Who was Sade married to? All about her husband and baby father as son Izaak inspires music return

Nigerian-British singer Sade is set to return with a new single, Young Lion, featured on the benefit album TRAИƧA, releasing on November 22. The album includes 46 tracks and contributions from over a hundred artists.

This will be Sade's first music release in over six years, following her 2010 album Soldier of Love. Her recent singles include Flower of the Universe from Wrinkle in Time and The Big Unknown from Widows, both released in 2018.

Sade has dedicated her upcoming single to her son Izaak Theo Adu, who identifies as a trans man. He is her only child whom she shares with former boyfriend Bob Morgan.

“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,” the song’s lyrics read as per its first glimpse offered by the New York Times.

Model and activist Massima Bell who helped compile the album which is dedicated to raising and supporting trans awareness told the outlet that Sade’s track was a “revelation.”

“It’s amazing to hear a legendary musician like Sade sing about her heartfelt experience as the parent of a trans child. It’s incredibly powerful,” Bell shared.

For those unaware, Sade has previously been married to Carlos Scola Pliego and her most recent partner is Ian Watts.

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Exploring the personal life of Sade ahead of her song’s release

At the start of her music career in the early 1980s, Sade, whose real name is Helen Folasade Adu, was in a relationship with English writer and broadcaster Robert Elms. However, the relationship was short-lived.

Later, in 1985, the Grammy winner met Spanish filmmaker Carlos Scola Pliego when she was filming for his music video for the album Promises. The pair began dating soon after and in 1989, they tied the knot. She even moved from London to Madrid. But in less than three years, they separated and later divorced in 1995.

Following this, Sade moved back to London where she met and fell in love with Jamaican reggae producer Bob Morgan and briefly shifted to the Caribbean to stay with him. While the pair never married, they share a son Izaak who was born in July 1996. Soon, Sade parted ways with Morgan and raised Izaak as a single parent.

In 2007, she began a relationship with a former Royal Marine Ian Watts, and has been together with him ever since. She has a stepson from the partnership. It remains unclear whether they ever wed. Sade also has a goddaughter named Leah.

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In brief, learning about Izaak Theo Adu

Izaak Theo Adu was born and raised in London and later moved to Gloucestershire in southwest England where he attended Steiner School. He is now a professional artist and model who studied a two-year art foundation course at the SGS College and later also visited Brighton to further his knowledge in the field of art.

Izaak’s website features his paintings of Canadian rapper Drake, multihyphenate artist Donald Glover, as well as his own mother. Additionally, he is a model for the agency Next Models and has walked the ramp several times for brands such as Vetements. He even walked for one of Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty events in September 2021.

Izaak came out as a trans man in October 2016 on National Coming Out Day and frequently credits his mother on his social media for supporting him through his transition. In 2019, he took to his Instagram and shared a heartfelt post featuring an image with his mother which was captioned:

“It’s been a long hard road but We did it!! We are coming home!!!! Thank you for staying by my side these past six months Mumma. Thank you for fighting with me to complete the man I am. Thank you for your encouragement when things are hard, and for the love you give me. The purest heart. I love you so much. Queen of queens.”

At present, he lives in California with his wife Emily Margaret Shakeshaft, whom he married in Hawaii in 2021. He is an LGBTQ+ advocate and often shares his journey as a trans man. Izaak was featured on his mother’s 2010 song Babyfather.