Stevie Wonder’s retirement at 75 in his own words

At 75, Stevie Wonder’s career has lasted longer than many of his contemporaries, especially when you take into account the fact that he released his debut album in 1962 at the age of 12.

However, amid an extended break from recording new material and his age, fans have occasionally wondered whether the musical legend might retire or step away from the stage.

In the midst of recent comments from Stevie himself clarifying the same, here’s what the singer has said in the past about retiring, the status of new music, and the factors contributing to recent breaks…

Is Stevie Wonder retiring?

As of 2025, Stevie has no plans to retire. The musical legend sat down with BBC’s Sidetracked earlier this week to discuss his career and his recent concert tour through the United Kingdom.

He confirmed then that he wanted to keep playing and performing for as long as he physically could. “For as long as you breathe, for as long as your heart beats, there’s more for you to do. I’m not gonna stop the gift that keeps pouring through my body.”

He continued: “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,” and affirmed that he still found joy in revisiting his illustrious back catalog. “And singing those songs is like me taking another breath.”

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Is he releasing new music in 2025?

Stevie has not released a studio album of original material in two decades, the last being 2005’s A Time to Love. His last original release was the 2024 single “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart.”

While we don’t have a timeline, he did confirm during his conversation that he was working on a project that he’d teased back in 2008 titled Through the Eyes of Wonder, a concept album that dives deeper into his journey making music while blind.

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“There is so much more that I want to do and that God wants me to do,” he explained, revealing that he had lots of unreleased music still to work with. “I have a lot of songs I haven’t released yet but I’m not going to say to you that, I’m going to let it just be there.”

Stevie’s health

For the vast majority of his career, Stevie has been healthy and hearty, and remains one of the most active musicians from the 20th century when it comes to his legacy as a touring and stage artist.

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His most significant battle came in 2019, when he shared with the crowd at London’s Hyde Park that he would be taking a short break because he was receiving a kidney transplant.

Ever the optimist, though, Stevie informed the crowd at the time: “I’m all good, I’m all good, all good… I have a donor and it’s all good.” Later that year, he underwent a successful kidney transplant and informed the world via a press conference that he was recovering well.

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“Since I have been released from the hospital, I’ve had nurses that have made sure I have my medicine on time and I’m going to take it for as long as I have to — even if it’s for the rest of my life,” he said, jovially adding: “I feel like I’m about 40 right now and I just thank everyone for their prayers and love. I’m feeling great.”