Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Sade might win a Grammy in 2026 for a song you've probably never heard.
In late 2024, the famously reclusive singer released her first song since 2018, “Young Lion,” as part of TRANSA, a compilation album organized by the activist music production organization, Red Hot, shining a light on the work of trans and nonbinary artists and celebrating the trans community.
“Young Lion” is a moving musical letter to Sade’s son, Izaak Theo Adu-Watts, featuring Sade lyrically reflecting on the pain of not understanding her son's experience as a trans child. The video for “Young Lion,” which is nominated for a Grammy this year in the Best Music Video category, is a simple video collage composed of home footage from throughout Adu’s childhood. It ends with footage of Adu-Watts as a grown man embracing his mom.
The video was directed by Sophie Muller, a storied British music video director who won a Grammy for directing videos for Annie Lennox's memorable 1992 album, Diva. She has also directed music videos for the likes of No Doubt, Gwen Stefani, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Shakira and more.
The video for “Young Lion” is not widely expected to win an award for Best Music Video at the 2026 Grammys. The awards tracking site Gold Derby predicts that Sabrina Carpenter’s Vania Heymann and Gal Muggia-directed music video for “Manchild” has a 69% chance of winning. Other nominees in the Best Video category include the music videos for “So Be It” by Clipse, "Anxiety" by Doechii and “Love” by OK Go. While all of these videos are visually impressive, none of them can emotionally compete with Sade's simple, yet deeply personal music video.
The video would be an apt winner for the 2026 Grammys. Since its release in November, 2024, the Trump administration has come to power and engaged in an all out assault on the rights of the trans community. In October 2025, the Trump administration proposed rules to strip all federal funding from any hospital that provides gender-affirming care to minors. In addition, the administration also directed the Department of Education to withhold funds from any school that “conceals” the gender identity or chosen name of its students from their parents (in essence, forcing schools to out their students).
This political context gives “Young Lion” and its video particular resonance, given that it depicts a loving and tender relationship between a mother and her trans child. Trans childhood is depicted in the video just as warmly and nostalgically as any typical cis narrative of childhood, challenging the political far right’s move to position transness as a threat to families.
