Aretha Franklin will retire this year

"This is it"

Aretha Franklin poses on the red carpet before the 38th Annual Kennedy Center Honors December 6, 2015 in Washington, DC (Molly Riley/Getty)

Aretha Franklin has said that her next album will be her last.

The 74-year-old “Queen of Soul” recently announced a six-month tour to support her upcoming album where she’ll sing “select tracks.” Her final album will be produced by Stevie Wonder comprised of all-original material.

"I am retiring this year," she told Detroit’s WDIV Local 4 this week. "I will be recording, but this will be my last year in concert. This is it."

Nonetheless, Ms Franklin promised that she won’t “just sit around and do nothing” after her album drops in September. But she plans to spend more time with her grandchildren.

"I feel very, very enriched and satisfied with respect to where my career came from, and where it is now," she told the station. "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."

Ms Franklin began her singing career in the 1950s and has since won 18 Grammy Awards.