Sade Adu - Young Lion

Sade Adu, the lead singer of the legendary band Sade, is back with her first song since 2018. A sorrowful piano ballad with powerful lyrics, it serves as an apology letter to her transgender son. Taken from the compilation album “Transa”, Adu sings about how sorry she is for not knowing that her transgender son was struggling deeply with his gender. It’s a pretty heavy song and serves a noble cause but I don’t think I will be returning to this song very much in the future. Simply put, it’s a bit too mournful for my taste. The good news is that Sade Adu’s voice sounds spectacular, having retained its singular tone after over four decades in the spotlight.

2025 marks 15 years since the release of the band Sade’s last studio album “Soldier of Love”. Adu, who will turn 66 in January 2025, is hopefully gearing up for a major comeback after the longest hiatus in the band’s history. Quality takes time and in the intervening years, only a handful of new songs have been heard by the public. Thankfully, each one has shown that Sade remains true to their sound and Adu herself is still dedicated as ever. I encourage you to take a listen to “Young Lion”, a powerful song with lyrics that any parent with a struggling child can relate to, transgender or not.