Indianapolis will experience a rare opportunity it might not have again for a long time.
Singer/songwriter Sade will perform at Conseco Fieldhouse on July 8. She will be joined by special guest John Legend.
Local Sade fans are excited, and tickets to the concert are selling fast. The Indianapolis show is part of her North American tour, which began last month. It is the first tour she has conducted in 10 years.
Sade is expected to perform favorites representing a recording career that has spanned 26 years and led to the sale of more than 50 million albums worldwide.
She is known for her unique, smoky alto voice and her exotic beauty, neither of which have diminished with time.
Since releasing her 1984 debut album “Diamond Life,” Sade has been adored for elegant, serene songs that combine the groove of R&B with the styles of jazz, reggae and European pop.
The Nigerian-born British singer topped international charts with classics such as “Smooth Operator” (1984), “Sweetest Taboo” (1985), “Paradise” (1988) and 1995’s “No Ordinary Love.”
In a recent interview, the singer said she is glad to know that her music has a calming effect on listeners, whether they are in love or mourning the loss of love.
“If it’s like a lighthouse to guide someone past the rocks, that’s a great thing,” she said in a recent interview.
Sade has been described by some who have met her as engaging and fun in direct conversation, but she usually shies away from media attention (thanks to intense tabloid scrutiny early in her career), rarely grants interviews and seldom appears at high profile entertainment events.
She enjoys writing songs with members of her band, which is also named Sade – guitarist Stuart Matthewman, keyboardist Andrew Hale and bassist Paul Denham – a close knit unit of musicians that have been with her from the beginning.
“Beyond that, I find it a little difficult to open myself up to everything else that’s attached to the music business, the pressures that are put onto you,” she explained. “Some people love all the trimmings and everything that comes with that, but I happen to not be one of those people.”
In 2000, Sade released “Lovers Rock,” which introduced her to a new generation of listeners and went on a successful world tour. Then she seemed to suddenly disappear from view for the next decade, appearing only in 2005 to record a song for an album to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.
After reaching the pinnacle of her career, Sade decided to devote more time to her family, taking care of a sick relative and providing a stable home for her daughter Ila, who is now 15.
“Being a mother is the biggest job I’ve ever undertaken, but as soon as Ila was born, she became the center of my life,” Sade said.
Her first marriage to Spanish filmmaker Carlos Pliego ended in divorce in 1996, but Sade also found a second chance at romantic happiness with her current boyfriend, Ian Watts, a member of the British Royal Marine. Together, they are raising Sade’s daughter, and his 18-year-old son, Jack.
“There’s regrets about time wasted and mistakes of the past,” Sade said. “But there’s something lovely about knowing that when it’s right, you really know it’s right because you’ve already been through all the wrong.”
After stabilizing her personal life, and after prompting from family, friends and her longtime band mates, Sade returned to the studio to record “Soldier of Love,” which was released last year after much anticipation. The artist said she wanted to make sure the album was worth the wait.
“If you’re only making an album every 10 years, it better be good,” Sade said, laughing.
According to positive reviews and high sales, “Soldier of Love” is indeed good. On the strength of its popular title track, the album quickly topped Billboard’s Top 200 chart and sold more than 500,000 during its first week alone. It marked a major comeback for a performer who continues to enjoy a legion of fans on both sides of the Atlantic.
At this stage of her career, Sade is also more comfortable in live performances, and enjoys connecting with her fans.
“I used to be a bit frozen and worried about my vocal performance, as if I hadn’t learned a language properly,” she said. “Now, I actually prefer singing live and experiencing the warmth we get back from the audience, especially in America.”
Don’t miss her
- Who: Sade, with special guest John Legend
- Where: Conseco Fieldhouse
- When: Friday, July 8 at 8 p.m.
- Tickets: $49-$149
- For more information: Call the Conseco Fieldhouse Box Office at (317) 917-2727 or visit www.consecofieldhouse.com.
- Sade Adu was born in Ibadan, Nigeria. Her father, Bisi Adu, was a Nigerian economics instructor and her mother was an English nurse.
- Originally, Sade wanted to be a clothing designer and studied at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.
- Sade began her music career singing in a London soul band called Pride, inspired by American singers such as Donny Hathaway and Bill Withers.
- Sade has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), an honorary title given by the Queen of England, for her services to popular music.
