Helen Folasade Adu was born in Ibadan, Nigeria. Her father was Nigerian and her mother English . Her mother and Father met in London and moved to Nigerian shortly after. Her parents separated and her Mother moved her and Sade’s brother to England. Sade grew up listening to American soul music, particularly the wave led in the 1970’s by artists such as Curtis Mayfield, Donny Hathaway, and Bill Withers. However, music was not her first choice as a career. She studied fashion at St Martin’s School Of Art in London, and only began singing after two old school friends approached her to help them out with the vocals. Surprisingly, she found that while the singing made her nervous, she enjoyed writing songs.
She then began singing with a funk band called Pride. Sade received more attention from the media and record companies than Pride had, and eventually separated from that group altogether. In 1983, the band signed with Portrait Records.
In February 1984, Sade released their first single, "Your Love Is King", which became a Top Ten hit. Today, Sade is known for being the “Queen of Quiet Storm”.