Aretha Franklin announces plans to retire this year after album release

The Motown legend will be stepping out of the spotlight at the end of the year
Retiring: Aretha Franklin is stepping out of the spotlight
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Jennifer Ruby9 February 2017
The Weekender

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Aretha Franklin has confirmed that she is set to retire this year following the release of her new album.

The Motown legend, 74, announced that she would be stepping out of the spotlight for good during an interview on a local Detroit radio station on Thursday.

Following a prolific career, which has spanned five decades, Franklin confirmed that her new record will be her last.

"I must tell you, I am retiring this year,” she said during a candid chat on WDIV Local 4.

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“This will be my last year. I will be recording, but this will be my last year in concert. This is it.”

The music icon went on to say that she will still be doing ‘some select things’ but will be spending the majority of her time with her grandchildren.

“I'm not going to go anywhere and just sit down and do nothing. That wouldn't be good either,” she said.

Speaking about her forthcoming album, the gospel singer said that she’d been working closely with Stevie Wonder.

She said: “Several of the songs are going to be produced by Stevie, and of course there's only one Stevie, right?”

Franklin, who rose to fame on the Motown scene in the 1960s, has won an impressive 18 Grammy Awards and has sold more than 75 million records worldwide.

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