Stevie Wonder Is Leaving Motown After Nearly 60 Years, Reveals Kidney Transplant
After nearly six decades, Stevie Wonder is leaving Motown and has launched a new label.Â
The legendary singer shared the news during a virtual press conference Tuesday (Oct. 13) when he also gave an update on the status of his health.
At a London concert in July 2019, Wonder announced that he would be taking a hiatus from performing to undergo a kidney transplant while addressing rumors about his health. "So what's gonna happen is this, I'm going to have surgery, I'm going to have a kidney transplant in September of this year,â he said at the time.
While speaking to the press yesterday, the 70-year-old icon said that the procedure happened in December. Nonetheless, he feels 30 years younger after âwas blessed with a new kidney,âaccording to the Associated Press.
âSince I have been released from the hospital, the nurses have made sure Iâve taken my medicine on time and Iâm going to do it for as long as I have to, even if it is the rest of my life. I feel great. My voice feels great,â he said. âI feel like Iâm about 40 right now, and I just thank everyone for the prayers and the love.â
âAnd for all of the people that have been listening to these rumors, listen, if Iâm feeling some kind of way, Iâll let you know,â he continued. âWe donât want to have misinformation. I am alive and well.â
The announcement came in conjunction with the arrival of two new songs, âCanât Put it in the Hands of Fate, and âWhere Is Our Love Song.â During the press conference, Wonder discussed a new EP in the near future, with both songs expected to appear on.
Wonder revealed that he began writing âWhere Is Our Loveâ, which features Gary Clark Jr., when he was 18 years old, according to the AP. He was compelled to revisit the song during this past year amid âall the confusion and all the hate and all the east versus west, left versus right.â All of the proceeds will go to the nonprofit organization, Feeding America.
 As for âCanât Put It In the Hands of Fate,â which features Rapsody, Cordae, Chika, and Busta Rhymes, Wonder originally envisioned it as a song about a relationship. But, he was inspired to rewrite it after âthinking about where we (are) in the world and thinking about how this is the most crucial time,â the AP reported.
âChange is right now. We canât put it into the hands of fate. Ainât nobody got time to wait,â he said. âWe canât put it in the hands of fate finding a cure for this dreadful virus. We got to get on our knees and pray or whatever you do.â
âI want everyone to be well,â he continued. âI donât care what color you are because actually I donât see your color. You see color, donât act like you donât see color, you do. But I donât see your visual color. But I do feel your soul. I do feel your spirit. I see the color of your spirit and soul, and Iâm seeing too many spirits and souls that are not about the love that weâre supposed to have and feel for one another.â
Both songs will be released on his new label, So What the Fuss Records, and be distributed by Republic Records.
Take a listen to the tracks below:
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