Following a mysterious Instagram post last Thursday, the Red Hot Organization have today announced the first concrete details of TRANSA (stylized with a backwards N and S), a project they've been working on in secret since early 2021.

Conceived by Red Hot's Dust Reid and Los Angeles-based artist and activist Massima Bell in the wake of increasingly aggressive political and personal attacks on trans and non-binary communities, TRANSA aims to celebrate and to support those communities through profit donations to vital trans-inclusive organizations.

Carefully plotted in collaboration with more than 100 artists – trans, non-binary, and genderqueer, as well as cis allies – the high-concept, 46-track collection (due 22 November) spans almost 4 hours of music, with "chapters" of songs interspersed with original ambient pieces and spoken word.

It's a lot to take in, so let us break it down for you:

Who's involved?

Red Hot has been at the forefront of progressive, community-minded activism through music for almost 35 years now, starting with 1990's groundbreaking Red Hot + Blue compilation benefiting HIV/AIDS organizations. They've raised over $15 million in that time, donated to more than 100 non-profits around the world, and worked with some of the most iconic musicians in history. When Red Hot comes calling, everyone picks up.

Trans, non-binary, and genderqueer artists who feature on the album include Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Laura Jane Grace, Ezra Furman, Hand Habits, claire rousay, More Eaze, Caroline Rose, Sam Smith, Anjimile, Joy Guidry, Lauren Auder, Lyra Pramuk, Cole Pulice, Niecy Blues, SOAK, Asher White, and Bloomsday.

The long list of cis allies involved includes Adrianne Lenker, Low's Alan Sparhawk, Allison Russell, André 3000, Bartees Strange, Bill Callahan, Cassandra Jenkins, Christian Lee Hutson, Clairo, Dirty Projectors' Dave Longstreth, Devendra Banhart, Faye Webster, Fleet Foxes, Frankie Cosmos, Grouper, Helado Negro, Jeff Tweedy, Jlin, Julianna Barwick, Julie Byrne, Julien Baker, Kara Jackson, Kelela, L'Rain, Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo, Mary Lattimore, Moor Mother, Moses Sumner, Perfume Genius, Sade's Sade Adu, Sharon van Etten, Wendy & Lisa, Yaeji, Yaya Bey, and many more.

Scroll to the bottom of the page for the full list of artists and songs – it's quite incredible – but here are a few highlights:

– Sade Adu's song "Young Lion" is her first new song in 14 years, written for her trans son Izaak
– Perfume Genius and Alan Sparhawk cover Low's "Point of Disgust"
– Jeff Tweedy and claire rousay have created a new piece based on poetry by William Blake
– Hand Habits and Bill Callahan cover Kate Bush's "Deeper Understanding"
– Sam Smith adapts Beverly Glenn-Copeland's "Ever New", with Glenn himself
– L'Rain covers two ANOHNI songs from the recent Blacklips Bar compilation
– Moses Sumner covers SOPHIE's "Is It Cold in the Water?"
– André 3000's contribution is a 26-minute ambient flute piece
– Wendy & Lisa have teamed up with Lauren Auder to cover Prince's Purple Rain track "I Would Die 4 U", which you can listen to below:

Says Auder in the press release:

"The lyrics to 'I Would Die 4 U' feel so potent and open-ended, up for interpretation, but an unconditional message of holding and support shines through. Getting Wendy and Lisa who sang on the original to accompany me through this version has been one of the proudest moments in my musical career."

What's the concept?

TRANSA moves through conceptually distinct chapters – eight of them, to "mirror the original eight-stripe rainbow pride flag" – that traces a narrative that "begins at the earliest awareness of consciousness; moves through awakening, trauma, and grief; and arrives at liberation and continual reinvention."

Says Reid in the press release:

"We started talking about all the gifts that trans artists have been giving to the world, and wanted to create a Red Hot project that centered and celebrated those gifts. We hoped to create a narrative that positions trans and non-binary people as leaders in our society insofar as the deep inner work they do to affirm who they are in our current climate. We felt this is something everybody should do. Whether you identify as trans or non-binary or otherwise, if you took the time to explore your gender, get in touch with the feeling side of yourself, maybe we would have a future oriented around values of community, collaboration, care, and healing."

What does TRANSA mean?

Anyone with a passing familiarity with Portuguese will know that transa is the Portuguese word for lovemaking, but this is an album not about sex but about "love with no limitations on gender expression." TRANSA, say Red Hot, means "you are more than you know," and lovingly borrows it's title from a 1972 album of the same name by queer Brazilian artist Caetano Veloso, who has been working with Red Hot since the '90s. A classic Veloso song from the album also appears on TRANSA: "You Don't Know Me", performed by Devendra Banhart, arranged and produced by Blake Mills, and featuring Beverly Glenn-Copeland.

TRANSA tracklist:

Chapter I: Womb Of The Soul

1. Midnight Moon Pool - by Mary Lattimore, Laraaji, MIZU & Jamal Shakeryan
2. You Don't Know Me – Devendra Banhart, Blake Mills & Beverly Glenn-Copeland
3. How Sweet I Roamed – Jeff Tweedy & claire rousay
4. Same Train – Heart Shaped & Christian Lee Hutson

Chapter II: Survival

5. STAR – Ana Roxanne & Nsámbu Za Suékama
6. Please Tell Me – Lightning Bug
7. Make 'em Laugh – Benét & Faye Webster
8. Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying – Julien Baker & Calvin Lauber feat. SOAK & Quinn Christopherson
9. Rumblin' – Soft Rōnin feat. Frankie Cosmos
10. Deeper Understanding – Hand Habits feat. Bill Callahan

Chapter III: Dark Night

11. Under the Shadow of Another Moon – Hunter Schafer & Cole Pulice
12. Blush – Grouper + Lucy Liyou
13. Is It Cold In The Water? – Moses Sumney
14. Know Who You Are At Every Age – Anajah & Gary Gunn
15. Is It Over Now? – Niecy Blues feat. Joy Guidry

Chapter IV: Awakening

16. Something Is Happening And I May Not Fully Understand But I'm Happy To Stand For The Understanding – André 3000
17. Come Back Different – Nina Keith feat. Julie Byrne, Taryn Blake Miller
18. Song To The Siren – Rachika Nayar feat. Julianna Barwick & Cassandra Croft
19. Love Hymn – Arthur Baker feat. Pharoah Sanders
20 People Are Small / Rapture – L’Rain & Voices from the NYC Trans Oral History Project

Chapter V: Grief

21. We've Been Through So Much – Jlin & Moor Mother
22. My Name – Kara Jackson, Ahya Simone & Dave Longstreth
23 Point of Disgust – Perfume Genius & Alan Sparhawk
24. In Another Life – Lomelda & More Eaze
25. Pink Ponies – Teddy Geiger + Yaeji
26. A Survivor's Guilt – Yaya Bey

Chapter VI - Acceptance

27. Just Last Night – Helado Negro & Eileen Myles
28. Feel So Different – Ezra Furman & Sharon Van Etten
29. Mourning Dove – Gia Margaret
30. Feel Better – Adrianne Lenker
31. Any Other Way – Allison Russell & Ahya Simone
32. Down Where The Valleys Are Low – Asher White, Eli Winter & Caroline Rose
33. TM – Fleet Foxes, Cole Pulice & Lynn Avery
34. Querube – AV María, SKY & Belina Rose 

Chapter VII - Liberation

35. Within Without – Green-House & Kelela
36. Aaron – Cassandra Jenkins, Bloomsday & Babehoven
36. Young Lion – Sade Adu
38. You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) – Moses Sumney, Lyra Pramuk & Sam Smith
39. Many Ways – CLARITY  feat. Clairo
40. I Feel Free – Sparkle Division feat. Pepper MaShay 

Chapter VIII - Reinvention

41. Get Free – Nico Georis & KB Brookins
42. Wolf Like Me – Bartees Strange, Anjimile & Kara Jackson
43. Surrender Your Gender – Laura Jane Grace feat. Lee Ranaldo, Jayne County, Kathi Wilcox, Jay Dee Daugherty & Am Taylor
44. I Would Die 4 U – Lauren Auder with Wendy & Lisa
45. Always – Time Wharp with Elizabeth & Beverly Glenn-Copeland
46. Ever New – Sam Smith & Beverly Glenn-Copeland