Sade Adu (1959- ), a British R & B singer from the 1980s, turns 50 today! Happy birthday, Sade! May you live to see many more and live to a ripe old age!
In America she is best remembered for singing two songs that came out there in 1985: “Smooth Operator” and “The Sweetest Taboo”. In Britain she is better remembered for “Your Love is King” (1984). She has sold nearly 40 million records worldwide and has won four Grammy Awards.
She is the ninth most beautiful black woman in the world according to this blog. She has an otherworldly look, like a princess from a storybook. That she got married in a castle in Spain does not seem out of place one bit. She has dark brown eyes, light brown skin and long black hair. Her face reminds me of the moon and its beauty for some reason.
She is not just a pretty face that can sing, she also writes songs. She wrote “Smooth Operator” with guitarist Ray St James, who was in her old band, Pride.
She was born Helen Folasade Adu. Her stage name is Sade Adu. Sade, said as “shah-day” or, as Epic Records likes to say, “shar-day”, comes from her middle name. Sade is also the name of her band.
She was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, not far from Lagos. Her father, a professor, is black African – Yoruba, in fact – and her mother, a nurse, is white British. They split up when she was four and her mother took her and her older brother back to England to live.
She grew up in the North End of London. She loved fashion, books, dancing, singing and American R & B: she listened to Curtis Mayfield, Donny Hathaway, Ray Charles, Al Green, Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye. She also liked jazz singers Billie Holiday and Nina Simone.
In 1977 she went to St Martin’s College in London to study fashion design and designed men’s clothes for a time in London’s Chalk Farm. She designed the outfits that the band Spandau Ballet wore on their first American tour. She also got some work as a model.
In 1982 she joined Ray St James’s Latin funk band, Pride, as a backing singer. They sang at nightclubs in London. One of their songs was “Smooth Operator”.
In 1983 she signed a recording contract with Epic and took two of her band mates with her and formed the band Sade. They sometimes record under the name Sweetback. Their last record came out in 2004.
“Smooth Operator” has been covered many times, once as a bossa nova song (not hard to imagine) but even as a death metal song (by Ten Masked Men in 1999). The full video for the song is eight minutes long, showing the story the song tells.
The songs of hers I like the best are “Paradise” (1988 ) and “Feel No Pain” (1992).
She has one daughter, Ila Morgan, born in 1996 to her and Bob Morgan. She was married for a time to Spanish filmmaker Carlos Scola.
– Abagond, 2009.
See also:
- WWSD – What Would Sade Do?
- songs featured on this blog:
- 1984: Your Love is King
- 1984: Smooth Operator
- 1984: Why Can’t We Live Together
- 1986: Is it a Crime
- 1988: Paradise
- 1992: Feel No Pain
- 1992: No Ordinary Love
- 1993: Kiss of Life
- 2010: Babyfather
- 2010: Soldier of Love
- The most beautiful black women
- black father, white mother
- Some songs I like that she probably likes too:
- Billie Holiday: My Man
- Billie Holiday: Strange Fruit
- Nina Simone: Little Girl Blue
- Nina Simone: To Be Young, Gifted and Black
- Marvin Gaye: If I Should Die Tonight
- Marvin Gaye: Come Get to This
- Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell: If I Could Build My Whole World Around You
- Marvin Gaye: Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
- Curtis Mayfield: The Makings of You
- Al Green: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
- Al Green: Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy)
- Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway: The Closer I Get To You
- Donny Hathaway: This Christmas
Wow, Sade’s the big 5-0! And still looks the same as she did when she first emerged on the scene.
She’s defintely one of my all time favorite artists. I really relate to her vibe and her music. I could go on and on about her.
“Feel No Pain” is also one of my all time favorites of her. Matter of fact, that entire Love Deluxe LP is a slice of heaven. Have you ever heard the rapper Krazyie Bone’s remake of “Feel No Pain”, entitled “Hard Time Hustlin'”?
LikeLike
Oh cool. Did not know about Krazyie Bones. Thanks.
LikeLike
Sade is my favorite! She the most beautiful woman in the world because she has such a sleek, classy look. Her figure is incredible and her music is amazing. My favorite is “Love is Stronger Than Pride”.
LikeLike
sade is my love. in fact mere words cannot express the way i love her stlye and patience. she’s a model and a rare gem in our generation. i am so proud of her, because she’s a nigerian like i am. sade my dear, happy 50th birthday. i love you.
LikeLike
Sade does not belong on this list!! She belongs on a list all to her own..
This is the epitome of what class,decency, unbelievable talent and extremely beautiful women looks like. Everything about her is incredible. Saw her in concert live in San Francisco in 1996. Can we say WOW WOW WOW..the kind of audience she can pull of all walks of life is incredible!!!- She looked Incredible as well, what a shape & face.. I can keep going on and on and on.
She clearly looks like a woman of mixed heritage and is perceived as such.
Wish I could meet her, she is my utmost favorite singer of all time and no one comes even close!!!
LikeLike
She is great.
LikeLike
She’s a knockout.
LikeLike
beautiful
LikeLike
Does anyone Know if she has a new album coming?
LikeLike
In June I heard she was in the studio working on an album that will be due out later this year:
http://brownsista.com/sade-is-back-in-the-studio/
LikeLike
Thanks Aba, I such miss her and Lauryn Hill.
LikeLike
Me too, both of them.
LikeLike
M.S. SADE IS A BEAUTIFUL BLACK WOMAN WHO APPEAL TO ORDER MEN , HER SWAVY CREATE A LUST FROM ORDER MEN WHO APPREIATE A QUIET SEXENESS THAT IS QUIET AND SMOOTH,LIKE COLOGNE NOT LOUD, WHEN SHE TAKE HER SHOES OFF , THAT CREATE ANOTHER LEVEL THAT IS HARD TO DICLAIM, TO YOU M.S. SADE THE WORLD IS YOURS, AND I’M ANOTHER VICTIM OF YOUR LOVE APPEAL.
LikeLike
I’ve seen m.s. sade in concert she is unbelivable , everybody should her at least once, i seen about four times. thank you for being you m.s. sade
LikeLike
Is the name of Sade’s new album called Love Supreme? The site references the name twice but never says it’s the name of the Album, here’s the link; New Sade
LikeLike
The Wikipedia says it is still untitled. I am sure the minute it gets a name it will be there. But “Love Supreme” does certainly sound like her kind of name for an album.
LikeLike
I am soo excited about her new cd. She’s my favorite artist!
LikeLike
Sade in a word, is a epitome of what a classy, sophisticated & un believeable BEAUTIFUL woman is..I have seen her in concert in 1996 in California..Oh my heavens, from the beginning to the end of the concert was mesmerizing..and the audience she attracts is as diverse as this world. The world loves and will continue to love her. I have never seen so many diverse men who literally were in love with this woman.
So it is true MEN JUST LOVE A REAL BEAUTIFUL CLASSY CONFIDENT WOMAN no matter her race or creed or social upbringing.
There is no other & will never be another….
LikeLike
Sade’s new album, “Soldier of Love”, will be released on Valentine’s Day 2010!
It is her first release since 2000’s “Lovers Rock”.
Her new single, the album’s title track, just hit this morning.
I already love it! What do you guys think of it?
(P.S.: I tried to post a link to it yet the post was discarded when I submitted it.)
LikeLike
I LOVE SADE!!!!
LikeLike
There is something just timeless and transcendent about Sade. She is mysterious, deep and sensual, and like abagond said, like a princess. She is the epitome of class and femininity, a perfectionist. Few artists will ever have such a cult-like following and devoted loyalty and respect from fans for so long.
I really love the song “Feel no pain” as well. Maybe my favorite from her.
LikeLike
Sade’s new music video can be seen at http://www.sade2009.com/index.php I think it’s an attempt to be different, but I still love her sound.
LikeLike
She also mixed, not Black.
LikeLike
Sade is such a class act! No stupid drama, just pure beauty in voice and style.
LikeLike
hi..
souch great artist, souch great beauty,
SADE EDU is adorable and admirable,
i would like to be in contact with the people who realy like this babe because i could share some suggestions about other artists and of course i want to know another options from other people who wants to listen what i like about
LikeLike
Sade sounds timeless and classic to me. Roberta Flack and Deniece Williams sound that way to me too. But apparently it is not so: I played a Sade song for this 24-year-old guy from India. He had no idea who it was. Then he said, “She is from the ’80s, I take it?”
LikeLike
Another classic and original artist. She will remain on my playlists forever.
LikeLike
I that her daughter singing in the song “Babyfather”? along with her daughter’s father?
LikeLike
She may be half-white, however I don’t see how the author can see her as just “white”. She has a NIGERIAN NAME, to be more specific a Yoruba name. She is what she is, Half Nigerian (Yoruba) and half American Jewish (white)
LikeLike
Sade is divine. Love her music and her looks were out of this world when i first saw her music videos. Love at first sight! Incredible voice too. So sensual, so sensual.
LikeLike
Queen Felasade Adu!
LikeLike
I LOVE HER SENSE OF STYLE, UNIQUE, REFINED AND OBVIOUSLY BEAUTIFUL. THIS IS ONE OF A KIND.
LikeLike
My favorite singer of all time. The epitome of elegance and class.
LikeLike
I remember seeing her in concert. She was phenominal. She is one of my favorites among many. Just ubercool. Feel No Pain is one of my many favorite songs of hers.
LikeLike
Yikes! A year from now Sade will turn 60!
LikeLike
She will be 60 and she’s still gorgeous. She is the mother of a transgender child and she was very supportive of her daughter when she made her transition from female to male.
LikeLike
@ Mary
Sade did the right thing: the suicide rate among trans people is sky high and support from family and friends reduces the chances of that considerably.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sade turns 60 today!!!
LikeLike
She still looks beautiful even today at 60
LikeLike
Happy birthday to Sade
LikeLike