Sade was born in Ibadan, State, Nigeria. Her parents, Bisi Adu, a Nigerian lecturer in economics of Yoruba background, and Anne Hayes, an English nurse, met in London and moved to west Africa. Later, when the marriage ran into difficulties, Anne returned to Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, England, taking four year old Sade and her older brother Banji to live with her parents.
By the early 70s, living in Colchester, Essex, Sade read a good deal, developed an interest in fashion, acquired a taste for dancing and with pleasure listened to soul artists like Curtis Mayfield, Donny Hathaway and Marvin Gaye.
In 1977 Sade arrived in London for a three-year course in fashion design at St. Martin's College. On graduating, she set up a small fashion company, making mens' clothes, in London's Chalk Farm, with a friend, Gioia Mellor. She also began to work as a photographic model.
In 1980 Sade met Lee Barrett, the manager of a Latin-soul group Ariva. She joined Ariva and began to write her own songs.
In 1982, as a member of a Latin-soul group Pride, Sade met Stuart Matthewman and Paul Spencer Denman. Together with Paul Cook, they formed splinter group named Sade and began to write their own material. Later they were joined by Andrew Hale and Paul Cook left the band.
On 18 October 1983 Sade signed with Epic Records and sister imprint Portrait Records for the US and Canada. All of the Sade albums are Sony Music releases.
In 1985 Sade appeared in the film Absolute Beginners, directed by Julian Temple. She played singer Athene Duncannon, performing "Killer Blow", co-written by her with Simon Booth of soul/jazz band Working Week.
In 1986 Sade moved to Madrid, Spain.
On 11 October 1989, in the old castle Vinuelas in Madrid, Sade married Carlos Scola, a Spanish film-maker. They soon separated.
In 1990 Sade returned to London.
In the mid-90s Sade moved to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, where she lived with Bob Morgan, a Jamaican producer. On 21 July 1996 she gave birth to her daughter Ila.
In 1997 Sade was cited for dangerous driving and disobeying a police officer in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Later a Jamaican court issued an arrest warrant for Sade after she failed to appear in court to face charges. But medical proof of her daughter's hospitalization allowed the arrest warrant to be "stayed".
In 2005, Sade recorded a new track, "Mum", specially for the Voices For Darfur DVD of the charity concert took place on 8 December 2004 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, to raise awareness and funding for the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region.
Sade now resides in London.
Part of Sade's backup band continued the Sade style and are now known as Sweetback
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