New music from Sade Adu will soon, marking her first new release in six years. The Nigerian-British singer is set to release the track “Young Lion,” dedicated to her transgender son Izaak Theo Adu.
The song will be available on Nov. 22, 2024, as part of the Transa charity album, according to Variety. The project, which highlights both trans and non-binary artists and aims to promote transgender awareness, was created by the nonprofit organization Red Hot.
“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,” explained Dust Reid to the outlet. Reid put together Transa alongside artist Massima Bell.
Insofar as the profound inner effort trans and non-binary people undertake to confirm who they are in the context of our contemporary culture, we sought to craft a story that puts them as leaders in our society. We believed that everyone ought to do this. Maybe our future would be focused on ideals of community, collaboration, compassion, and healing if more people took the time to explore their gender and connect with their emotional side, regardless of whether they identify as transgender or non-binary.
Transa will feature over three-and-a-half hours of music, including a mix of covers and exclusive tracks from Sam Smith, André 3000, Kelela, and more. Per Variety, the project has over 100 contributing artists, and is structured across eight chapters and 46 songs, in reverence to the eight-stripe rainbow pride flag.
According to its website, Red Hot “has produced 20 original projects since 1990 in collaboration with some of the most interesting and creative artists in the world.” These projects combine music, video, design, and other media to raise awareness and funds in the ongoing fight against HIV and AIDS.
The organization Hot was started in 1989 by Leigh Blake and John Carlin as a response to the devastation wrought by AIDS on a generation of New York artists and intellectuals. The history of contributing artists listed on the website includes Bilal, Bon Iver, Chance The Rapper, Ledisi, Lauryn Hill, Pete Rock, L.E.S., SWV, and more.
