REAL NAME: Helen Folasade Adu, January 16, 1959 to a white British mother and a Nigerian father.

One of the most beautiful and talented artists to emerge from UK in the 1980s. Sultry voiced Sade and her band (also known as Sade but sometimes called Sweetwater), burst onto the scene in 1984 with an album called Diamond Life. It spawned a top 10 hit with a jazz inflected ballad called "Smooth Operator." Sade won a Grammy for "Best New Artist" and the album stayed on the charts for over 70 weeks. More hits were released and Sade quickly set the pace for other "quiet storm" vocalists like Brenda Russell and Anita Baker.

Three more albums followed called Promise, Stronger than Pride, Love Deluxe, and a Best of Sade compilation. Fans were not disappointed by the albums, which essentially produced more of the same emotionally distant love songs, but some critics grew tired of the band's predictable approach.

Although Sade has an enormous following their albums are few and far between. After appearing in Live Aid benefit, Sade (the singer) took a break from public life. Sweetwater released a couple albums without her. She and her long time companion married and had a child in Jamaica. The singer has been the subject of media attention in recent years however with an arrest for reckless driving and speculation about a new Sade album in the works.

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