Stevie Wonder On Why He’s Always Felt Good About Writing Love Songs As A Black Man.

Stevie Wonder talks about how his Blackness influences his songwriting and views on love in the new Audible original podcast series, The Wonder of Stevie, now available for listening on Audible.

Blavity has an exclusive preview of the podcast below.

Journalist and culture critic Wesley Morris hosts Audible and Higher Ground Productions‘ series giving the inside track on Wonder’s life and artistry.

In the exclusive clip below, Morris asks Wonder about the concept of love and how he approaches love in his songs, especially as a Black man. Morris states that writing love songs as a Black man is a somewhat radical act in the face of racism and discrimination. Wonder said that for him, writing about love is a part of who he is and who he aspires to be.

“As a Black man, I’ve always felt good about love and loving someone and being in love or writing songs about love,” he said.
“I wanted everyone to relate to just how important love is and so when we can really connect to love, and we can watch the news, and we can hear about…a little baby whether they be white, Black, brown, whatever color they might be, being burned up in a fire, it’s going to hurt you. It doesn’t matter what it is. That’s when you really love. When you really love, that’s the focus of what you are.”

Wonder also added that there are two forces in the world we must choose from: “One that’s positive that’ll move you forward, and one that’s negative that will always keep you in the same place for as long as you take yourself to that lower level.”