There are so many incredible collaborators on this album, but I have to ask: What was it like working with Sade on one of her first releases in years?
It was such an incredible experience to receive that music. I think it was really special in the way that it happened, too, because it came about as a result of a lot of people holding out their hands in trust and passing along a message, which was originally from this letter that I wrote specifically to Sade expressing how meaningful I felt it would be for her—as the singular musician that she is, and as the parent of a trans child—to sing in whatever way she wanted to to express her support publicly for her child. We delivered the letter through Stuart Matthewman, who is Sade’s longtime collaborator and a member of her band who’s contributed to Red Hot projects over the years, and he was down to just deliver this letter to her. She was really touched by the letter, and literally, in writing it, I was like, if you want to just, like, say a few words, it’s totally whatever you’d like to do. She wanted to contribute this song, “Young Lion,” that stemmed from a letter that she wrote to her son Isaac on his 21st birthday. When I first heard the song, I was immediately in tears, and it was such an emotional experience, because it is such a powerful message of love and acceptance to her son. It also begins with an apology, which I think is something so powerful and something that a lot of parents have trouble with; particularly, the parents of trans kids, who should know that it’s okay to say, “Hey, I’m sorry, I should have known and acknowledged this” and do that work to heal. It felt like such a huge gift from her, and she’d been really giving throughout the whole process.
Is there anyone or any group you particularly hope this album makes it to?
I definitely want it to get to trans people who oftentimes don’t get the love that we need to. I think it’s powerful to know that this is in the world, and that there are all these incredible musicians who are like, yes, we love you and we want to support you, and you are beautiful and magical. I want parents of trans kids, people who don’t have paths charted out for them on how to love their trans child, to see things like Sade just fully expressing this unconditional love for her child. I want that to be something that can open a little bit of compassion or empathy from people, because I know people can have knee-jerk reactions and immediate disgust or dismissal of trans people, and I hope the emotional power of this album can push through that. This record is roughly half and half trans and nonbinary voices and cisgender voices, and I hope this project can cement them in some kind of canon. I think trans artists and all artists who are marginalized in different ways can be kind of tossed aside or not given our due, and I want this to be something that is a space that centers them and makes them feel wanted and adored.