Terence Trent D'Arby

Terence Trent D'Arby--now known as Sananda Maitreya--burst into the public consciousness in 1987 with a self-assured debut album of soulful, rock-flavoured R&B, the highlight of which was the infectious number-one hit "Wishing Well". D'Arby expertly wrote, sang, and played most of the instruments on every track, and, in true auteur fashion, boasted of his own genius in interviews. This may or may not have led to a critical backlash, but his follow up work--intelligent experimentations with psychedelic rock, classic soul, and dance music--was met with a lack of interest from the music press, if not from his enthusiastic listeners. Now living in Europe, Maitreya releases music through his personal website.

• pop
• 1980s