Helen Folasade Adu (Yoruba: F?lá?adé Adú [f?¯lá?adé adú]; born 16 January 1959), known professionally as Sade Adu or simply Sade ( shah-DAY), is a British Nigerian singer, songwriter, and actress, known as the lead singer of her eponymous band. Born in Ibadan, Nigeria, and brought up in Essex, England, Sade gained modest recognition as a fashion designer and part-time model, prior to joining the band Pride in the early 1980s. After gaining attention as a performer, she formed the band Sade, and secured a recording contract with Epic Records in 1983. The band then released the album Diamond Life a year later, which became one of the best-selling albums of the era, and the best-selling debut ever by a British female vocalist.