Meet Anne Hayes, Adebisi Abu

Posted by Arica Deslauriers on Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Helen Folasade Adu is a Nigerian-born British singer. Sade’s voice has been described as a “grainy contralto full of air that betrays a slight ache but no agony, and values even imperfect dignity over a show of pain,” a “deeply English” quality that makes categorizing the artist’s voice difficult.

The BBC described her voice as “husky and restrained,” and compared it to singer Billie Holiday. The BBC described her songwriting as “sufficiently soulful and jazzy yet poppy, funky yet easy listening to appeal to fans of all those genres.” Sade has been called a “pop star”.

Meet Anne Hayes, Adebisi Abu

Adebisi Adu, a Nigerian economist with Yoruba ancestry, and Anne Hayes, an English district nurse, are Sade’s parents. They first met in London, got married in 1955, and then relocated to Nigeria.

Sade’s parents divorced when she was four years old. Sade and her older brother Banji were then sent by Anne Hayes back to England to live with their grandparents close to Colchester, Essex.

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