Save Gender Feminine Usage Yoruba, English (Modern) Pronounced Pron. /ʃɑː.deɪ/(Yoruba) [key·simplify] Meaning & History Short form of Folasade. It was popularized in the mid-80s due to the Nigerian-born British singer Sade Adu (born Helen Folasade Adu, 1959-) and her eponymous smooth jazz band Sade.