Adebisi Adu is a Nigerian lecturer in economics. He is famous as the father of one of the most successful British female artists in history. Sade Adu is his daughter, the lead singer of the band Sade. She is recognized as an influence on contemporary music. Sade won an award of the Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2002. She was made Commander during the Queen’s 2017 Birthday Honours.
Keep reading to learn more about Adebisi Adu’s daughter’s life in the limelight.
Adebisi Adu Bio
Adebisi Adu was an economics lecturer at the University of Lagos of Yoruba background. There isn’t information about Adu’s childhood or career life. He met Anne Hayes, Sade’s mother, in London while studying at the LSE and married in 1955 and moved to Nigeria. When their daughter was four, Adu and his wife separated, and she returned to England with Sade and her elder brother Banji to live with their grandparents. He became the Acting Head of Department, Economics Department, University of Lagos.
Adebisi passed on in 1985. His funeral was marked by drama when the pastor took to the pulpit to tarnish Adu’s name in front of the mourners.
Adebisi Adu’s Daughter
Sade was born Helen Folasade Adu on 16 January 1959. Her father was a lecturer, and her mother an English district nurse. Though her father is a native of Ekiti State, Sade was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. When she was four, her parents separated, and she moved to England with her mother and elder brother. She lived with her grandparents near Colchester, Essex, until she was eleven, when she moved to Holland-on-Sea, Essex, to live with her mother.
Sade attended Clacton County High School and graduated from Colchester Institute, aged 18. She then moved to London to study fashion design at Saint Martin’s School of Art.
Sade Adu Career
After her fashion design course, Sade modeled briefly. She then began singing as a backup for the British band Pride. When in the band, she befriended the guitarist Sturt Matthewman and together would do their own sets at Pride gigs. Her performance of the song Smooth Operator was her breakthrough as it attracted record companies. In 1983, she formed the band Sade alongside Matthewman, keyboardist Andrew Hale, bassist Paul Denman, and Drummer Paul Cook, all from Pride. Her first show in London was so jammed that they turned down over 1,000 people.
Sade signed with Epic Records in October 1983, and the rest of the band signed in 1984. Diamond Life was the band’s first album which took six weeks to record at The Power Plant in London. Diamond Life sold over 1.2 million copies in the UK and reached number two on the UK Album Chart. It also won the Brit Award for Best British Album in 1985 and was an international hit, becoming number one in several countries. Diamond Life sold over six million copies internationally and became one of the top-selling debut recordings of the ‘80s and the best-selling debut ever by a British female vocalist.
Your Love is King and Smooth Operator were the most successful songs from the album. Sade’s other albums include Promise, Love Deluxe, and The Best of Sade.
Sage has won honors, awards, and nominations like the Officer of the Order of the British Empire and Grammy’s Best New Artist in 1986.
Wrapping Up
Sage rarely grants interviews; hence little is known about her personal life. However, her voice gives has seen her recognized globally.
