Aretha Franklin Will Retire From Music After Recording Final Album
By Jon Wiederhorn
(RADIO.COM) – Aretha Franklin said she will retire from music later this year after releasing her final studio album in September.
"I must tell you, I am retiring this year," Franklin told a Detroit TV station.
The yet-untitled record will be produced by Stevie Wonder and is scheduled to be released in September. The Queen of Soul said the album will be an homage to Detroit and will feature original songs recorded in the Motor City.
"I feel very, very enriched and satisfied with respect to where my career came from and where it is now," Franklin said. "I'll be pretty much satisfied, but I'm not going to go anywhere and just sit down and do nothing. That wouldn't be good either."
In Franklin's mind, however, retirement doesn't mean completely disappearing. She said she will consider doing "some select things — [maybe] one a month, for six months out of the year."
Franklin, who turns 75 this year, has suffered from recent health problems. The Queen of Soul was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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