Sade to release new track, 'Young Lion', on compilation celebrating trans artistry

Sade frontwoman Sade Adu will release music for the first time in six years with a track titled 'Young Lion', coming via a new collaborative benefit album celebrating trans artistry.

Slated for release November 22, ‘TRAИƧA’ is the latest compilation album from the non-profit organisation Red Hot. It will be divided into eight chapters to represent the eight colours of the rainbow pride flag. Each opens with a “chapter track,” setting the tone for the them of that section.

Sade Adu’s contribution features in the 'Liberation' chapter and is dedicated to her son Izaak Theo Adu, who is a trans man.

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It will be the first new music from multi-GRAMMY Award-winning singer, since Sade contributed music to Steve McQueen's film Widows in 2018. Earlier that year the group broke an eight-year hiatus, recording a track for Ava DuVernay's film A Wrinkle In Time, while reports in 2022 suggested a new album was in the work.

‘Young Lion’ joins contributions from over 100 other artists featured on the 46-track album, with André 3000, Yaya Bey, Kelela, L'Rain, Moor Mother, and Beverly Glenn-Copeland among them.

André 3000's contribution marks the project’s lengthiest track with 26-minute instrumental titled 'Something Is Happening And I May Not Fully Understand But I'm Happy To Stand For The Understanding'.

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Speaking on the forthcoming album, Dust Reid, who co-produced the compilation alongside Massima Bell, said: "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."

Work on the project was galvanised by the passing of SOPHIE in January 2021.

"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," noted Reid.

Bell said: "One thing trans people do all the time is turn grief into possibility. Living under the ongoing Western binary system, trans people reveal maps of possibility for everyone. It’s something that we can all learn from – expanding the possibility of human life."

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Sade’s son, who is an artist and model, has spoken out about his experience being trans, and his mother’s support during his gender reassignment surgery.

In a post on Instagram in 2019, the influencer said: "Thank you for staying by my side these past 6 months Mumma. Thank you for fighting with me to complete the man I am. Thank you for your encouragement when things are hard, for the love you give me. The purest heart. I love you so much. Queen of queens"

The lead single from the compilation album is out now. A cover of Prince’s iconic ‘I Would Die 4 U’ by Lauren Auder and Wendy & Lisa of The Revolution, marking a powerful introduction to the forthcoming album.

“As most of us are, or will one day become, I am a huge Prince fan. I listened to him exclusively for a whole year aged 13, his songs and his flare have become part of my musical DNA," said Lauren Auder. "Getting Wendy and Lisa who sang on the original to accompany me through this version has been one of the proudest moments in my musical career and am so glad to be sharing this via Red Hot."

Wendy & Lisa said: “It’s hard to impress us with a cover of a Prince song, especially a personal favorite of ours, but Lauren’s voice and vibey sensibilities spoke to us."

Listen below and see the full tracklist for 'TRAИƧA’.

Tracklist:

Chapter I - Womb Of The Soul:
01. Midnight Moon Pool - Mary Lattimore, Laraaji, MIZU and Jamal Shakeryan
02. You Don't Know Me - Devendra Banhart, Blake Mills and Beverly Glenn-Copeland
03. How Sweet I Roamed - Jeff Tweedy, claire rousay
04. Same Train - Heart Shaped and Christian Lee Hutson

Chapter II - Survival:
05. STAR - Ana Roxanne and Nsámbu Za Suékama
06. Please Tell Me - Lightning Bug
07. Make 'em Laugh - Benét, Faye Webster
08 Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying - Julien Baker and Calvin Lauber feat. SOAK and Quinn Christopherson
09. Rumblin' - Soft Rōnin feat. Frankie Cosmos
10. Deeper Understanding - Hand Habits feat. Bill Callahan

Chapter III - Dark Night:
11. Under the Shadow of Another Moon - Hunter Schafer and Cole Pulice
12. Blush - Grouper and Lucy Liyou
13. Is It Cold In The Water? - Moses Sumney
14. Know Who You Are At Every Age - Anajah and Gary Gunn
15. Is It Over Now? - Niecy Blues feat. Joy Guidry)

Chapter IV - Awakening:
16. Something Is Happening And I May Not Fully Understand But I'm Happy To Stand For The Understanding - André 3000
17. Come Back Different - Nina Keith feat. Julie Byrne and Taryn Blake Miller
18. Song To The Siren - Rachika Nayar feat. Julianna Barwick and Cassandra Croft
19. Love Hymn - Arthur Baker feat. Pharoah Sanders
20. People Are Small / Rapture - L’Rain feat. Voices from the NYC Trans Oral History Project

Chapter V - Grief:
21. We've Been Through So Much - Jlin and Moor Mother
22 My Name - Kara Jackson, Ahya Simone and Dave Longstreth
23. Point of Disgust - Perfume Genius and Low's Alan Sparhawk
24. In Another Life - Lomelda and More Eaze
25. Pink Ponies - Teddy Geiger and Yaeji
26. A Survivor's Guilt - Yaya Bey

Chapter VI - Acceptance:
27. Just Last Night - Helado Negro and Eileen Myles
28. Feel So Different - Ezra Furman and Sharon Van Etten
29. Mourning Dove - Gia Margaret
30. Feel Better - Adrianne Lenker
31. Any Other Way - Allison Russell and Ahya Simone
32. Down Where The Valleys Are Low - Asher White, Eli Winter and Caroline Rose
33. TM - Fleet Foxes, Cole Pulice and Lynn Avery
34. Querube - AV María, SKY and Belina Rose

Chapter VII - Liberation:
35. Within Without - Green-House and Kelela
36. Aaron - Cassandra Jenkins, Bloomsday and Babehoven
37. Young Lion - Sade Adu
38. You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) - Moses Sumney, Lyra Pramuk and Sam Smith
39. Many Ways - CLARITY feat. Clairo
40. I Feel Free - Sparkle Division feat. Pepper MaShay

Chapter VIII - Reinvention:
41. Get Free - Nico Georis, KB Brookins
42. Wolf Like Me - Bartees Strange, Anjimile, Kara Jackson
43. Surrender Your Gender - Laura Jane Grace feat. Lee Ranaldo, Jayne County, Kathi Wilcox, Jay Dee Daugherty and Am Taylor
44. I Would Die 4 U - Lauren Auder and Wendy & Lisa of the Revolution
45. Always - Time Wharp, Elizabeth and Beverly Glenn-Copeland
46. Ever New - Sam Smith and Beverly Glenn-Copeland

Meena Sears is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Instagram