Sade: her secretive story so far - Sade is back. The 'Smooth Operator' singer returned to the public eye earlier this year, and now looks to be recording a new album. But what has Sade been up to all these years? The secretive star can be hard to follow, so we did the hard work. Take a look at this gallery for Sade's secretive story so far.

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Born in Nigeria - Sade was born Helen Folasade Adu in 1959. She was born in Ibadan, in Nigeria.

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Honour confers a crown -

"Folasade" means "honour confers a crown".

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Essex girl -

When Sade was four, her parents split up. Her mother, Anne, moved Sade and her brother, Banji, to Colchester in Essex.

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Heading to school -

After finishing school, Sade moved to London to study fashion at Saint Martin’s School of Art.

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Squatter - During this time, Sade was squatting in north London with then-boyfriend Robert Elms.

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Role model - After her studies, Sade did a spot of modelling, and later started singing with a band called Pride.

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The start of something special - Sade began writing songs with Pride’s Stuart Matthewman. This was the start of something special.

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Sade is born -

'Smooth Operator' became a hit at their gigs, and soon Sade the band was formed with other Pride members.

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Popular attraction -

At Sade’s first show at Heaven nightclub, it’s said that 1,000 attendees were turned away at the door.

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New York shows -

In 1983, Sade (the band) performed their first American show in New York City. Soon after, they signed a deal with Epic Records.

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'Diamond Life' - The crew released debut album ‘Diamond Life’ in July 1984.

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Brit Award-winner - The album was a huge success, winning Best British Album at the Brit Awards in 1985.

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International success - The album also went number one in several countries around the world. Single ‘Smooth Operator’ was a top 20 hit in the UK, Austria, America, Switzerland, France, and Germany.

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Back to back -

Sade followed up with ‘Promise’ in 1985. The record went to number one in both the UK and America.

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Hit after hit - It’s said that Sade was so popular, DJs would play album tracks like ‘Tar Baby’ and ‘Is it a Crime’ on the radio.

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Getting Grammys - A year later, Sade won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

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New beginnings... -

The same year, Sade starred alongside David Bowie in her first film, ‘Absolute Beginners’. She also sang on the film's soundtrack.

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First marriage - In 1989, Sade married Carlos Pliego, a Spanish film director. Their marriage lasted six years.

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Sade vanishes - The band returned with ‘Love Deluxe’ in 1992. Then, just like that, they vanished for eight years.

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A child is born - During the hiatus, Sade moved to the Caribbean with partner Bob Morgan. She had a child, Izaak, on July 21, 1996.

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Back again -

The band came back in 2000, with new album ‘Lovers Rock’ and a tour to boot.

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More Grammys - They took a second Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album in 2002.

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A great gesture - The same year, Adu was appointed OBE for services to music. She said it was “a great gesture to me and all black women in England”.

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Gone again -

Then, as quickly as they reappeared, Sade vanished for another hiatus.

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Settling down - During this time, Sade moved to the Cotswolds. There, she renovated a stone cottage with her partner, Ian Watts.

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'Soldier of Love' -

The next time we'd saw Sade was in 2010, when she re-emerged with brand new album ‘Soldier of Love’.

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Blockbuster success - In America, the album went gold in its first week, selling over half a million copies.

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Third time lucky - In 2010, the band collected yet another Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

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'Sade Live' -

The band went on the road for the ‘Sade Live’ tour in 2011. It’s said the tour earned over $50 million at 59 shows.

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CBE - Last year, Sade received a CBE for her services to music.

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'A Wrinkle In Time' - Sade returned earlier this year with a new song, ‘Flower of the Universe’. The song appeared on the soundtrack for Disney’s ‘A Wrinkle In Time’.

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