泰伦斯·崔特·达比

Sananda Francesco Maitreya (born Terence Trent Howard; March 15, 1962), who started his career with the stage name 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". Maitreya is a multi-instrumentalist and noted for his soulful voice and flamboyant, charismatic and androgynous persona.

Early life

Sananda Francesco Maitreya was born Terence Trent Howard in Manhattan, New York, in 1962 to a father of Scots-Irish and Native American descent and his mother, Frances Howard, is a gospel singer, teacher, and counselor. His biological father's name, according to an Instagram post dated June 5, 2024 commemorating his son Francesco Mingus' 14th birthday, was Robert Bell. Frances Howard married Bishop James Benjamin Darby, who became his stepfather and raised him. He took his stepfather's last name and later added the apostrophe.

In his youth, Maitreya resided in Daytona and in Deland, Florida. Maitreya trained as a boxer in nearby Orlando, Florida. In 1980 he won the Florida Golden Gloves lightweight championship. He received an offer to attend boxing school in the United States Army, but went to college instead. After enrolling at the University of Central Florida, he quit a year later.

Career

After quitting college, he enlisted in the US Army. He was posted at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and then served in the 3rd Armored Division near Frankfurt, West Germany. After going absent without leave during his military service, Maitreya left the Army in 1983. He later described the experience as a decisive turning point that led him to devote himself fully to music, the vocation that would define his future career. While in West Germany, he worked as a band leader with the band the Touch (de), releasing an album called Love on Time (1984) which was recorded in the studio of Frank Farian. It was re-issued (with four additional tracks) credited to The Touch With Terence Trent D'Arby in 1989 as Early Works after his worldwide success as a solo artist. In 1986, he left West Germany 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.

as Terence Trent D'Arby

His debut solo album, as Terence Trent D'Arby, 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 previous album producer Martyn Ware stated in a 2021 interview that the album was way ahead of its time, the album received mixed reviews upon release and achieved less commercial success than its predecessor, however, it has undergone critical reappraisal, with some writers describing it as an ambitious and misunderstood work. 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.