Sade Adu, born Helen Folasade Adu on January 16, 1959, in Ibadan, Nigeria, is a British-Nigerian singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to prominence as the lead vocalist of the band Sade, which formed in 1982. Sade’s smooth jazz, soul, and R&B fusion, characterized by Adu’s sultry vocals, gained widespread acclaim. The band’s debut album, “Diamond Life” (1984), featured the hit single “Smooth Operator,” establishing them as international stars. Subsequent albums like “Promise” (1985) and “Stronger Than Pride” (1988) further solidified their success. Known for her timeless elegance and introspective lyrics, Sade Adu has maintained a relatively private personal life, focusing on her music career. Despite infrequent releases, Sade’s music continues to resonate with audiences worldwide, earning her numerous awards and accolades.

Sade Adu Quotes

1. “Move in space with minimum waste and maximum joy.”
― Sade Adu

2. “I think you only really feel like an outsider if you’ve been an insider.”
― Sade Adu

3. “My daughter and stepson are really broad-minded.”
― Sade Adu

4. “My father was a very difficult man.”
― Sade Adu

5. “I only make records when I feel I have something to say. I’m not interested in releasing music just for the sake of selling something. Sade is not a brand.”
― Sade Adu

6. “I love writing songs.”
― Sade Adu

7. “Whatever I’m doing, I’m in that moment and I’m doing it. The rest of the world’s lost. If I’m cooking some food or making soup, I want it to be lovely. If not, what’s the point of doing it?”
― Sade Adu

8. “I can’t see myself just endlessly singing the same songs over and over again.”
― Sade Adu

9. “I’ve never associated myself with other singers, certainly not female singers.”
― Sade Adu

10. “I just aspire to pick people up. That’s my ambition.”
― Sade Adu

11. “To be a mother you must be strong. Even if you don’t feel it, you have to pretend.”
― Sade Adu

12. “Once a song’s out there, it’s no longer mine. And that’s the whole purpose of music: to belong to people.”
― Sade Adu

13. “I’m not shy or reclusive. I just spend my time with people rather than journalists.”
― Sade Adu

14. “I’ve made sacrifices. I’m not anti-fashion but I’ve always had a bit of a punk attitude. That’s important, I think. I do my own thing.”
― Sade Adu

15. “I look a lot like my father and his mother.”
― Sade Adu

16. “I’m uneasy with fame so I do my best to avoid places that will bring me more attention.”
― Sade Adu

17. “People generally let me be me. People are aware that I’m not someone particularly begging for attention. They hold back a bit with me.”
― Sade Adu

18. “When you play arenas you can create whatever you want. At a theater the height of the stage and the limitations of the theater can make you feel more separate from the audience.”
― Sade Adu

19. “I don’t get easily bored. I’m not that kind of person.”
― Sade Adu

20. “The anxiety I feel when I’m late is nothing like the anxiety I feel when I’m on time.”
― Sade Adu

21. “When I was young, people were almost identified solely by the kind of music they liked. People fell into categories of who liked what.”
― Sade Adu

22. “I have no technical training and am completely uneducated in music.”
― Sade Adu

23. “I’ve got absolutely no real perception, properly, of time.”
― Sade Adu

24. “My musical career was an accident.”
― Sade Adu

25. “I don’t like looking outrageous.”
― Sade Adu

26. “I’m not over the top; I’m not wacky. I’m fairly understated, and that reflects in the way I sing.”
― Sade Adu

27. “If you’re only making an album every 10 years, it better be good.”
― Sade Adu

28. “When I go into the studio, I completely detach. I let my emotions come out.”
― Sade Adu

29. “I am fairly classless because it is very difficult to class someone who comes from a mixed marriage.”
― Sade Adu

30. “I am a reluctant celebrity, in some ways.”
― Sade Adu

31. “People are so used to having their lives filmed, they’re not even conscious of having cameras around. I still have that sort of suspicion when a camera comes out. I view it as a thing to fear.”
― Sade Adu

32. “From being at art college, I’ve always hated people that have the gall to think that they’re being incredibly different when they’re doing something in a very acceptable way, something safe that they’ve seen someone else doing.”
― Sade Adu

33. “Most of my lyrics are little stories about my experiences or those of my friends.”
― Sade Adu

34. “I always see myself as much more of a musician than a celebrity.”
― Sade Adu

35. “When you tour, you regain the music and the connection with the audience.”
― Sade Adu

36. “Radio interviews are really snappy and I’m just bad at that. I just close down.”
― Sade Adu