Helen Folasade Adu is widely considered a musical influence, and her contributions to music have made her a global figure in popular culture for over two decades. She has been credited as one of the most successful British female artists in history. Her services to music have also been commemorated after being awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire chivalry honour in 2002.
On the occasion of her 60th birthday, (January 16th 2019) we have curated four things you should know about her professionally. See below:
- Prior to going into stage performance full time, Sade was a fashion designer and model.
- She released her album Diamond Life which became the best selling debut album ever created by a female vocalist led band. The album also gained widespread critical acclaim and is largely considered one of the best albums of all-time.
- Her second album Promise which was released in 1985, was a commercial success. It garnered critical acclaim topping the UK Albums Charts and becoming the band’s first album to debut atop the Billboard 200. The album earned the group Grammy Award for Best new artist in 1986. It also earned quadruple platinum certification in the U.S. and reached platinum across Europe.
- After an hiatus that lasted over 8 years she alongside the band released ‘Lovers Rock’. The album was a departure from their norm- jazz-inspired inflections which punctuated a lot of their previous releases. This particular album however, featured more mellow sounds and pop compositions, and was critically praised, earning the group the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. Following another hiatus which lasted a decade, the band released ‘Soldier of Love’ which won the group the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Following the album’s release, the band entered a third period of hiatus, and have only released one new song Flower of the Universe which has been adapted as soundtrack for Disney’s “ A Wrinkle in Time.”
