Sade Adu To Release First Song In 6 Years In Support Of Transgender Son

The track is set to be featured in the ‘Transa’ benefit album due this fall

Sade Adu performs at the MGM Grand Garden Arena September 3, 2011 in Las Vegas,

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

New music from Sade Adu will soon, marking her first new release in six years. The Nigerian-British singer is set to release the track “Young Lion,” dedicated to her transgender son Izaak Theo Adu.

According to Variety, the song is a part of the Transa benefit album, arriving on Nov. 22, 2024. Red Hot is the nonprofit organization behind the work, which is intended to support transgender awareness and spotlights both trans and non-binary artists.

“We started talking about all the gifts that trans artists have been giving to the world, and wanted to create a Red Hot project that centered and celebrated those gifts,” explained Dust Reid to the outlet. Reid put together Transa alongside artist Massima Bell.

“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. 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.”

Transa will feature over three-and-a-half hours of music, including a mix of covers and exclusive tracks from Sam Smith, André 3000, Kelela, and more. Per Variety, the project has over 100 contributing artists, and is structured across eight chapters and 46 songs, in reverence to the eight-stripe rainbow pride flag.

According to its website, Red Hot “has produced 20 original projects since 1990 in collaboration with some of the most interesting and creative artists in the world.” These projects combine music, video, design, and other media to raise awareness and funds in the ongoing fight against HIV and AIDS.

The organization Hot was started in 1989 by Leigh Blake and John Carlin as a response to the devastation wrought by AIDS on a generation of New York artists and intellectuals. The history of contributing artists listed on the website includes Bilal, Bon Iver, Chance The Rapper, Ledisi, Lauryn Hill, Pete Rock, L.E.S., SWV, and more.

Learn more about the album on the official website.

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