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Legendary soul-pop singer Sade has offered a tender apology to her transgender son Izaak Adu in “Young Lion,” her first single in six years.
Released on Friday (October 25) as part of the Red Hot Organization’s forthcoming trans-inclusive compilation EP project Transa: Selects, the song features heartbreaking lyrics as Sade asks her son for forgiveness.
Backed by a string section, the 65-year-old Nigerian-British singer croons in the opening verse: “Young man, it’s been so heavy for you /You must have felt so alone/ The anguish and pain/ I should’ve known.
“With such a heavy burden/ You had to carry all on your own/ Forgive me, son/ I should’ve known.”
Sade’s only child, Adu, whom she shares with reggae music producer Bob Morgan, reacted to his mother’s song, telling Rolling Stone: “Though there was nothing I needed to forgive her for, the lyrics ‘Forgive me, son, I should have known,’ struck a chord.
“My mum never tried to oppress the boy I silently always knew I was. She always let me be me,” added Adu, who came out as transgender in 2016.
“Young Lion,” is Sade’s first released music since her 2018 song “The Big Unknown,” which was recorded for director Steve McQueen’s critically acclaimed crime-thriller Widows, starring Viola Davis and Liam Neeson.
Born Helen Folsade Adu, Sade rose to fame as the lead singer of her Eighties London band, Sade. The four-piece group, comprised of Sade, Paul Denman, Stuart Matthewman and Andrew Hale, broke out with their 1984 top 10 hit “Your Love Is King,” off their debut album Diamond Life.
Following a seven-year hiatus, the band reunited in 2008 to put together a new album, Soldier of Love. Released in 2010, it debuted in the US at the top of the Billboard 200.
The band later won their fourth Grammy for best R&B performance at the 2011 ceremony with their second greatest hits album, The Ultimate Collection.
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In more recent years, Sade has become known to a new generation of listeners for their smooth jazz-pop song “Smooth Operator,” which was a trending song on TikTok last summer.
The song’s viral resurgence led to a 480 percent increase in Spotify streams from January to its 2023 summertime peak.
It was also the song F1 star Carlos Sainz consistently belted out after his victories during the 2019 racing season, giving way to his “Smooth Operator” nickname.
The full Transa: Selects EP is scheduled to be released on November 22, and includes more than 100 artists and three hours worth of music. The project is a dedication to the multifaceted trans experience in the world today, and drops shortly after the conclusion of Transgender Awareness Week, which is November 13 through the 19th.
