It’s been six years since the world has been treated to new music from Sade Adu, but the musical legend is reportedly ending her latest hiatus to appear on a very special project. As reported by Dazed magazine, the British-Nigerian singer-songwriter will contribute the track “Young Lion” to the compilation “Transa,” an upcoming album to promote transgender and nonbinary awareness.
As Dazed notes, the project is personal for Sade, 65, as her only child, Izaak, underwent his own gender transition. Acknowledging the difficulty of his journey and so many others, Sade’s new song is dedicated to Izaak, who now lives as a transgender man, and reportedly includes the lyric, “You must have felt so alone, I should have known.”
“It’s amazing to hear a legendary musician like Sade sing about her heartfelt experience as the parent of a trans child,” said model, transgender activist, and album co-producer Massima Bell, per Dazed. “It’s incredibly powerful.”
Produced by Red Hot, the nearly 35-year-old nonprofit that launched the platinum-selling, star-studded “Red Hot + Blue” compilation amid the AIDS epidemic, “Transa” will feature over 100 artists, including André 3000, Moses Sumney, Sam Smith, “Euphoria” star Hunter Schaefer and more. A cover of the Prince classic “I Would Die 4 U,” created by former Prince and the Revolution members Wendy & Lisa with singer-songwriter Lauren Auder, is reportedly the first single. Set to be released in time for the holiday season on Nov. 22, the 46 tracks and eight “chapters” that comprise the three-and-a-half hour album are “an ode” to the original eight stripes of the Pride flag.
“We hoped to create a narrative that positions trans and non-binary people as leaders in our society, insofar as the deep inner work they do to affirm who they are in our current climate. We felt this is something everybody should do,” said Dust Reid, executive director of Red Hot, per Variety. “Whether you identify as trans or non-binary or otherwise, if you took the time to explore your gender, get in touch with the feeling side of yourself, maybe we would have a future oriented around values of community, collaboration, care, and healing.”