Sade to be inducted into songwriters Hall Of Fame

2023's Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees have been announced and Helen Folasade Adu CBE, best known as Sade, lead singer of the eponymous band, is among the names. 

The Nigerian-born British singer and songwriter has a musical legacy stretching to the early-1980s. In October, it was revealed the group were back in the studio working on a new record. 

Since beginning to release music, Sade has clocked up worldwide album sales of around 60 million, and a number of prominent hip-hop and pop artists cite her as a major influence. These include Missy Elliott, Talib Kweli, Rakim, Rick Ross, and Ye, with Beyoncé once describing her music as a "true friend". 

This year's list of inducted artists also includes Death Row Records boss and West Coast rap icon Snoop Dogg, new jack swing pioneer Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson and Alanis Morissette collaborator Glen Ballard, Jeff Lynne of ELO, and Liz Rose, who has written for Taylor Swift. An official ceremony will be held on 15th June at the Hall of Fame's home, the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. The institution has proposed moving across the US to New York's Brill Building, which is famed for musical heritage. 

“The music industry does not exist without songwriters delivering great songs first. Without them there is no recorded music, no concert business, no merch… nothing, it all starts with the song and the songwriter," said Nile Rodgers, chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. 

"We are therefore very proud that we are continually recognising some of the culturally most important songwriters of all time and that the 2023 slate represents not just iconic songs but also diversity and unity across genres, ethnicity and gender, songwriters who have enriched our lives and, in their time, literally transformed music and the lives of billions of listeners all over the world." he continued.