BIRMINGHAM — Stevie Wonder released the EP Songs in the Key of Life 50: The EP on Monday. The release contains four previously unreleased studio recordings from the sessions for his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life.

The tracks on the EP are titled "It's Easier," "My Life Story of Love," "I Can See the Sun in Late December," and "I'm Into Livin'." All four songs on the EP are written and produced by Stevie Wonder. The EP was released on streaming services at 4:54 a.m. PDT.

Stevie Wonder said in a statement that the album has been available for 50 years but that there is still more to hear. He said the songs were not added to the original album but were part of what he was feeling and discovering during its creation. He said the tracks bring him back to that time in his life and that they now become part of the listener's experience. The release marks the 50th anniversary of the album Songs in the Key of Life.

Songs in the Key of Life was released on September 28, 1976. The album won Album of the Year at the Grammys and is certified diamond. Rolling Stone ranked Songs in the Key of Life at number four on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2005, the Recording Industry Association of America certified the album Diamond, indicating sales of over 5 million units for a double album.

Susaye Greene has a co-writing credit on My Life Story of Love. Greene is a former member of the Supremes and co-wrote Michael Jackson's I Can't Help It with Stevie Wonder. Thelma Houston provides backing vocals on "I'm Into Livin'" alongside Deniece Williams and Shirley Brewer. Houston later achieved fame with her hit "Don't Leave Me This Way," which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979. Brewer features on the song "Ordinary Pain" on Songs in the Key of Life.

Stevie Wonder plays drums, GX-1-Dream Machine, Bass-GX-1-Dream Machine, Fender Rhodes, and electric bass on the EP. Gregory Phillinganes played the Rhodes on My Life Story of Love. Nathan Watts played bass on "It's Easier" and "I Can See the Sun in Late December." Bassist Nathan Watts said Fo'FiftyFo' when the original sessions wrapped. Fo'FiftyFo' became an in-joke among Wonder and his musicians to mark the end of sessions.

Stevie Wonder will perform Songs in the Key of Life in full on an arena tour. The tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of Songs in the Key of Life includes 22 dates across the UK, Europe, and the US. The tour begins on October 13 in Birmingham, UK.

The tour includes five US cities: New York City, Chicago, Washington DC, Detroit, and Los Angeles. The tour wraps in Los Angeles on December 19.

Stevie Wonder has not released a new studio album since 2005's A Time to Love. He released the single Can We Fix Our Nation's Broken Heart in 2024. Wonder announced a project entitled Through the Eyes of Wonder in 2020. Wonder has released multiple unreleased tracks from his past albums in the past, including a 2016 release of 'The Secret Life of Plants' album, which featured previously unheard material from the 1980s.

Timeline

Stevie Wonder announced a project entitled Through the Eyes of Wonder in 2020. Stevie Wonder released the single Can We Fix Our Nation's Broken Heart in 2024.

What's New

Later reporting identified Susaye Greene, who co-wrote 'My Life Story of Love,' as a member of the Supremes who also collaborated with Stevie Wonder on Michael Jackson's 'I Can't Help It.' Additional details confirm that Stevie Wonder has not released a new studio album since 2005's A Time to Love, making this EP a significant return to releasing new material after nearly two decades. Records show Stevie Wonder has released multiple unreleased tracks from his past albums in the past, including a 2016 release of 'The Secret Life of Plants' album, which featured previously unheard material from the 1980s.

Further context reveals the original Songs in the Key of Life sessions lasted for two years, with the album being so expansive that four additional songs were released as a bonus EP titled A Something's Extra. The tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of Songs in the Key of Life includes 22 dates across the UK, Europe, and the US, showing the global significance of the album and its continued cultural impact. Liner notes specify Stevie Wonder plays drums, GX-1-Dream Machine, Bass-GX-1-Dream Machine, Fender Rhodes, and electric bass on the EP. John Fischbach, one of the original engineers for Songs in the Key of Life, recalled that he was called to the studio on short notice to engineer the sessions, which shows the spontaneous nature of the recording process. Data indicates Songs in the Key of Life was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005, indicating sales of over 5 million units for a double album, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Why It Matters

The release of previously unreleased material from the Songs in the Key of Life sessions marks a moment for Stevie Wonder, who has not released a new studio album since 2005's A Time to Love. The EP serves as a bridge between the historic 1976 album, which won Album of the Year at the Grammys and is certified diamond, and Wonder's current activities, including an upcoming arena tour. The involvement of original collaborators such as John Fischbach, Gary O. Adante, and backing vocalists like Thelma Houston and Shirley Brewer connects the new release directly to the creative environment of the original sessions.

The accompanying tour, which includes 22 dates across the UK, Europe, and the US, reflects the continued cultural impact of the album half a century after its initial release. By issuing these four tracks, Wonder expands the documented output of a period that already produced a triple album and a bonus EP, offering listeners further insight into the feelings and discoveries of that time. This release follows a pattern of Wonder sharing archival material, such as the 2016 release of previously unheard material from the 1980s, while maintaining a focus on live performance and selective new recordings.