Stevie Wonder has shared two new songs, his first new music in four years.
The legendary singer-songwriter unveiled Where Is Our Love Song and Can't Put It in The Hands Of Fate during a livestreamed press conference yesterday (October 13). He also revealed he was leaving Motown Records after nearly 60 years, having signed with the label as an 11-year-old in 1961.
Both politically pointed and a reflection on current times, the former is a mellow, uplifting collaboration with Gary Clark Jr. that the 70-year-old first started working on as a teenager. All proceeds will benefit Feeding America. He said:
"It is a song that really I started working on when I was 18, not even knowing what the song was going to be about, but I had the melody. Then this year came all the confusion and all the hate and all the east versus west, left versus right.
"It’s just a heartbreak. And those who say ‘This is what God has said… this is my religion,’ it’s just a lot of confusion… I’m watching all this and say, ‘Hold up, how can you be talking about God and there be hate in your spirit?'"
The latter, meanwhile, is a much more spirited funk-based bop, displaying his trademark harmonica style, with Busta Rhymes, Rapsody, Cordae and Chika dropping verses about injustices against the black community.
"I was thinking about where we are in the world," he explained. "And I was thinking about how this is most crucial time. Not just Black people or people of colour but young people everywhere are going, ‘This is not acceptable.’ Change is right now. We can’t put it in the hands of fate. Ain’t nobody got time to wait."
The tracks were written and produced by Wonder, and are the first to be released through the 25-time Grammy winner's new label So What The Fuss Music, distributed through Universal Music Group’s Republic Records. Press play below.
During the virtual conference, Wonder also teased that he is working on including the songs on a new compilation EP and a new solo LP titled 'Through The Eyes of Wonder'.
Wonder's previous single was 2016’s Faith, featuring Ariana Grande, while his last album was 'A Time to Love' in 2005. Over the last 10 years he's contributed to tracks by other artists, including Travis Scott, Celine Dion, Drake and Barbra Streisand.
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