“I'll keep playing as long as I breathe” — Stevie Wonder
#image_title

“I'll keep playing as long as I breathe” — Stevie Wonder


Share this post

At the age of 75, Stevie Wonder is still going strong.

His latest UK tour, which wrapped up earlier this month received rapturous reviews, with critics calling the star "fresh and on form" for "a riotously joyful celebration" of his music.

But while contemporaries like Billy Joel and The Eagles are reducing their musical commitments, Wonder says he will never consider retiring.

"For as long as you breathe, for as long as your heart beats, there's more for you to do," the Motown legend 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 star also confirmed he was still working on a new album, titled Through The Eyes Of Wonder, which he first discussed in 2008.

The project has previously been described as a performance piece that will reflect his experience as a blind man.

It would be his first studio album since 2005's A Time To Love; extending a recording career that started in 1962, when he was just 11 years old.

The star made some of the most acclaimed soul and funk albums of the 1970s

Wonder spoke to Sidetracked presenter Annie Macmanus, the day before he headlined the BST festival in London's Hyde Park - playing a two-and-a-half hour set that encompassed his biggest hits, from Superstition and Isn't She Lovely to You Are The Sunshine Of My Life and I Wish.

Most of the set was drawn from the 1970s purple patch when he won the Grammy Award for best album three times in a row, for Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale and Songs In The Key Of Life.

Wonder told Macmanus that he never tired of revisiting those records.

"Songs are like children, they're with you forever," he said. "They are statement from the spirit within you.

"And singing those songs is like me taking another breath."

America 'going backwards'

Earlier this month, during a concert in Cardiff, the musician addressed a long-standing conspiracy theory that he is not actually blind.

"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 told fans.

Calling his disability a gift, Wonder continued: "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 talked about the importance of using music to spread positivity and speak truth to power.

Throughout his life, he has been a vocal civil rights campaigner, and played a key role in the campaign to have the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr recognised as a national holiday in the US.

Wonder, who campaigned for Democrat Kamala Harris in last year's US presidential election, told Macmanus that America was currently beleaguered by "people trying to go backwards".

"It's not gonna go down like that," he insisted. "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 isgonna go down like that, remember that God is watching you."


Share this post
Comments

Be the first to know

Join our community and get notified about upcoming stories

Subscribing...
You've been subscribed!
Something went wrong
Roc Nation Addresses Rumors JÄY-Z’s Album Is Complete

Roc Nation Addresses Rumors JÄY-Z’s Album Is Complete

Roc Nation is pushing back against growing speculation that hip-hop mogul Jäy-Z has completed a new studio album, labeling recent rumors as “fake news” in a social media response. The denial follows a series of reports and public statements over the weekend that suggested the 24-time Grammy Award winner was sitting on a finished project. Ray Daniels, a prominent music industry figure, sparked the frenzy by claiming the album was complete but being held back while the rapper secured a specific b


O A

Kim Kardashian’s Home Targeted As Man Is Arrested Following Alleged Break-In & Joyride

Kim Kardashian’s Home Targeted As Man Is Arrested Following Alleged Break-In & Joyride

Authorities arrested a 27-year-old man Sunday after he allegedly broke into a Hidden Hills estate owned by media personality Kim Kardashian and stole a vehicle for a joyride. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the incident occurred at a property currently undergoing extensive renovations. A security guard stationed at the residence contacted law enforcement shortly before 4 p.m. to report a burglary in progress.  Neither Kardashian nor her four children were present at the h


O A

Wendy Williams Documentaries From Netflix & Peacock Coming Soon

Wendy Williams Documentaries From Netflix & Peacock Coming Soon

Two streaming giants may soon offer competing portraits of Wendy Williams, the former daytime television host whose career made her one of the most recognizable voices in American entertainment. Netflix and Peacock are reportedly developing separate documentaries about Williams, according to The Sun. Neither company has confirmed the projects publicly. Still, reports suggest both productions are moving forward as interest in Williams’ career and personal life persists. Peacock and Netflix Are


O A

FIFA fires back at effort to undermine Infantino as leadership crisis deepens

FIFA fires back at effort to undermine Infantino as leadership crisis deepens

FIFA on Saturday warned against what it called a "concerted and ongoing effort" to undermine President Gianni Infantino, saying ⁠attempts to challenge his leadership must follow the governing body's statutes and democratic procedures. The statement came amid an increasingly bitter standoff over Infantino's leadership following ‌the collapse of his proposal to raise about $4.2 billion by selling a stake in the commercial rights ‌of the World Cup and other tournaments. The plan triggered critici


O A