Emerging vocalist Norelle pays tribute to Sade Adu ahead of the legendary singer’s 65th birthday (Jan. 16) with a cover of “Like a Tattoo.”
Norelle’s reimagined version of the Sade classic was produced by Romero Mosley and Iyeball, with Keyon Harrold on the horns and Eric Nicholas on the keys.
Regarding her “Like a Tattoo” cover, Norelle tells Rated R&B: “The performance of this song by Sade is so captivating and so majestic. It holds a feeling that is not easily duplicated or present much in music now.”
She continues, “Being an artist who values the integrity of music, I wanted the opportunity to give my take on something that was already so beautiful: The storytelling, the minimalism, the chords, but through my eyes.”
The original version of “Like a Tattoo” appears on Sade’s fourth album, Love Deluxe, released in October 1992.
It’s the second-most streamed song from the album on Spotify with 110 million streams. The album’s first single, “No Ordinary Love,” leads with 168 million streams.
Norelle’s version of “Like a Tattoo” marks her first song release since her 2021 project, A Story About Love. The seven-song offering included the singles “Planted,” “Deeper” and “Back Into You.”
Regarding A Story About Love, Norelle told Rated R&B: “I pulled from really true experiences — things that I’ve lived through, have evolved from and stuff that I’m still working through. I want to encourage people to really feel that from the inside out. I want people to love who they are.”
While it’s been a few years since Norelle released music, the singer has been keeping busy behind the scenes as a backing vocalist.
Some of Norelle’s most recent gigs include touring with Alicia Keys and performing with Rihanna at the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show.
She also performed the national anthem at the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers game last Sunday.
Up next, Norelle is set to release an original single this Friday, Jan. 12. She also has plans to sing the national anthem at future NBA and NFL games.
On Jan. 18, Norelle will support Leon Bridges as a backing vocalist at The Marquis Park City in Park City, Utah.
Stream Norelle’s “Like a Tattoo” cover below.