The Tube in 1984. Sade has also appeared in films such as Absolute Beginners (1986), to the soundtrack of made contributions, and on the Brazilian soap opera Um Anjo Caiu do CĂ©u. In 1997 she was sentenced in absentia to jailtime in Jamaica for reckless driving. After a six year pause, during which time she was caring for her daughter Ila, she released a new album in 2000 and took a tour in 2001 throughout the USA.
Sade was awarded a Grammy for the album Lovers Rock in the "Best Pop Vocal Album; for solo artists, duos or groups" category on 27 February 2002. Besides Sade Adu as the vocalist, the group also consisted of Stuart Mathewman (guitar and saxophone), Paul S. Denman (bass), Andrew Hale (keyboards), and Paul Cook (drums).
