Stevie Wonder is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his 1976 acclaimed double-album Songs in the Key of Life with a four-song EP featuring previously unreleased recordings from the album’s sessions: “It’s Easier,” “My Life Story of Love,” “I Can See the Sun In Late December,” and “I’m Into Livin’.” The Sept. 28, 2026, release opens a new chapter in the story of a landmark album that reshaped modern music, offering listeners a deeper look into the imagination and musical exploration behind one of the legendary singer, songwriter, musician, producer and activist’s defining creative periods.

Personally curated by Wonder, the recordings were recently mixed for the EP by the album’s original recording and mixing engineers, John Fischbach and Gary O Adante. Adante was credited on the original LP as Gary Olazabal. The four songs were written and produced by Wonder, with the exception of one co-written track. The EP is available for purchase digitally here.

Remarkably, Wonder was so prolific and successful at such a young age, he was still just 26 years old when the monumental 2-LP set was released. The album went on to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year—remarkably, his third in four years, following Innervisions and Fulfillingness’ First Finale.

From the announcement: At 4:54 a.m., as the final studio session for Songs in the Key of Life came to a close, Nathan Watts, Wonder’s longtime bassist, exclaimed, “Fo’FiftyFo’!” From then on, the phrase signaled the end of a session and became an inside joke for anyone in Stevie’s circle. Now, that hour marks a new beginning as four previously unreleased recordings reach the world, connecting the album’s creation with its next chapter.

Listen to “It’s Easier”

“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.”

Across its portraits within cultures, expressions of love and calls for a more compassionate world, Songs in the Key of Life places everyday experience alongside larger questions of faith, inequality and possibility. Its music makes room for celebration and protest, private tenderness and collective hope. These newly shared recordings extend that conversation, inviting listeners to discover more of the work behind an album they have made their own.

Listen to “My Life Story of Love,” co-written with Susaye Greene, the former Supreme and Motown artist who also co-wrote Michael Jackson’s “I Can’t Help It” with Wonder

Originally released on September 28, 1976, Songs in the Key of Life achieved Diamond certification [for sales of more than 10 million copies in the U.S.] and was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. Its songs included “Love’s in Need of Love Today,” “Sir Duke,” “Isn’t She Lovely,” “Pastime Paradise,” “Another Star” and “As.”

Listen to “I Can See the Sun in Late December”

“I’m Into Livin’” features background vocals by Shirley Brewer, heard on the original album’s “Ordinary Pain”; Thelma Houston, soon to score her own #1 with “Don’t Leave Me This Way”; and longtime Wonderlove vocalist Deniece Williams, on the cusp of her own solo stardom.

Featured musicians include keyboardist Gregory Phillinganes, at the beginning of his professional career with Wonderlove; guitarists and Wonderlove members Michael Sembello, co-writer of “Saturn,” and Ben Bridges; saxophonist Jim Horn; drummer Raymond Pounds, then taking part in his first major recording sessions; and bassist Watts, whose first recording sessions with Wonder followed their time on the road and began a partnership that continues today.

The EP is available for purchase digitally here. Wonder’s great catalog is available in the U.S. here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here.

The celebration continues with 2026’s “Songs in the Key of Life Performances – 50th Anniversary Tour,” promoted by Live Nation and produced by Wonder Productions, Inc. The 25-time GRAMMY® Award-winning artist will perform the album in its entirety in the U.K., Europe, Ireland, and the U.S., beginning Oct. 13 before closing on Dec. 19. Tickets were originally available here.

Related: Our review of Wonder’s 2015 “Songs in the Key of Life Tour”