Oleta Adams (born May 4, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and keyboard player whose music connects gospel, soul, R&B, jazz, and adult contemporary pop. Although she spent years building a career far from the major music centers, Adams became internationally known after appearing with Tears for Fears in the late 1980s. Her powerful, emotionally direct voice and command of the piano made her one of the most distinctive adult contemporary performers of the early 1990s.
Adams was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in Yakima, where her father was a Baptist minister. She began singing in church and developed as a pianist at an early age. As a child, she accompanied and directed church choirs, while her studies with vocal coach Lee Farrell helped broaden her ambitions beyond gospel. Adams was offered an opportunity to study opera at Pacific Lutheran University, but chose to pursue popular music instead.
Her first attempts to enter the recording business came during the 1970s, when she moved to Los Angeles and made a demonstration recording. The music industry at the time was heavily focused on disco, and Adams' gospel-influenced style did not attract immediate interest. Following Farrell's advice, she relocated to Kansas City, where she worked in piano bars, hotel lounges, and showrooms. She also financed and released independent albums during the early 1980s, though these recordings brought her only limited attention.
The turning point came when Tears for Fears members Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith saw Adams perform during a stop on their tour. They invited her to contribute vocals, piano, and keyboards to the band's 1989 album The Seeds of Love. Adams' appearance on "Woman in Chains" gave the song an added gospel and soul dimension, while the accompanying music video introduced her to a much wider audience. The single became an international hit and established Adams as more than a guest performer.
She followed the collaboration with Circle of One, released in 1990. Produced in part by Orzabal and Dave Bascombe, the album combined original material with a version of Brenda Russell's "Get Here." Adams' recording of the song became her signature performance, reaching the Top Five in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Its message of longing and separation also resonated strongly with families during the 1991 Gulf War. "Rhythm of Life" became another prominent single, and Circle of One reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. Adams received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female.
Adams maintained her momentum with Evolution (1993), a more polished adult contemporary R&B album produced by Stewart Levine, and Moving On (1995), which included the co-written UK hit "Never Knew Love." She also recorded "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" for the Elton John and Bernie Taupin tribute album Two Rooms, earning another Grammy nomination.
Her later work moved between secular pop and gospel. Come Walk with Me (1997) earned a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album, while subsequent releases included All the Love (2001), I Can't Live a Day Without You (2004), Let's Stay Here (2009), and the self-released Third Set (2017). Across her career, Adams has remained respected for the combination of vocal authority, musicianship, spiritual depth, and understated individuality that first distinguished her in Kansas City and later made her an international recording artist.