Sade Asks Trans Son For Forgiveness In Her First Song In Six Years

The nonprofit organization Red Hot is releasing the 46-track compilation TRAИƧA, featuring original music from artists like Sade, André 3000, and Sam Smith.

Sade's track "Young Lion," happens to be her first in over six years and is deeply personal to the English GRAMMY award-winner. The song is dedicated to her transgender son, Izaak Theo Adu.

Sade Adu, lead singer of the band Sade, lives most of her life out of the spotlight, yet has been openly supportive of her son's transition. In the emotional ballad, Adu asks her son for forgiveness, wishing she could have taken the pain away sooner. "Young man, it's been so heavy for you / You must have felt so alone / I should have known / Shine like a sun / You have everything you need."

Adu's 28-year-old son shared much of his transition journey via Instagram. The singer's only child, he's continuously spoken about his mother's love and open support.

On "Young Lion," Adu apologizes for "not understanding better," a poignant love letter doubling as a plea for forgiveness. This is Sade's first release since their acoustic ballad "Flower of the Universe" for Disney film A Wrinkle in Time.

Excitedly sharing the single via Instagram, Adu writes: "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."

TRAИƧA is set for release on November 22. A total of 100 artists are featured on the project, divided into eight chapters to represent a color in the pride flag.