Terence Trent Howard Is An American Singer-Songwriter

Sananda Maitreya (born Terence Trent Howard on March 15, 1962), better known by his former stage name Terence Trent D'Arby, is an American singer-songwriter. He also plays many of the instruments on and produces his own albums.Maitreya was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, the son of Reverend James Benjamin Darby, a minister with the Pentecostal Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and Frances Darby, a teacher and counselor. Maitreya was known to childhood friends as Terry Darby. Maitreya's family moved from New York to New Jersey to Chicago and then settled in DeLand, Florida, north of Orlando. Maitreya's mother was a gospel singer.

His debut solo album, Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby, released in 1987, is his best-known and, in commercial terms, most successful work. The album, which produced hits like "If You Let Me Stay," "Wishing Well," "Dance Little Sister," and "Sign Your Name", sold over a million copies in the first three days of its release, and its sales currently total over 12 million. The album also earned Maitreya a Grammy Award in March 1988 in the category Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male. In that same year, he earned a Soul Train Award nomination for Best New Artist.

The artist adopted the name Sananda Maitreya, following a series of dreams. His name was legally changed to Sananda Maitreya on October 4 2001. He proclaimed in an interview that "Terence Trent D'Arby was dead...he watched his suffering as he died a noble death," in what was perceived as an attempt to reinvent himself artistically and free himself from what he believed to be the oppressive nature of the record business.