People: Stevie Wonder: From the child prodigy to the world conscience

Viewed from the outside, Stevie Wonder achieved everything. Feel received at any cost, touched millions of people with their songs. But he continues to sing because his heart is difficult. Last summer Wonder published the song “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart”.

It deals with the pain of the Americans, about poverty and injustice, tornness. Wonder never hid if he could stand up for his fellow human beings. The soul and R&B legend wants to continue- even after his 75th birthday today.

Stevland Hardaway Judkins Morris not only looks back on an impressive career – a drastic struggle has also been with him since birth: in 1950 he was born in Saginaw, Michigan, as a premature baby and only survives thanks to an incubator. It is soon clear that little Stevie will never regain his eyesight.

Instead, he discovers a different gift early on: the music. He begins to sing in the church choir and teaches himself instruments such as the harmonica, drums and, above all, the piano. His extraordinary talent does not remain unnoticed-even before he reaches teenage age, the famous Motown label signs him.

With its first record, the talent, celebrated as a “child prodigy”, catapults itself directly to the top of the charts-and also creates the first number of in one number in the company’s history. Stevie Wonder is closely connected to the label for almost a decade.

Urged for artistic freedom

But with increasing age, his desire for artistic freedom also grows. As a young adult, he finally takes the wheel into his own hands and founds his own label with Black Bull Music. This new independence gives its songs more depth, and social and political issues are now increasingly finding its way into its texts.

Some of his new works take up developments in American society before it perceives the general public at all. In order to expand his musical expression, he experiments with new sounds and styles.

This phase marks a creative flowering period: Stevie Wonder becomes a musical lone fighter who largely writes, arranges and produces his pieces alone. During this time, classics such as “Superstition”, “You are the Sunshine of My Life” and “Sir Duke” are created.

Another milestone follows in 1984: For the soundtrack for the comedy “The woman in red”, over 20 times Grammy winners composed a soulful love message. The song with the chorus “I Just Called to Say I Love You” quickly develops into a world hit. A year later, the title is awarded the Oscar for the best film song and finally anchored Stevie Wonder’s name in music history.

Former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle are among the most loyal fans. They maintain a close relationship with the artist – Obama presented the man who has been fighting racism and discrimination for a long time, the American medal in 2014. In the 2024 election campaign, Wonder also sang for the democratic candidate Kamala Harris, who later lost to Republican Donald Trump.