About a year ago, I was listening to Stevie Wonder, and I was struck by how profound his music is. With lyrics like poetry, I wondered about what kind of love he experienced that produced such iconic love songs. I even felt a little suspicious about relating so deeply to a man’s expression of love.
So I googled it, “Who did Stevie Wonder write his songs about?”
And that’s when I discovered that some of my favorite Stevie Wonder lyrics weren’t written by him at all, but by a woman named Syreeta Wright. Needless to say, this was not surprising to me at all.
After doing a small deep dive, I quickly concluded that Syreeta might be one of the most slept on artists of all time.
She signed so young that it was actually her mother who did the physical signing of a vocal contract with Motown Records. After wasting her talent by shuffling her around the label through various projects, she was kept on as a secretary in the assigning department, where she continued to provide support to other artists’ musical projects, both through her writing and background vocals. She was even considered as a replacement in The Supremes, yet she refused to be considered as anyone other than herself.
“What they wanted was another Diana Ross, which I am not. I am Syreeta. Period.”
I’ve spent a lot of time wondering what her day to day life at the label during its “Golden Age” was like. I imagine her, a shy 20-something-year-old, carrying around a journal full of poetry she was deeply private about while floating in and out of rooms full of buzz and excitement. I can see her watching someone record a song that made her heart leap, and deep down, wish it were her behind the microphone. Would she go out with her friends after a long day with music and laughter ringing in the air? Or would she go on melancholy walks around Detroit, feeling her dreams grow heavy and thick in her chest?
Her talent was undeniable - anyone who worked with her said so - but perhaps she was too good at the supporting role she was assigned at the time. Let this be a warning to any woman whose job it is to help others achieve their goals. Be too good at it, and your own dreams will always be left on the back burner.
However, after Syreeta co-wrote his album, Where I’m Coming From, Stevie Wonder was heavily invested in seeing her dreams realized and helped produce her solo debut. In 1972, Syreeta was released.
I have scoured the internet trying to understand why this release (and the four other solo releases after) has only amassed 89,973 monthly listeners on spotify in 2026. But there is very little record of Syreeta’s time in the music industry. Songwriter’s credits here and there. A handful of live performances. And an archive of nine magazine interviews that I cannot afford the subscription for.
While watching the few interviews I was able to dig up on youtube, I found Ms. Wright to be totally captivating. Her honest smile and calm composure are without any arrogance. And yet as she speaks, her eyes shine with playful cleverness, daring anyone to underestimate her. Every time some jerkoff with a microphone asks about her relationship to Stevie Wonder, I want to rip my hair out in frustration that the rest of the already short and hard-to-find interview will be spent under his shadow instead of in her light. But Syreeta’s cheerful poise and sincere laughter cause me to wonder if, despite her ambition, she was content without the fame or commercial success of those around her. Often referred to as an “unsung hero”, “hidden gem”, or worse, “Stevie’s first wife”, she is painted as a uniquely talented woman whose short life was riddled with the disappointment of albums that failed to find their audience.
However, after listening to her music, I am doubtful that she would tell her own story that way. Many say she struggled to find her voice or sound as a solo artist, but I think it is more likely that what she was struggling to find was a world that recognized and appreciated what the voice of a black woman, all on her own, had to offer. Such is often the case for artists who are before their time.
But by those who did know her, she was understood and admired as a woman who adored living, loving, and making music.
I have compiled some of my favorite songs from her discography in this playlist:
I did not include any of the tracks from her first record because I believe it is what is known as A Perfect Album, which must be listened to in its entirety.
From the stars (where Syreeta’s music has transported me),
mp
Sources:
https://www.grammy.com/news/syreeta-wright-was-more-than-mrs-stevie-wonder-prolific-singer-songwriter
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/jan/16/syreeta-love-every-little-thing-about-you
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syreeta_Wright
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/syreeta-38802.html
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jul-10-me-wright10-story.html