Singer/songwriter Sade performs at the MGM Grand Garden Arena September 3, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo : Ethan Miller ( Getty Images )

She’s gorgeous, talented, stylish and ever-elusive. And today, the woman we know simply as “Sade” turns 60.


If that sounds unbelievable, consider this: After forming her eponymous band in the early ’80s, the Nigerian-born singer-songwriter and former model born Helen Folasade Adu first hit our radar with 1984’s Diamond Life, marking a rebirth of cool with her smooth vocals and evocative lyrics .


Yep , that’s right: Diamond Life dropped 35 years ago, meaning some of you were likely conceived to Sade. That said, considering the fact that her two latest ballads dropped as recently as 2018 (for the A Wrinkle in Time and Widows soundtracks), you may have subsequently conceived your own kids to Sade, as well .

If , like me, you’re an Gen X-er, there’s a good chance Sade provided much of the soundtrack for your life. Maybe you too sang along in the backseat to Diamond Life, or experimented with red lipstick while gazing at the Promise and Stronger than Pride album covers (having no idea what Sade was singing about, but knowing it sounded like the woman you one day hoped to be) .


Maybe you wrote the lyrics to “Nothing Can Come Between Us” in a love letter to your 8th grade boyfriend. Or perhaps you fondly recall the details of your first real passion in college, set to the opus that was Love Deluxe. In the early aughts, you may have been promising to commit to your first adult relationship like a Lovers Rock. And if and when love proved as mysterious as Sade herself, maybe you found a welcome reminder of your own strength in Soldier of Love.

And even now, you may own a framed version of her 2001 tour poster. (Oh, is that just me?)


In short, Sade may not have always come when we called, but she’s always been on time—with sage words and sensuous melodies.


And while her average for releasing studio albums is now once every 10 years (meaning we should be due a new one next year—prayers up), for so many black girls who grew up with her music, Sade is woven into the fabric of our womanhood, as much as Nina Simone, Toni Morrison or Pam Grier. Sade’s enigma is her own type of black girl magic: candid, yet contained; seductive, yet detached. But whenever you hear her voice, you instantly know it’s her and that you’re home .


And far from being just a pretty face and voice, this former fashion designer was also a self-styled icon, favoring sleek, minimalist, retro silhouettes—though ironically, she’s been known to label herself “anti-fashion.” Sade has also remained anti-pretense, eschewing dramatic makeup looks for her trademark strong brow, classic cat eye and red lip. In her own way, she seemed to telling us she was enough .


But what might be most striking about Sade is her self-awareness, both lyrically, and in life. A glimpse at her rare quotes and interviews reveal a woman introspective enough to recognize her own polarities—as well as a telling respect for her own need for space .


And if Sade remains a mystery in this age of high visibility, perhaps that’s what makes her so magnetic, 35 years after she first got our attention. Because whenever she appears, we simply can’t turn away.

Sade in mirror 1983. Photo : Graham Smith ( PYMCA/UIG via Getty Images ) Photo : Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Sade Adu poses on January 27, 1984. Photo : B. Gomer ( Express/Getty Images ) Photo : B. Gomer ( Express/Getty Images ) Advertisement You can skip ad after 1 second You can go to the next slide after 1 second Continue Sade during musical performance on December 14, 1985 Photo : Al Levine/NBC ( NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images ) Sade performing at Wembley Arena, London November 21, 1988 Photo : Sony Music Archive/Terry Lott ( Getty Images ) Sade performs live on stage at Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands on 26th April 1993. Photo : Paul Bergen ( Redferns/Getty Images ) Lisa ‘Left-Eye’ Lopez and Britsh pop star Sade attend the MOBO Awards held at Alexandra Palace on April 19, 2000 in London. Photo : Dave Hogan ( Getty Images ) Advertisement You can skip ad after 1 second You can go to the next slide after 1 second Continue Photo : JMEnternational/Redferns/Getty English singer Sade performs live on stage at Edisons Pop in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 27th February 2001. Photo : Paul Bergen ( Redferns/Getty Images ) Sade performs at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View Calif. on July 18th 2001. Photo : Tim Mosenfelder ( ImageDirect/Getty ) Sade performs at The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on April 12, 2010 Photo : Paul Drinkwater ( NBCU Photo Bank ) Advertisement You can skip ad after 1 second You can go to the next slide after 1 second Continue Sade attends the 2010 Keep A Child Alive’s Black Ball at the Hammerstein Ballroom on September 30, 2010 in New York City. Photo : Stephen Lovekin ( Getty Images ) Singer/songwriter Sade performs at the MGM Grand Garden Arena September 3, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo : Ethan Miller ( Getty Images ) Photo : B. Gomer ( Express/Getty Images ) 1 / 15


Finally, an anecdote: If you find yourself suddenly face-to-face with Sade on some New York City street one day, try to remember to breathe. That said, I can personally attest that if you stay stock still with shock and awe long enough, she may bless you with a cool smile—just before she strolls away.