Stevie Wonder Celebrates 50 Years of Songs in the Key of Life With Previously Unreleased EP

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Stevie Wonder is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his landmark album Songs in the Key of Life with a new four-song EP featuring recordings that have never previously been released to the public. Fans can listen to it now here.

Arriving on September 28, 2026, the anniversary release brings together four songs recorded during the original Songs in the Key of Life sessions: “It’s Easier,” “My Life Story of Love,” “I Can See the Sun In Late December,” and “I’m Into Livin’.” Personally selected by Stevie Wonder, the recordings offer another look into the extensive creative process behind one of the most celebrated albums in music history.

The newly released material was recently mixed by John Fischbach and Gary O Adante, the original recording and mixing engineers who worked on the album. Adante was credited on the original LP under the name Gary Olazabal. The anniversary release also carries a special connection to the history of the original recording sessions. During the final studio session for Songs in the Key of Life, longtime bassist Nathan Watts noticed the clock had reached 4:54 a.m. and exclaimed, “Fo’FiftyFo’!” The phrase became an inside joke within Stevie Wonder's circle and was eventually used to mark the end of a studio session.

Now, that same moment in time has taken on a new meaning as previously unreleased recordings from those sessions finally reach audiences 50 years after the original album was completed.

“We’ve lived with Songs in the Key of Life for fifty years, but there’s still more to hear,” says Wonder. “We didn’t add these songs to the album, but they were part of what I was feeling and discovering as we made it. They bring me back to that time in my life, and now they get to become part of yours.”

Originally released September 28, 1976, Songs in the Key of Life became one of the defining albums of Stevie Wonder's career. The record explores love, faith, inequality, social consciousness, family, celebration, and the possibilities of a more compassionate world, balancing deeply personal moments with broader observations about society. Five decades later, the album's themes remain closely connected to the way audiences continue to experience the record. The four previously unreleased recordings now provide another perspective on the creative period that produced the album.

The original Songs in the Key of Life earned Stevie Wonder the third of his three GRAMMY Awards for Album of the Year. The album has since achieved Diamond certification and was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.

Its enduring influence can also be heard through songs such as “Love’s in Need of Love Today,” “Sir Duke,” “Isn’t She Lovely,” and “As,” which have continued to reach new generations of musicians and listeners.

The new EP features four songs recorded during the original sessions, all written and produced by Stevie Wonder. “My Life Story of Love” features lyrics co-written by Susaye Greene, the former Supremes and Motown artist who also co-wrote Michael Jackson's “I Can’t Help It” with Wonder. The musicians featured across the recordings include keyboardist Gregory Phillinganes, who was beginning his professional career with Wonderlove at the time, along with guitarists Michael Sembello and Ben Bridges. Sembello, a member of Wonderlove, also co-wrote “Saturn.” The sessions also feature saxophonist Jim Horn, drummer Raymond Pounds, and bassist Nathan Watts. Watts' recording relationship with Stevie Wonder began after the pair spent time on the road together and developed into a partnership that has continued for decades. “I'm Into Livin’” also features background vocals from Shirley Brewer, who appeared on the original album's “Ordinary Pain,” Thelma Houston, and longtime Wonderlove vocalist Deniece Williams.

The four-song track listing is:

“It’s Easier”
My Life Story of Love”
I Can See the Sun In Late December”
“I’m Into Livin'"

The anniversary celebration will also continue on the road with the Songs in the Key of Life Performances - 50th Anniversary Tour. Promoted by Live Nation and produced by Wonder Productions, Inc., the tour will see Stevie Wonder perform the album in its entirety.

The European portion of the tour begins October 13 at Utilita Arena Birmingham before continuing through Paris, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Hannover, Cologne, Amsterdam, and Dublin. The tour will then return to the United Kingdom for performances in London, Manchester, and Glasgow. The U.S. leg begins November 19 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, followed by stops in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Detroit before the tour concludes December 19 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

With more than 100 million records sold worldwide, Stevie Wonder remains one of the most influential figures in popular music. His career has earned him 25 GRAMMY Awards, a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe, while his catalog has continued to influence artists across generations.

His accomplishments extend beyond music as well. A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Kennedy Center Honors, and the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, Wonder has spent decades supporting civil rights, disability inclusion, humanitarian efforts, and other causes centered on equality and human dignity. He was also an important figure in the campaign to establish Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national holiday and has continued his humanitarian work internationally as a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

The 50th anniversary of Songs in the Key of Life now offers another opportunity to revisit one of the most important chapters of Stevie Wonder's career. With four previously unreleased recordings finally available, the anniversary EP adds new material to an album whose influence has continued to grow across five decades.

Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life Performances - 50th Anniversary Tour

October 13, 2026 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham

October 15, 2026 – Accor Arena, Paris

October 18, 2026 – Royal Arena, Copenhagen

October 20, 2026 – Unity Arena, Oslo

October 22, 2026 – 3Arena, Stockholm

October 24, 2026 – ZAG-Arena, Hannover

October 26, 2026 – Lanxess Arena, Cologne

October 28, 2026 – Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam

November 1, 2026 – 3Arena, Dublin

November 3, 2026 – The O2, London

November 8, 2026 – Co-op Live, Manchester