Helen Folasade Adu, known simply as Sade, is one of the most successful British female artists in history.
Sade was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, and brought up partly in Essex, England, from the age of four. She studied at St Martin’s School of Art in London and gained modest recognition as a fashion designer and part-time model, prior to joining the band Pride in the early 1980s. After gaining attention as a performer, she formed the band Sade, and secured a recording contract with Epic Records in 1983. A year later the band released the album Diamond Life which became one of the best-selling albums of the era and the best-selling debut by a British female vocalist.

In July 1985, Sade was among the performers at Live Aid and the following year she appeared in the film Absolute Beginners. Following the band’s third and fourth albums, Stronger Than Pride and Love Deluxe they went on hiatus after the birth of Sade’s child

After a spell of eight years without an album, the band reunited in 1999, and released Lovers Rock in 2000. The band then underwent another hiatus, not producing music for another ten years until the release of Soldier of Love.
Often recognized as an influence on contemporary music, Sade was recognized in the UK with an award of the OBE in 2002, and a CBE in the 2017 Birthday Honours.
Enjoy all of Sade’s music on our Exclusive radio station.