by Jem Aswad, Chris Willman | October 13, 2020 | Variety

Stevie Wonder has signed a deal for his own imprint with Republic Records, So What the Fuss Music, that is launching with two songs, he announced at a virtual press conference Tuesday.

The new songs were released concurrent with the press briefing. “Where Is Our Love Song” features Gary Clark Jr. as a guest and “Can’t Put It In The Hands Of Fate” includes contributions from Rapsody, Cordae, Chika and Busta Rhymes as well as Wonder’s five children.

“I had a great conversation with Monte Lipman, the (Republic) president, and I spoke with India.Arie, who had signed with Republic,” Wonder said of the new affiliation.

Asked about the end of his nearly 60-year association with Motown, Wonder said: “Even though I have left Motown, I never leave Motown. That’s Detroit. So I’m sure that we can figure out how we can do some things at Motown. Maybe I’ll do my ‘Gospel Inspired by Lula’ with Motown. We’ll work it out,” he said, referring to a gospel project named after his late mother he had announced plans to record in 2013.

Wonder said that either an EP or full album would follow the release of the two new songs at some point. “I’m going to possibly do an EP with some various artists. I’ll put those two (just released) songs along with the other artists that are participating” that would be contributing with similar inspirational messages. “If the EP doesn’t come out, I’ll definitely put (the new songs) on my next (full-length) project, which is called ‘Through the Eyes of Wonder.'”

Wonder had been a Motown Recording artist for his entire career, since he signed with the label as an 11-year-old in 1961. While he is one of the most influential and successful artists of the second half of the 20th century — not to mention one of the most lauded, with 25 Grammy Awards out of 74 nominations, the majority dating from his magnificent run of albums during the 1970s — he has not released an album of new material since 2005’s “A Time to Love,” which itself was his first new album since 1995’s “Conversation Piece.”

He was extremely prolific during the 1960s and particularly the 1970s, when he released eight monumental solo studio albums — including the classics “Talking Book,” “Innervisions,” “Fulfillingness’ First Finale” and “Songs in the Key of Life” — as well as writing and producing two albums for Syreeta Wright, his wife at the time. His productivity tailed off following another classic, 1980’s “Hotter Than July,” although he has continued to tour and perform at many events, including Barack Obama’s inauguration; Wonder’s 1970 song “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” was a theme of Obama’s campaign.

Stevie Wonder can read this thread ...from his cellphone... while driving his car...at night...

So a comeback is coming?

Man, we've been in need of some new Stevie for a long time. Sounds like he's using the harpejji on his work. I was hoping this shutdown would give him some time to recover and record some new stuff.

I'm thinking Stevie dropped an f-bomb in Can't Put It In The Hands of Fate...

"You say all lives matter...

I don't believe the **** you do"

Unless I'm hearing wrong!

But... no album since 2005! Man, that's too long. And we've never gotten any releases of his classic albums with new material. We are coming up on the 50th anniversaries of Music of My Mind, Innervisions, etc.

[Edited 10/14/20 4:28am]

If I were a musician...I would not spend so much time in ...not releasing music.

OK...Stevie Wonder made very much recordings in his whole life....but there are musicians like Peter Gabriel (solo) , Kate Bush and Sade...when you look back at their life as musicians...there's so much lifetime ...I would say...wasted...and waiting ten or fifteen years until the next album comes up....so different than Prince.

Pellwormer said:

Nice to see that Stevie is back with some new music! The world really needs him right now.

Pellwormer said:

If I were a musician...I would not spend so much time in ...not releasing music.

OK...Stevie Wonder made very much recordings in his whole life....but there are musicians like Peter Gabriel (solo) , Kate Bush and Sade...when you look back at their life as musicians...there's so much lifetime ...I would say...wasted...and waiting ten or fifteen years until the next album comes up....so different than Prince.

He might not have recorded a whole lot, but he has stayed active as a performer, on TV every year and in concerts.

Superstition said:

He’s been a featured artist on hundreds of other songs.

Stevie played harmonica on a Travis Scott song around a year ago. Philip Bailey sang the hook on the same track. Stevie has also sang at a lot of funerals.

I think Motown is pretty much a catalog label now, I'm not sure of any new stuff the label releases.

Pellwormer said:

If I were a musician...I would not spend so much time in ...not releasing music.

OK...Stevie Wonder made very much recordings in his whole life....but there are musicians like Peter Gabriel (solo) , Kate Bush and Sade...when you look back at their life as musicians...there's so much lifetime ...I would say...wasted...and waiting ten or fifteen years until the next album comes up....so different than Prince.

you do realize he's blind, right?...have you ever seen a blind person cross the street?...it takes them quite a long time... can you imagine how long it must take to make record albums while not being able to see anything or anyone?...

WTF?

[Edited 10/14/20 8:32am]

Thanks for the heads up!

if you gonna criticize the great Stevie Wonder, dont use the old tired worn-out release schedule complaints...if anything talk about how he refuses to let go of them 4 or 5 stressed out cornrows that have been trying to escape to the back of his head for the last several decades... isnt there SOMEONE in his camp that he trusts that can persuade him to cut them shits off?...thats how i know the rumors that he can see, are not true...if Stevie could see his hairline, he would have shaved his head 30 YEARS ago

[Edited 10/14/20 8:39am]

Superstition said:

Pellwormer said:

If I were a musician...I would not spend so much time in ...not releasing music.

OK...Stevie Wonder made very much recordings in his whole life....but there are musicians like Peter Gabriel (solo) , Kate Bush and Sade...when you look back at their life as musicians...there's so much lifetime ...I would say...wasted...and waiting ten or fifteen years until the next album comes up....so different than Prince.

His album releases don’t give you the full picture. He’s toured a ton - and I do mean a ton - he’s done hundreds or thousands of television performances at talk shows, award shows, specials, etc. He’s been a featured artist on hundreds of other songs... he’s kept incredibly busy. It’s one thing to wish he’d release more albums the last 25 or 30 years, but to say he hasn’t been making music is another.

Oh ok...you all are right. I'm very sorry. He's done al lot records in his whole life and he's doing very many performances and shows...it's right, yes he is very busy. It was more my wish there were more records, but I should have googled more about his life, that's my fault.

Superstition said:

Man, we've been in need of some new Stevie for a long time. Sounds like he's using the harpejji on his work. I was hoping this shutdown would give him some time to recover and record some new stuff.

I'm thinking Stevie dropped an f-bomb in Can't Put It In The Hands of Fate...

"You say all lives matter...

I don't believe the **** you do"

Unless I'm hearing wrong!

One good thing, he keeps bringing up the name of albums he's been working on. “The Gospel Inspired By Lula” he's been talking about since 2007, and “Through The Eyes of Wonder” since 2008. He started mentioning “Ten Billion Hearts” in 2012, and also performed a song of the same name the same year at the Billboard awards. Then he started mentioning “When The World Began”, an orchestral album that would be covers of his classics and new songs done with an orchestra, produced alongside David Foster.

But... no album since 2005! Man, that's too long. And we've never gotten any releases of his classic albums with new material. We are coming up on the 50th anniversaries of Music of My Mind, Innervisions, etc.

[Edited 10/14/20 4:28am]

Wow I just heard a couple of secondS and I loved it, sounds great and current.

[Edited 10/14/20 19:29pm]

RJOrion said:

Pellwormer said:

If I were a musician...I would not spend so much time in ...not releasing music.

OK...Stevie Wonder made very much recordings in his whole life....but there are musicians like Peter Gabriel (solo) , Kate Bush and Sade...when you look back at their life as musicians...there's so much lifetime ...I would say...wasted...and waiting ten or fifteen years until the next album comes up....so different than Prince.

you do realize he's blind, right?...have you ever seen a blind person cross the street?...it takes them quite a long time... can you imagine how long it must take to make record albums while not being able to see anything or anyone?...

WTF?

[Edited 10/14/20 8:32am]

I don't think that's the case here at all, do you remeber the 60's and 70's Music Of My Mind and Talkin Book were released within a couple of months.

RJOrion said:

if you gonna criticize the great Stevie Wonder, dont use the old tired worn-out release schedule complaints...if anything talk about how he refuses to let go of them 4 or 5 stressed out cornrows that have been trying to escape to the back of his head for the last several decades... isnt there SOMEONE in his camp that he trusts that can persuade him to cut them shits off?...thats how i know the rumors that he can see, are not true...if Stevie could see his hairline, he would have shaved his head 30 YEARS ago

[Edited 10/14/20 8:39am]

Fuck off, what's wrong with them, he looks just fine with that look.

Superstition said:

Pellwormer said:

If I were a musician...I would not spend so much time in ...not releasing music.

OK...Stevie Wonder made very much recordings in his whole life....but there are musicians like Peter Gabriel (solo) , Kate Bush and Sade...when you look back at their life as musicians...there's so much lifetime ...I would say...wasted...and waiting ten or fifteen years until the next album comes up....so different than Prince.

His album releases don’t give you the full picture. He’s toured a ton - and I do mean a ton - he’s done hundreds or thousands of television performances at talk shows, award shows, specials, etc. He’s been a featured artist on hundreds of other songs... he’s kept incredibly busy. It’s one thing to wish he’d release more albums the last 25 or 30 years, but to say he hasn’t been making music is another.

He's benn very active since the early 60's so it's been almost 60 years since he's been active.

slyjackson said:

RJOrion said:

if you gonna criticize the great Stevie Wonder, dont use the old tired worn-out release schedule complaints...if anything talk about how he refuses to let go of them 4 or 5 stressed out cornrows that have been trying to escape to the back of his head for the last several decades... isnt there SOMEONE in his camp that he trusts that can persuade him to cut them shits off?...thats how i know the rumors that he can see, are not true...if Stevie could see his hairline, he would have shaved his head 30 YEARS ago

[Edited 10/14/20 8:39am]

Fuck off, what's wrong with them, he looks just fine with that look.

LOL.... apparently your vision is worse than Stevie's

slyjackson said:

RJOrion said:

you do realize he's blind, right?...have you ever seen a blind person cross the street?...it takes them quite a long time... can you imagine how long it must take to make record albums while not being able to see anything or anyone?...

WTF?

[Edited 10/14/20 8:32am]

I don't think that's the case here at all, do you remeber the 60's and 70's Music Of My Mind and Talkin Book were released within a couple of months.

after 1976 he would sometimes take 2, 3, 4 years off between albums...of course he didnt do that in the 60s and early 70s...back then, Berry Gordy wasnt gonna allow his money to be slowed up in that fashion

I think both new songs are bloody good.

SquirrelMeat said:

I think both new songs are bloody good.

SquirrelMeat said:

I think both new songs are bloody good.

Indeed, very good.

RJOrion said:

Dalia11 said:

Taurus, excellent! People with a disability have strong intuition too!

Astrology isn't real.

I don't like the rap on Can't Put, it gets annoying, the other song is great like it much better.