SHE’S in her eighth decade but Chaka Khan has no intention of slowing down.
In fact, the legendary singer, 73, is about to release her 13th studio album, a record she describes as “ageless music”.
Called Chakzilla, she believes it can connect with “everybody, every age”.
And after 50-plus years of making music, when asked about her proudest achievements, the Grammy-winning star says: “My legacy is that I stayed alive and that I’m still here. That’s a big deal.”
She is chatting from her home in Georgia where she is resting on her 80-acre farm before she heads back to the UK.
Tomorrow she headlines Radio 2 In The Park in Stirling, a week before the release of her new album, her first in seven years.
“I didn’t plan it, or anything like that,” she says. “It just happened. I was just working — you know, working hard with my band.
“We were doing a lot of gigs, and that’s always fun. Everybody’s happy because they’re getting paid. And in that time, it just so happened that I met Sia.”
Sia is the Australian singer-songwriter behind huge hits such as Titanium and Unstoppable, who Khan met through her sister and manager Tammy McCrary. McCrary is a huge fan of Sia, who became central to the album’s creation.
“I didn’t have to work hard at all,” says Khan. “It was just easy for me and for her. She loves to write poetry and she’s a brilliant lyricist.
“I haven’t met anyone like her ever. I’m just happy that she’s my goddaughter now.”
The pair clicked so well creatively, they became family after Sia asked her to be her godmother and Khan agreed.
“I’m just happy that we’re together and that we’re part of each other’s life,” says Khan. “I’m really, really blessed.”
And it was this close relationship that started Chakzilla, with Sia bringing in celebrated producer Greg Kurstin to shape the album’s sound.
Khan says: “Greg did some writing with Sia and when she played these songs to me, it was just the most beautiful thing. I mean, she gets me. She knows me.
“And Tammy and I listened to the album a lot in the car. We keep playing it over and over again. We don’t get tired of it.
“When I am not tired of listening to my own music, that says a great deal because I often get tired quickly. That’s deep. That’s a beautiful thing.
“It’s fun for me to sing. All the songs are so good. My background singers and my band feel the same way. Everybody loves it. We’re feeling really special about this.
“So, I think people are going to feel the same way and they’re going to discover songs they like.
“They’re very sincere songs and very true about me. Heart Of Gold is the sweetest song and Dreamy Stuff is really true about me too. Curious Subject is another good one — because I am. That’s what my family is always saying about me.”
That sense of fun also runs through the album’s title, Chakzilla, inspired by Khan’s lifelong love of monster movies.
“I’ve loved horror and monster films my whole life,” she says. “I’ve been watching Godzilla and Mothra (the giant moth-like creature from the Japanese Godzilla films) since I was a little girl and I never got tired of them.
“I loved the fact there were good monsters and bad ones — the ones that tore things up and the ones that fixed things.
“So, I thought, ‘OK, I could be the Zilla that comes and fixes everything up. A positive monster, because I’m not a curlicue, I’m not a sweetie pie, so it works for me.
“Chakzilla is something I really love.”
The new record is packed with collaborations. The sultry Cool U Down sees Sia guest, while the joyous Boogie’s In My Soul has Snoop Dogg. The funky Bring The Party features Lenny Kravitz on guitars and vocals.
“Sia told me she wanted to write a song called Boogie’s In My Soul and I thought, ‘Oh that sounds horrible’,” Khan says honestly.
“Then I heard what she had in mind and thought, ‘This is brilliant’. She said, ‘All we need is a good rapper’. And I thought, ‘Oh yeah, I know just the guy’.
“I really admire Snoop. He’s so smart and such a great guy, so it was perfect. And the words are brilliant. She says, ‘Show the world your light. Show the world of joy’.
“I thought, ‘Yes, right on, sis’. It’s beautiful. It’s like old school.”
Snoop opens the track with a playful nod to Khan’s 1984 Prince-penned hit I Feel For You, echoing Grandmaster Melle Mel’s famous “Chaka Khan” chant.
Khan says: “Yeah, it sounds great, even though I’m so sick of that song. But it fits. It fits.
“I’m just glad he’s not saying ‘Chaka, Chaka, Chaka, Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan’, like the start of that record.”
Straight-talking with a larger-than-life personality, Khan is refreshingly honest when asked whether it was fun making the video with the rapper.
“No, I worked my ass off. Let me tell you that thing went on until the night.”
Working with old friend Lenny Kravitz on Bring The Party was long overdue, she says, as he is someone who shares much of her outlook on life.
“I’ve known Lenny for many years,” says Khan. “I have friends, but I don’t really have friendships in the way I’d like to because of the life I lead.
“He pulled up some songs from an album he did over 20 years ago. It was some old rock and it was brilliant, and I sang on some of that old stuff with him. I guess he’s going to bring some of it into the future now.
“So, he then played guitar and sang with me on this cut. It was great to bring in some friends that I love and do good work.
“And Lenny lives a lot like I do. If I wanted to go and hang out with him, it would be easy and vice versa. We live in similar ways.
“He’s living on an island (Kravitz, lives part of the year on the Bahamian island of Eleuthera), growing beautiful plants and food, with a great studio in the middle of it all.
“He’s moved, like I am, by being in the real world and loving what God has put here for us.” Around four years ago, Khan left California for Georgia, where her grandma was from and where she lives a very different life.
She says: “I came back to Earth, to the trees and lakes and plants, to real living, with no sirens and craziness around me. It’s brilliant.
“I can look at the sky every morning when I wake up. I look at my lake every day, my animals, and I’m eating right.
“My sister and I are in the middle of opening a plant-based restaurant, and I’m growing my own food. I’ve got greenhouses and I’m learning how to live on the planet and from the planet, rather than having to go to stores and buy crap.”
Georgia has given Khan space, peace and proper time with her family.
“I really am enjoying it,” she tells me. “I’ve never felt so happy to come home off the road before.
“Touring is hard work. It always has been. But now I come home, close the gate and it’s really nice. My family can come and stay for a week or two and we get proper quality time together.
“I just spent a whole month with all my grandchildren and great-grands. They wore me the hell out but I had the best time ever.”
Last year Khan joined soul legends Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight and Stephanie Mills for the historic Queens tour, which had extra dates in May this year.
“It was an amazing feat that we finished it,” says Khan. “I took it on because I thought, ‘This is a one-time thing — Gladys, Patti, Stephanie and myself. A one-off.
“It was an amazing show. It was tough because we were working like back in the day.
“Stevie Wonder came to the opening night and sang with me, which was lovely.
“We were really cool. Nobody was tripping, there was no drama. It was beautiful. And between the four of us, you could imagine how diverse the audience was. I saw families, I saw men bringing their sons. It was really special.”
Earlier this year, I’m Every Woman — The Chaka Khan Musical opened in London starring Alexandra Burke as Khan.
Did Burke nail the role?
“What could Alexandra do wrong? She’s amazing. She’s really something. I didn’t realise she was already such a big star. She’s no joke.
“I was amazed by her staying power. She and the whole cast had stamina like you’ve never seen.
“Nia Hill, who wrote the book for the show, is an old friend. She knows me inside out. We’ve had very deep conversations, and she’s been there for me through some really hard knocks.
“She would ask me which songs we should use, and I suggested songs that people don’t often get to hear.
“That’s what I’m trying to do now, bring back songs I did years and years ago that I still love.
“I’m going to do a show with that old stuff. Young kids today are so savvy, they know a good song when they hear one.”
Khan’s admiration for younger generations also connects back to her own political awakening.
As a teenager in Chicago, she was involved with the Black Panther Party and says the battles facing young people today feel both familiar and far broader.
She says: “It was crazy then too, but in a different way. With the Panthers, the focus was mostly on fundamental racism. Today, it’s that and so much more that these kids are dealing with. My heart goes out to them because they’re not afraid. They’re fearless, beautiful beings and they get it. They understand what’s right and what’s wrong.
“I’m really happy about young people today. I love that they’re not afraid, because fear will tear it all down.”
With our time up, Khan says how much she is ready to return to the UK this weekend.
“I love Scotland and love the big shows, I can’t wait. I’m going to play the favourites. Absolutely.
“It’s important to keep the music going. I’m still here. Yeah, in every way.
“We lost Prince, and the big stars like Aretha and Whitney.
“There are not a lot of those musicians and artists like that any more. So, I’m enjoying that I’m still making new music and playing shows.
“I’m up for the challenge. Absolutely, that’s how I live. That’s me.
“I love that line, ‘I may be small, but I’ve got this’.
“It doesn’t matter what size you are, it’s what you’ve got.”
- Chaka Khan headlines Radio 2 In The Park on Saturday night and the set will be broadcast on BBC iPlayer and Radio 2, and at 10pm on BBC Two. The album Chakzilla is released on September 18.