At 75 years young, Stevie Wonder continues to thrive.
His recent UK tour, which concluded earlier this month, garnered widespread acclaim, with reviewers lauding the star as “fresh and on form” and his performances “a riotously joyful celebration” of his extensive catalog.
Unlike some of his contemporaries, such as Billy Joel and The Eagles, who are scaling back their commitments, Wonder insists he has no plans to retire.
“For as long as you breathe, for as long as your heart beats, there’s more for you to do,” the Motown icon told the BBC’s Sidetracked podcast. “I’m not gonna stop the gift that keeps pouring through my body.”
“I love doing what I’m doing. An artist never stops drawing. As long as you can imagine is as long as you are going to be creative.”
The celebrated musician also confirmed he is actively working on a new album, entitled Through The Eyes Of Wonder, a project initially announced in 2008.
The album has been described as a unique performance piece reflecting his experiences as a blind man.
This would mark his first studio album since 2005’s A Time To Love, continuing a recording career that began in 1962 at the young age of 11.
Wonder’s conversation with Sidetracked host Annie Macmanus occurred the day before his headlining performance at London’s BST festival in Hyde Park, where he delivered a two-and-a-half hour set filled with iconic hits such as “Superstition,” “Isn’t She Lovely,” “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life,” and “I Wish.”
Much of the set drew from his acclaimed 1970s period, during which he secured three Grammy Awards for best album in a row for Innervisions, Fulfillingness’ First Finale, and Songs In The Key Of Life.
Wonder shared with Macmanus that he never tires of performing these classic tracks.
“Songs are like children, they’re with you forever,” he said. “They are a statement from the spirit within you.”
“And singing those songs is like me taking another breath.”
Earlier in July, during a concert in Cardiff, Wonder addressed a long-circulating conspiracy theory about his vision.
“You know there have been rumours about me seeing and all that?” he told the audience, “But seriously, you know the truth.”
“Truth is, shortly after my birth, I became blind,” he clarified to fans.
Describing his disability as a gift, Wonder added, “Now, that was a blessing because it’s allowed me to see the world in the vision of truth, of sight.”
In his Sidetracked interview, the singer emphasized the importance of using music to promote positivity and speak truth to power.
Throughout his life, he has been a prominent civil rights advocate, playing a crucial role in the campaign to recognize Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday as a national holiday in the U.S.
Wonder, who supported Democrat Kamala Harris in the last U.S. presidential election, told Macmanus that America is currently facing challenges from “people trying to go backwards.”
“It’s not gonna go down like that,” he asserted. “I think that if you look back in history, there’s always been a point when people wake up.”
“And I think that, for those who think it is gonna go down like that, remember that God is watching you.”
You can listen to Stevie Wonder’s full interview on the Sidetracked podcast on BBC Sounds.
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