Sade releases first new song in 7 years

“A Wrinkle in Time” just gifted the world some new Sade, something we haven’t had in seven years.

Sade released “Flower of the Universe” on Tuesday, a song that appears on the soundtrack for the upcoming Disney movie. (Both the album and film are out today.)

“Flower of the Universe” is instantly recognizable as Sade: Featuring an acoustic guitar, the hauntingly beautiful song includes delicate, melancholy notes and Sade’s trademark lush, quiet-storm voice. The song is prominently featured in the movie — audiences won’t miss it.

Sade (which refers to both the name of the four-piece band and the singer-songwriter Sade Adu) hasn’t released new music since a greatest-hits collection in 2011. Her career has been marked by long periods of silence, and she’s known for divulging little about her personal life, rarely giving interviews and staying out of the spotlight.

Sade released a number of albums in the mid-1980s through the early 1990s that included several timeless tracks. After 2000’s “Lovers Rock,” Sade went on a 10-year hiatus to raise her child, and returned with the 2010 studio album “Soldier of Love.”

“You can only grow as an artist as long as you allow yourself the time to grow as a person,” Sade wrote on her website after the 2010 release. “We’re all parents, our lives have all moved on. I couldn’t have made ‘Soldier of Love’ any time before now, and though it’s been a long wait for the fans — and I am sorry about that — I’m incredibly proud of it”.

During the long breaks, Sade’s songs have remained staples in many music fans’ playlists. So, predictably, people went bananas when director Ava DuVernay announced last month that she had successfully recruited Sade to contribute a song to the “A Wrinkle in Time” soundtrack.