Sananda Francesco Maitreya (born Terence Trent Howard; March 15, 1962), who started his career with the

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Terence Trent D'Arby, is an American singer and songwriter who came to fame with his debut studio album, '' Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby'' (1987). The album includes the singles " If You Let Me Stay", " Sign Your Name", " Dance Little Sister", and "

Wishing Well A wishing well is a term from European folklore to describe water well, wells where it was thought that any spoken wish would be granted. The idea that a wish would be granted came from the notion that water housed deity, deities or had ...

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 Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

in Orlando and in 1980 won the Florida

Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves of America is an organization that promotes annual competitions of amateur boxing in the United States, in which winners are awarded a belt and a ring, and the title of national champion. The organization currently owns 30 fr ...

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...

championship. He received an offer to attend boxing school in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, but went to college instead. After enrolling at the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in unincorporated area, unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida. ...

, he quit a year later and enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was posted at

Fort Sill Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (137 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark a ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, and then served in the 3^rd Armored Division, near

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, West Germany. He was

court-martialed A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the mili ...

and dishonorably discharged by the Army in April 1983 after going absent without leave. While in West Germany, he worked as a band leader with the band the Touch, releasing an album called ''Love on Time'' (1984). It was re-issued in 1989 as ''Early Works'' after his worldwide success as a solo artist. In 1986, he left

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

for London, where he briefly played with the Bojangles, who became his backing group on his 1988 tour. In London, he signed a recording contract with CBS Records.

Fame 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 "

". 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 The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' ''

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (often referred to simply as ''Sgt. Pepper'') is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept ...

''. 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 The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

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 ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. After airing locally on WCIU-TV in Chicago, Illinois, for a year, it aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featu ...

'' 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 Martyn Ware (born 19 May 1956) is an English musician, composer, arranger, record producer, and music programmer. As a founding member of both the Human League and Heaven 17, Ware co-wrote hit songs such as " Being Boiled" and "Temptation". Wa ...

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 Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

. The album's closing track "Let Her Down Easy" was covered by

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling rec ...

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 The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that operated from 1995 to 2006. It was originally a joint venture between Chris-Craft Industries (later sold to News Corporation)'s subsidiary, United Television, ...

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 Ready-to-wear (RTW)also called ''prêt-à-porter'', or off-the-rack or off-the-peg in casual useis the term for garments sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a parti ...

'' and the 1995 miniseries ''The Promised Land''. In 1999, Maitreya collaborated with

INXS INXS (a phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian rock band, formed as the Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney. The founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboardist Andrew Farriss, drummer Jon Farriss, gu ...

to replace his friend, the late vocalist

Michael Hutchence Michael Kelland John Hutchence (22 January 1960 – 22 November 1997) was an Australian singer and songwriter. He was the co-founder, lead singer and lyricist of the rock band INXS from 1977 until his death in 1997. The band sold over 50 ...

, so the band could play at the official opening of

Stadium Australia Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium, which is sometimes referred to as Sydney Ol ...

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 Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

. () 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 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany under the lead of Karlheinz Brandenburg. It was designed to greatly reduce the amount ...

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 Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

. 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 Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and comedian known for his work in comedy films. Apatow is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he wrote, produced, and directed his films ''The 4 ...

's movie ''

Knocked Up ''Knocked Up'' is a 2007 American romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Judd Apatow, and starring Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Jason Segel and Martin Starr. It follows ...

''. 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 The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion. Facing east, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The original shap ...

'' 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,

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

, and

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...

. In December 2020, a new live album, ''Some Sake in Osaka'', was released, it showcases a Japan tour with his historic American band. On March 15, 2021, Maitreya released his 12th studio album, '' Pandora's PlayHouse'', which included three collaborations, the song "Reflecting Light", composed with the Australian duo

The Avalanches The Avalanches are an Australian electronic music group formed in Melbourne in 1997. They have released three studio albums, ''Since I Left You'' (2000), ''Wildflower (The Avalanches album), Wildflower'' (2016), and ''We Will Always Love You'' ...

; "

Time Is On My Side "Time Is on My Side" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy (using the pseudonym "Norman Meade"). First recorded by jazz trombonist Kai Winding and his orchestra in 1963, it was covered (with additional lyrics by Jimmy Norman) by both soul singer I ...

" with

Irene Grandi Irene Grandi (born 6 December 1969) is an Italian singer-songwriter. During her career she has sung in Spanish and has performed duets in German, French and in Indian and African languages. She has sold around 5 million records and earned 9 t ...

and the opening song of the project: "Pandora's Plight" with jazz pianist Antonio Faraò. The project has an instrumental song called "Prince", which honors the memory and the friendship of Maitreya and

. In 2022, he was featured on

Calvin Harris Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris (and sometimes under the stage name Love Regenerator), is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter. His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'' (2007 ...

' new Love Regenerator track "Lonely" (a record which Harris recorded with Italian producer Riva Starr), with the vocals coming from 1989's "...And I Need to Be with Someone Tonight". In July 2022 Sony UK released the spatial audio and remastered version of his first album, changing the title to ''Introducing the Hardline According to...'' and the artist name to Sananda Maitreya. The entire discography featuring the artistic name Terence Trent D'Arby was renamed to Sananda Maitreya in 2021 by Sony. In 2023 a documentary ''Welcome to the MadHouse: The Costa Rica Sessions'' was released. The film won two awards at international festivals, such as the Kiez Berlin Festival, the International Gold Awards and received two special mentions at the Los Angeles Core Independent Film Festival and International Documentary Film Festival. A live album containing the film soundtrack, ''Welcome to the MadHouse'', was released in January 2023. On May 11, 2024, Maitreya released his 13th studio album, ''The Pegasus Project: Pegasus & The Swan.''

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 Paula Elizabeth Yates (24 April 1959 – 17 September 2000) was a Welsh television presenter and writer. Yates is best known for her work on two television programmes, '' The Tube'' and ''The Big Breakfast''. She was subjected to intense media ...

, who was married to

Bob Geldof Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof (; born 5 October 1951) is an Irish singer-songwriter and political activist. He rose to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead singer of the Irish rock band the Boomtown Rats, who achieved popularity as part ...

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) * ''

'' (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 ''Heimat'' () is a German word translating to 'home' or 'homeland'. The word has connotations specific to German culture, German society and specifically German Romanticism, German nationalism, German statehood and regionalism so that it h ...

II: A Chronicle of a Generation'' (TV series, 1 episode, "Kennedys Kinder") * 1999: '' Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story'' as

Jackie Wilson Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer who was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a master showman and one of th ...

(TV mini-series) * 1999: '' Clubland'' as Toby (feature film directed by Mary Lambert) * 2000: ''

Static Shock ''Static Shock'' is an American superhero animated television series based on the Milestone Media/DC Comics superhero Static. It premiered on September 23, 2000, on the WB Television Network's Kids' WB programming block. ''Static Shock'' ran ...

'' (TV series, 1 episode, "They're Playing My Song" as DJ Rock) * 2024: '' Beatles '64'' (documentary film directed by David Tedeschi)

Notes

References

External links

*
YouTube Official Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:D'Arby, Terence Trent 1962 births Living people African-American male singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters African-American rock musicians African-American rock singers American people of Scotch-Irish descent American expatriates in Germany American expatriates in Italy American expatriates in England American multi-instrumentalists American male pop singers American contemporary R&B singers American rock singers American rock songwriters American soul singers Musicians from Manhattan People from DeLand, Florida Progressive soul musicians University of Central Florida alumni Brit Award winners Grammy Award winners 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century African-American male singers 21st-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Singer-songwriters from Florida