Helen Folasade Adu was born in Ibadan, Nigeria. 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. 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 with a fledgling group approached her to help them out with the vocals. Sade’s first single, Your Love Is King, became a Top 10 British Hit in February 1984, and with that her life, and that of the band, changed forever. At the time of the first album, Diamond Life, in 1984, Sade’s actual life was anything but diamond-like. Sade is widely considered a musical influence, and her contributions to music have made her a global figure in popular culture for over two decades. She has been credited as one of the most successful British female artists in history. Her services to music were also recognised with an award of the Officer of the Order of the British Empire chivalry honour in 2002, and later the rank of the Commander of the same order in 2017.