Stevie Wonder has announced the release of two full albums in 2014, with a third already in production.
After nearly a decade without a release, Wonder has announced the unveiling of two separate works — Ten Billion Hearts and When the World Began, a joint effort with producer David Foster. The 63-year-old Motown legend says that the LPs will include newly written songs, as well as unreleased material.
Wonder, who filed for divorce last year, described the inspiration for his new music as “my children, family, change, growth, heartbreaks.” In honor of a promise made to his mother, Lula Mae Hardaway, who passed in 2006, Wonder hopes to record a gospel-inspired album.
“We’re going to do some traditional gospel stuff, but I’m thinking about doing a gospel song in Arabic. I’m going to twist it all up in different ways, because I think everyone needs to hear the word of the gospel. The word of gospel really is love and it really is about people following the word, whether they read the Qur’an, the Torah or the Bible, whatever they read,” Wonder said last summer.
The 22-time Grammy Award-winner also said that his recent musical influences have included rap music. Wonder says he hopes to incorporate certain political elements of rap in his upcoming work.
In addition to his double-album release announcement, Wonder has told the media that he will perform Songs in the Key of Life in its entirety for the first time. The performance is to take place at the House Full of Toys benefit concert in Los Angeles on December 21. The landmark album includes singles such as “Isn’t She Lovely,” “As,” “Another Star,” “I Wish,” and “Sir Duke.”