In a move nobody saw coming, Stevie Wonder surprise-released a brand-new EP on Monday, September 28, 2026 — “Songs in the Key of Life: The EP” — exactly fifty years to the day after the landmark album of the same name arrived on September 28, 1976. The four-track collection gathers four never-before-heard recordings from the original 1976 sessions, newly unearthed from the vault, and lands alongside news of a 50th-anniversary world tour celebrating the masterpiece.
Image: Stevie Wonder / Motown Records (official EP artwork).
The Surprise EP
EP: Songs in the Key of Life: The EP — released Monday, September 28, 2026.
Tracklist: “It’s Easier” (5:09), “My Life Story of Love” (3:59), “I Can See the Sun in Late December” (4:37) and “I’m Into Livin’” (5:45).
Writing and production: All four songs were written and produced by Wonder. Former Supreme Susaye Greene shares a co-writing credit on “My Life Story of Love”.
Curation and mix: Wonder personally curated the selection. The tracks were newly mixed by the original album’s recording and mixing engineers, John Fischbach and Gary O. Adante (credited as Gary Olazabal on the original LP).
Session players: Bassist Nathan Watts appears on “I Can See the Sun in Late December” and “It’s Easier”; Detroit keyboardist Greg Phillinganes plays Fender Rhodes on “My Life Story of Love”; Wonder himself handles Yamaha GX-1 keyboards and bass on “I’m Into Livin’”, which also features backing vocals by Deniece Williams and Thelma Houston, plus sax by L.A. session player Jim Horn.
Release timing: The EP dropped at 4:54 a.m. Pacific on Monday morning — a deliberate callback to the making of Songs in the Key of Life. According to reports, bassist Nathan Watts’s exclamation “Fo’ Fifty Fo’!” at the end of a long overnight session became the camp’s inside joke.
Sources: USA Today, Detroit Free Press, Paste Magazine, Far Out Magazine, BroadwayWorld, SoulTracks, Stereogum, The Needle Drop, Goldmine and Rock Cellar Magazine (September 28–29, 2026).
Why these songs were never on the album
The four tracks were recorded during the marathon 1976 sessions for Songs in the Key of Life, but they didn’t make the final cut of an already enormous double album. Instead, they sat in the vault for fifty years — until Wonder personally chose them to anchor the anniversary EP.
The official press release put it this way:
“We’ve lived with Songs in the Key of Life for fifty years, but there’s still more to hear. 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.”
Songs in the Key of Life at 50
Wonder’s eighteenth studio album, Songs in the Key of Life, arrived as a double LP packaged with a bonus 7" single, and it remains one of the most decorated records in music history. It features enduring classics including “Sir Duke”, “Isn’t She Lovely”, “I Wish”, “As” and “Love’s in Need of Love Today”. The album earned Wonder his third Grammy Award for Album of the Year — he is a 25-time Grammy winner overall — achieved Diamond certification, and was inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry.
The 50th-anniversary world tour
Alongside the EP comes the “Songs in the Key of Life Performances” 50th-anniversary world tour, on which Wonder will perform the album in its entirety. The run opens on October 13, 2026 at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, England, followed by Paris on October 15, then Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Hannover, Cologne and Amsterdam, before Dublin’s 3Arena on November 1. UK arena dates include the O2 Arena in London (November 3), Co-op Live in Manchester (November 8) and the OVO Hydro in Glasgow (November 11). The US leg begins November 19 at Madison Square Garden in New York, with stops in Chicago and Washington DC, sold-out homecoming shows at Detroit’s Fox Theatre on December 8–9, and a finale on December 19 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The 18-date tour is promoted by Live Nation and produced by Wonder Productions, Inc.
Official EP audio
Listen to the official audio of “It’s Easier” from the EP:
FAQ
When did Stevie Wonder release the new EP?
On September 28, 2026 — exactly 50 years after Songs in the Key of Life was released on September 28, 1976.
What songs are on the Stevie Wonder surprise EP?
Four previously unreleased 1976 recordings: “It’s Easier”, “My Life Story of Love”, “I Can See the Sun in Late December” and “I’m Into Livin’”, all personally selected by Wonder and newly mixed by the original album’s engineers.
Why were these songs never released before?
They were recorded during the 1976 album sessions but did not make the final double album; they sat in the vault for fifty years until Wonder chose them for the anniversary EP.
Is Stevie Wonder going on tour in 2026?
Yes — the Songs in the Key of Life Performances 50th Anniversary Tour starts October 13, 2026 in Birmingham, England, with dates across Europe and the UK in October–November and a US leg from November 19 (Madison Square Garden) through December 19 (Intuit Dome, Los Angeles).
That’s all for now — stay tuned to LatestLyrics.xyz for more music news. More from this week: U2 announce Carnaval de Luz and Taylor Swift expands The Life of a Showgirl with 4 new songs.
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