Early life
Sananda Francesco Maitreya was born Terence Trent Howard in Manhattan in 1962. His mother is Frances Howard, a gospel singer, teacher, and counselor. Frances Howard married Bishop James Benjamin Darby, who became his stepfather and raised him. He took this stepfather's last name and later added the apostrophe. Maitreya trained as a boxer in Orlando and in 1980 won the FloridaFame as Terence Trent D'Arby
Maitreya's debut solo album, '' Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby'', was released in July 1987. The album produced hits including " If You Let Me Stay", " Sign Your Name", " Dance Little Sister", and the number one hit " Wishing Well". In an interview, Maitreya played with the press and expressed a high opinion of his first album, claiming that it was the most important album since the Beatles' '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. After the comments leaked to US media outlets, he stated that most of what he said was exaggerated, but that it is sometimes necessary to "hit people over the head" to get their attention. The album earned him a Grammy Award in the category Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male (1989) and a BRIT Award for International Breakthrough Act, and he also received Grammy and '' Soul Train'' nominations for Best New Artist. Maitreya's follow-up album, '' Neither Fish nor Flesh'' (1989), was very different from his debut, and though producer Martyn Ware stated in a 2021 interview that the album was way ahead of its time, it was a critical and commercial disappointment. It took four more years and a move to Los Angeles until his next album, '' Symphony or Damn'' (1993), was released. The record contained the singles "Delicate" and "She Kissed Me". It peaked at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart. The album's closing track "Let Her Down Easy" was covered by George Michael and released as the first single and video from his 2014 album '' Symphonica''. Michael's version appeared on the UK pop chart at number 53, its peak position. In 1995, Maitreya released '' Vibrator'', which was followed by a world tour. It featured the single "Holding on to You". Maitreya's music has been included on several movie and television soundtracks. He sang the theme song of 1991's '' Frankie and Johnny''. "Right Thing, Wrong Way" featured in the end credits of '' Beverly Hills Cop III''. "What Shall I Do?" was featured in an episode of the UPN television series '' Girlfriends''. He sang the ending song, "Letting Go", in the 1996 film '' The Fan''. Maitreya's songs were also used in '' Prêt-à-Porter'' and the 1995 miniseries ''The Promised Land''. In 1999, Maitreya collaborated with INXS to replace his friend, the late vocalist Michael Hutchence, so the band could play at the official opening of Stadium Australia.Later career as Sananda Maitreya
D'Arby legally changed his name to Sananda Maitreya on October 4, 2001, explaining "Terence Trent D'Arby was dead... he watched his suffering as he died a noble death. After intense pain I meditated for a new spirit, a new will, a new identity". Maitreya has said that his name change resulted from a series of dreams he had in 1995. Though the name does not have any religious significance, Maitreya explained that he understood it to mean "rebirth" in Sanskrit. () means 'possessed of happiness', and () means 'friendly, kind, loving, benevolent'. From 2001 to 2021, Maitreya released nine studio albums and four live albums. He attributed his commercial decline in the 21st century to bias against him by music industry executives. 2001 also marked the release of the ''Wildcard'' album. Initially downloadable for free from the artist's official website, the album received great support from international critics in particular for its single, the song "O Divina". At the beginning of 2002, Maitreya moved to Milan for love, where he married Italian architect and TV presenter Francesca Francone in 2003, and began his sixth project, '' Angels & Vampires - Volume I''. The artist initially published the project on the official website in chapters, as the recordings continued, then released it on June 29, 2005, in MP3 format. In July 2005, Maitreya began the second volume of the project: '' Angels & Vampires - Volume II'', continuing the division into chapters. On April 29, 2006, the second mastered volume was published. ''The Angels & Vampires'' album contains 40 songs, including a cover of " Angie", a tribute to the Rolling Stones. The genre of the album is post-millennium rock. Maitreya played all the instruments during the recordings and produced, wrote, and arranged the entire project by himself. In 2007, three of his songs were played in Judd Apatow's movie '' Knocked Up''. After the 2007 European tour, new concerts followed in 2008, and television participation in the 2008 Christmas concert. In addition to the studio albums, Maitreya has released four live albums from 2007 to 2012: ''Influenza in Firenze'', ''Camels at the Crossroads'', ''Lovers & Fighters'', and ''Confessions of a Zooathaholic'', a selection of the best songs from live concerts and tours performed in the same year. Maitreya released '' Nigor Mortis'' in 2008, which followed the same evolutionary process as ''Angels & Vampires''. The album was first published in chapters during the recordings, and then came out in the mastered version at the end of 2008 and is available on CD and MP3 at his website. '' The Sphinx'' album was released in March 2011; in the same month the instrumental version of ''The Sphinx'' and the new live album by the artist related to the 2010 concerts of the ''Post Millennium Rock: Confessions of a Zooathaholic'' has been released. In March 2013, '' Return to Zooathalon'' was released, followed in 2015 by the double album '' The Rise of the Zugebrian Time Lords''. 2017 marked the release of a monumental work: '' Prometheus & Pandora'', 53 songs divided into three volumes. The artist declared that this album has become so important and impressive because through music he has elaborated the mourning for the loss of his great friends and idols,Personal life
Maitreya has a daughter, London-based musician Seraphina Simone, born in December 1988. Maitreya had an affair with television presenter and writer Paula Yates, who was married to Bob Geldof at the time. Maitreya married Italian television host and architect Francesca Francone in 2003. They have two sons.Discography
as Terence Trent D'Arby
* '' Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby'' (1987) * '' Neither Fish nor Flesh'' (1989) * '' Symphony or Damn'' (1993) * '' Vibrator'' (1995) * '' Wildcard'' (2001)as Sananda Maitreya
* '' Angels & Vampires – Volume I'' (2005) * ''Angels & Vampires – Volume II'' (2006) * '' Nigor Mortis'' (2009) * '' The Sphinx'' (2011) * '' Return to Zooathalon'' (2013) * '' The Rise of the Zugebrian Time Lords'' (2015) * '' Prometheus & Pandora'' (2017) * '' Pandora's PlayHouse'' (2021) * ''The Pegasus Project: Pegasus & The Swan'' (2024)Filmography
;as Terence Trent D'Arby * 1984: ''Schulmädchen '84'' (feature film directed by Nikolai Müllerschön) * 1993: '' Heimat II: A Chronicle of a Generation'' (TV series, 1 episode, "Kennedys Kinder") * 1999: '' Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story'' as Jackie Wilson (TV mini-series) * 1999: '' Clubland'' as Toby (feature film directed by Mary Lambert) * 2000: '' Static Shock'' (TV series, 1 episode, "They're Playing My Song" as DJ Rock) * 2024: '' Beatles '64'' (documentary film directed by David Tedeschi)See also
* Brit Awards 1989 * 31st Annual Grammy Awards * List of artists who reached number one in the United States * List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 1980sNotes
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