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Pride

Sade Offers a Heartbreaking Apology to Her Trans Son on First New Song in Six Years: Listen

"Young Lion" comes off the upcoming Red Hot Organization's trans-inclusive compilation project Transa.

"Young Lion" comes off the upcoming Red Hot Organization's trans-inclusive compilation project Transa.

"Young Lion" comes off the upcoming Red Hot Organization's trans-inclusive compilation project Transa.

Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

It’s been six years since soul-pop icon Sade released her last single — and now that she’s back, she has plenty to say.

On Friday (Oct. 25), the Red Hot Organization dropped an EP titled Transa: Selects, a collection of songs off of the non-profit’s upcoming compilation album, Transa, intended to bring awareness and understanding from the public at large to the transgender community. The first song on Friday’s EP is Sade’s “Young Lion,” a tender apology to her trans son, Izaak Adu.


Over a fluid, moving string section, Sade sings directly to Izaak, expressing regret for her lack of understanding throughout his life. “You must have felt so alone/ The anguish and pain/ I should’ve known,” she sings on the powerful opening verse. “With such a heavy burden/ You had to carry all on your own/ Forgive me, son/ I should’ve known.”

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While Sade lets her words speak for herself on the album, her son Izaak shared his thoughts on the touching track in an interview with Rolling Stone. “Though there was nothing I needed to forgive her for, the lyrics ‘Forgive me, son, I should have known,’ struck a chord,” he said. “My mum never tried to oppress the boy; I silently always knew I was. She always let me be me.”

The remainder of Transa, due out on Nov. 22, features more than 100 artists creating over 3 hours of music in an eight-chapter project, all dedicated to the multifaceted trans experience in the world today. With artists including Sam Smith, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Andre 3000, Jeff Tweedy and plenty creating music for the project, Transa aims to get audiences to think critically about the way we treat transgender people in order to help create “a future oriented around values of community, collaboration, care and healing,” as Dust Reid, the album’s co-creator, said in a statement.

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Listen to Sade’s “Young Lion” below:

This article was originally published by Billboard U.S.

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Yung Kai
Courtesy Photo

Yung Kai

Concerts

Yung Kai Sails Into Toronto, Florence + The Machine Screams for Montreal: Canadian Concerts of the Week

Plus, Vancouver indie rockers Said The Whale celebrate 20 years with a hometown show, RAYE brings her acclaimed new album to Laval and Toronto and more.

In support of his debut album, Stay With the Ocean, I’ll Find You, Yung Kai is hitting up Toronto to play a sold-out at show at The Mod Club. While the B.C.-native kicked off his career on TikTok — thanks to the success of his viral hit “Blue” — he has grown his audience IRL, expanding his fanbase across Canada and beyond.

Also this week, Vancouver indie rock band Said The Whale plays a hometown gig to celebrate their 20th anniversary and rising Toronto-born pop singer Tiffany Day celebrates her sophomore record with an album release show in Toronto. Then, U.K. singer RAYE heads to Laval and Toronto, in support of her latest album, This Music May Contain Hope and Florence + The Machine creeps into Montreal and Toronto to play songs from their latest record, Everybody Scream.

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