@luxxuryxx: How do you say “Sade”? 🤷♀️ Nigerian-British singer Sade was born Helen Folasade Adu (in Yoruba: Fọláṣadé Adú). If she pronounces it “Shah-day,” then why does the U.S. edition of her debut LP suggest we say “Shar-day” on the cover? In the U.K. this makes some sense, as it covers the “sh” factor, and the “r” would be just a hint of that sound since British English is non-rhotic. But the U.S. edition also has that pronunciation suggestions—which, outside of New York, Boston and some other “r-dropping” regions its pretty misleading! 😳 (And yes, Sade is also the name of her band). This clip is from a much longer discussion where we dive deep into the linguistics, and play audio of Sade herself, saying her own name. We also break down the stems & stories behind Sade’s “Smooth Operator.” on the latest ONE SONG podcast episode✨listen/watch ONE SONG full ep on Apple/Spotify/YT #tiktokmilestonechallenge #sade #80smusic
LUXXURY
Region: US
Monday 19 October 2026 01:31:33 GMT
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Red_RightHand :
the easiest thing to do is watch the video with Sade saying her name, then you'll know for certain and there will be no contention
2026-10-19 10:44:29
97
yeahcool :
Shar-day but in a British accent so the "r" is silent 😂
2026-10-19 02:49:07
1064
Juice, Esq. ❌ :
I dont care. Im not saying no damn Shar day. Like at all.
2026-10-19 02:53:22
143
Realitycheck :
The artists herself says sha-day
2026-10-19 03:22:16
1208
Timuoxi Cha le mei 提草西茶乐妹 :
It’s a Yoruba name shortened from Folasade. Pronounced Fo-la-shah-day. So logically Sade is still Sha-day, which is how she pronounces it as well.
2026-10-19 03:55:28
54
Ms Jazzy If Ya Nasty 😉 :
She literally pronounces it SHA-DAY. So regardless of what’s on the album, imma pronounce it like her
2026-10-19 03:57:38
231
KA7EEM :
It's Shaday, no R. It's Yoruba, hat's my language.
2026-10-19 04:51:28
173
Dineura Designs :
shah-day all day 😂
2026-10-19 03:21:00
158
xoan :
Shar-day obviously
2026-10-19 15:46:08
0
Dani :
It’s however she says it
2026-10-19 02:19:42
989
SOULCHYLD33 :
My kids came up to us one day and asked us if we had ever heard this artist, their pronunciation (SAY-DEE), needless to say we laughed directly in their face and said do you mean (SHA-DAY) and they still refused to believe it. We had to school them real quick!
2026-10-19 15:43:38
0
Regi :
It's Sha-day. Doesn't it come from Folasade in Yoruba?
2026-10-19 03:35:48
85
n8t_bro784 :
Its actually pronounced Say'd.
2026-10-19 03:04:26
39
Brian Butty :
its not contentious at all, mate.
2026-10-19 15:43:04
1
Lasom ra Skye :
She has an English accent. the R is silent. so it's still shah-day.
2026-10-19 03:35:56
79
ZombieBoy :
It’s giving that Raven Simone take the color away. What do you see green
2026-10-19 04:18:22
0
Mojustbetalking :
No R smh
2026-10-19 15:43:35
0
FurryCat :
sha day
2026-10-19 15:41:16
0
Toolbox32 :
I'm a middle aged white metal head ...and Ive always said SHAH DAY
2026-10-19 01:40:15
87
cindygreenhill :
shah-DAY
While her name is widely mispronounced with an "R" sound as "Shar-day," the legendary singer actually pronounces her name as "shah-DAY" (rhymes with day). The confusion originally began in the 1980s when her record label added the phonetic spelling "Shar-day" to album jackets to help British audiences hit a long "ah" sound; however, Western listeners mistakenly took the "R" literally. In reality, her name has no "R" sound at all and is a shortened version of her traditional Nigerian Yoruba birth name, Folasade
2026-10-19 03:46:48
18
triliflops :
She has a British accent. They drop their Rs. You hear Sha-Day but she’s saying Shar-Day. Think of it like this: you probably pronounce this singer as “Bad Bunny,” exactly how it looks in English. But when he says his name, you don’t hear “Bad Bunny,” you hear something closer to “Ba Bone-ie.” But you don’t say it how he says it. You say Bad Bunny. Same principle.
2026-10-19 04:06:48
21
carmen :
There’s a clip of her laughing that Americans say ‘Sharday’ but she pronounces it ‘Shahday’ which is shortened from her Nigerian name ‘Folasade’.
2026-10-19 07:06:39
37
suttonssuperstars :
There is no H or R in SADE.. this pisses me off.
2026-10-19 03:14:00
75
Chefteff :
I thought it was, “Shaw-day”
2026-10-19 02:42:28
41
Pooh149 :
There's no r
2026-10-19 03:20:11
8
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