Soul legend Sade Adu has transitioned from her 1980s global fame to a tranquil life in Somerset, stepping away from the limelight of hits like “Smooth Operator.” Born Helen Folasade Adu in Nigeria, she settled in Colchester at a young age before rising to stardom with the release of “Your Love is King” in 1984, a track that soared to number six on the charts. The success of their debut album, Diamond Life, which sold 10 million copies, solidified their place in music history.
Sade’s talent was recognized with four Grammy awards, including Best New Artist in 1986, coinciding with her venture into acting with a role in the film Absolute Beginners. Over the next two decades, her songs like “Smooth Operator” and “No Ordinary Love” became classics, garnering over a billion streams on Spotify alone.
Despite her sporadic album releases and retreat from the public eye, Sade has embraced a serene lifestyle on a farm in the West Country, where she spent the pandemic with her partner Ian Watts and her mother, fondly known as “Granny Annie.” In a 2020 interview with British Vogue, she shared her perspective on life’s uncertainties and her rediscovered passion for cooking. While enjoying rural living, Sade continues to create music, with recent releases like “Young Lion” in 2024 and “Flower of the Universe” from the film A Wrinkle in Time.
Acknowledged for her musical contributions, Sade received an OBE in 2002 and a CBE in 2017 for her outstanding services to music.