Stevie Wonder talks retirement, Rod Stewart and Smokey with Annie Macmanus
Stevie Wonder has given a rare interview to Annie Macmanus on BBC Sounds’ Sidetracked with Annie and Nick, revealing he has no plans to stop making music.
Speaking just before his Hyde Park appearance, Stevie told Annie, “I’m not gonna stop the gift that keeps pouring through my body. As long as you let your mind work, you don’t have to retire.”
The full episode airs on BBC Sounds today, Monday 21st July.
In a special edition recorded in a temporary studio, Annie described feeling overwhelmed by the opportunity. “We were told we were allowed to interview Stevie Wonder on Sidetracked. I feel like I’m in a dream,” she said. “He is the definition of the word legend.”
Stevie helped ease her nerves by playing his Harpejji, a hybrid electric instrument, live during the chat.
Reflecting on his current UK visit, which includes one show in Wales, Stevie said, “It’s been fun, it’s been interesting to be back in England… it’s been nice.”
He confirmed he’s still creating new work, with a project in progress called *Through the Eyes of Wonder*. “There is so much more that I want to do and that God wants me to do,” he said.
Discussing unreleased material, he added, “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.”
He also spoke about his famous Oscars speech in 1985, where he honoured Nelson Mandela and saw his music banned in South Africa. “When you’re in a place where you know something’s wrong, you gotta speak on it,” he said.
The interview features anecdotes about Rod Stewart, who Stevie recently sang “Maggie May” to in a birthday message, and a bold moment as an 11-year-old meeting Smokey Robinson, where he claimed, “You can sing bad, you can sing good, but I can sing better.”
Stevie ended with a call for action: “Make the difference, make the change. Move the world forward, as it is meant to be.”