Biography
Who is Emeli Sandé?
Early life and real name
Emeli Sandé was born as Adele Emily Sandé in Sunderland, United Kingdom, on March 10, 1987. Her father, Joel Sandé, moved from Zambia, and her mother, Diane Sandé-Wood, is from England. When she was four years old, her family moved to Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Her father worked as a teacher at Alford Academy, the school she attended during her youth.
From an early age, she showed a strong interest in music and writing. She wrote her first song, titled Tomorrow Starts Again, at the age of 11 for a school talent show. Later in her youth, she participated in a competition in London and performed gospel music at MTV studios. Despite receiving early interest from a record label at age 16, she chose to focus on her education first.
Education and medical studies
Education remained a priority for the singer during her early years. She enrolled at the University of Glasgow to study medicine in a five-year MBChB course. She successfully completed her degree in clinical medicine, specialising in neuroscience, before fully committing to her music career. Her parents and manager supported her goal of obtaining a university degree as a backup plan.
During this period, she drew inspiration from figures like Frida Kahlo, whose strength and bravery influenced her decision to pursue music. After leaving medical school, she got a tattoo of the artist on her forearm to mark this transition. Her dedication to her studies allowed her to build a solid academic foundation before achieving mainstream musical success.
Music career beginnings
Her professional music path started after her sister recorded a video of her singing and sent it to a BBC Urban music competition. She won the competition and later connected with music producer Shahid Khan, also known as Naughty Boy. Together, they wrote tracks for various artists, which helped establish her presence in the British music industry.
She adopted the professional name Emeli Sandé instead of her first name to avoid confusion with another popular artist. Her breakthrough came when she featured on Chipmunk's single Diamond Rings in 2009. The track reached the top ten of the UK singles chart, marking her first major success. She followed this with a feature on Wiley's single Never Be Your Woman in 2010.
Album releases and awards
In 2011, she released her official debut solo single, Heaven, followed by her debut studio album, Our Version of Events, in 2012. The album spent ten non-consecutive weeks at the top of the UK albums chart and became the best-selling UK album of that year with one million domestic sales. That same year, she performed at both the opening and closing ceremonies of the London Olympics.
Her musical achievements earned her numerous accolades, including multiple Brit Awards such as British Female Solo Artist and British Album of the Year. She later released her second studio album, Long Live the Angels, in 2016. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with various artists and contributed vocals to major television and film projects.
Birthday and age
Emeli Sandé was born on March 10, 1987, which makes Emeli 39 years old today. That birthday falls under the Pisces sign. Emeli shares the date with 33 other famous people.
Explore more
