Sade Adu is back after a six-year hiatus with a special release dedicated to her trans son, Izaak.
“Young Lion” is part of the compilation album, TRAИƧA, which is described as a “spiritual journey celebrating trans people.” On the emotional ballad, the Love Deluxe songstress sings, “Young man/ It’s been so heavy for you/ You must have felt so alone/ The anguish and pain/ I should have known/ With such a heavy burden/ You had to carry all on your own/ Forgive me son.”
The four-minute video includes footage of Sade and her son spanning nearly three decades.
Izaak reacted to the new single on Instagram when sharing a clip from the music video with the caption: “Mumma, thank you for doing this… It is so important to me, and I believe it will be to many others, too. Thank you for always giving me the freedom to be ME and fiercely loving me through it all. I couldn’t do it without you. You’re incredible. I love you more than words can say.”
He reflected on his initial thoughts on the record 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 shared via email. “My mum never tried to oppress the boy; I silently always knew I was. She always let me be me.”
Red Hot, the non-profit organization behind the project, noted that Sade agreed to participate after artist/activist Massima Bell wrote her a personal letter to thank her for the public support of her son. After hearing “Young Lion,” Bell recalled, “I was in tears […] Her voice felt so charged.”
Of the project overall, Red Hot said in a statement, “Trans people have always existed, with many different names across time and culture, often as spiritual healers and leaders. As global systems continue to fail humanity and all life on Earth, the journey taken by trans people – and all peoples who have been oppressed – is a blueprint of possibility. May this be a glimpse of our collective liberation, and the light inside all of us.”
The album also includes a new single from André 3000 titled “Something Is Happening And I May Not Fully Understand But I’m Happy To Stand For The Understanding.” Listen above.
