There are voices that define songs, and then there are voices that define generations. For more than five decades, Chaka Khan has done both. Fearless, soulful and instantly recognizable from the very first note, the ten-time Grammy Award winner remains one of music’s most electrifying forces, with an extraordinary catalog that includes “I’m Every Woman,” “Ain’t Nobody” and “I Feel for You.”
But Chaka Khan has never been an artist content to live in the past—and this September, she is about to remind the world exactly why.
On September 18, Khan unleashes Chakzilla, her highly anticipated new album and the beginning of a bold new musical era filled with joy, freedom, self-love and empowerment. Featuring powerhouse collaborations with Sia, Snoop Dogg and Lenny Kravitz,
the project brings Chaka’s unmistakable voice and personality into an exciting new chapter without losing the soul that has made her an icon.
Then, just one day after the album’s worldwide release, Chaka Khan takes the celebration directly to the stage. On September 19, she will perform at the Sea.Hear.Now Festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey, where generations of fans will come together for a rare collision of the legendary and the brand new.
The audience can expect the timeless anthems that have followed Khan across decades alongside a taste of the newly unleashed Chakzilla.
At this point in her career, Chaka Khan has nothing left to prove—but plenty left to say. She is still curious, still creating, still taking chances and still capable of turning a festival crowd into one enormous dance floor. Chakzilla isn’t a comeback. Chaka Khan never went anywhere. It’s the sound of an icon moving forward.
INTERVIEW >
You will perform at the See Here and Now Festival in Asbury Park on September 19th a day after the World release of Chakzilla on the 18th, will fans get a taste of the new Chakzilla era alongside classics like “I’m Every Woman,” “Ain’t Nobody” and “I Feel for You”?
Absolutely! You can’t invite Chakzilla to the party and expect her not to show up! We’re going to celebrate the new music, but I know what people came to hear too. Those songs are part of me and part of their lives. So, we’re going to have ourselves a good time.
Festival audiences often include several generations. What is it like looking out from the stage and seeing younger fans singing songs you recorded decades before they were born?
I love it. I look out and think, “Baby, you weren’t even here when I recorded that!” But that’s the beautiful thing about music. A great song doesn’t have an expiration date. It just keeps finding new ears and hearts.
After more than five decades of performing, do you still get that same rush just before you walk onto a festival stage?
If I ever stop feeling something before I walk out there, then maybe it’s time for me to stay home and go back to bed. The energy from an audience is alive. You never know exactly what’s going to happen, and I love that.
With a new album, new collaborations and another generation discovering your music, what still excites Chaka Khan about what comes next?
The fact that I don’t know what comes next. That’s the exciting part. I’m still curious. I still love music. I still love what I do. I still love discovering things. As long as I’m curious, I’m not done.
Chakzilla marks your first full album in several years. What made this the right moment for you to return with a new body of music?
It felt right. That’s really how I work. I don’t make music because somebody tells me, “Chaka, it’s time for an album.” Music has to come to me honestly. This music came together with the right people, the right energy and a lot of joy. I met Sia and we became close friends. I really do adore her. So, I said, okay, let’s go! Then Snoop shows up and then Lenny shows up. It’s been magic
The title Chakzilla is powerful, playful and unmistakably Chaka. What does that name represent to you?
I watched those Japanese monster movies growing up messing up the cities and causing chaos. But Chakzilla is the good monster not destroying, rebuilding and leaving things better than how she found them.
You worked with Sia on this project. What did she bring out in you creatively that surprised you?
I saw a lot of myself in her. Sia is one of the most creative artists I have met. She has incredible instincts about the words, melody and emotion to a song. She became my goddaughter during the process. We had a ceremony and everything. So, we didn’t just make music together, we became family. With that kind of trust anything is possible. She’s a beautiful old soul.
“Boogie’s in My Soul” with Snoop Dogg has such an infectious energy. What was it like bringing your two very different musical worlds together?
Snoop is Snoop. He’s taller than everyone to begin with and he comes in with that voice and his energy and suddenly the whole thing has another level. I’ve known him for a very long time. Snoop made everything fun. I knew it was going to be great.
Lenny Kravitz also appears on the album. What do you love about his musical style, and how did that collaboration come together?
Lenny is the real thing. I went to his studio in the Bahamas to record with him and didn’t want to leave. We are both in a great place. We may end up doing much more together. Lenny doesn’t just make music, he feels it.
You’ve said that this album celebrates joy, freedom, self-love and empowerment. Are those messages even more important to you at this stage of your life and career?
Absolutely, all of that. Especially freedom these days. Freedom to know who you are. Freedom to love yourself. Freedom to stop worrying about everybody else’s opinion of you. Freedom to love who you want. And it’s always a good time to feel good, dance and turn the music up.
With a new album, new collaborations and another generation discovering your music, what still excites Chaka Khan about what comes next?
I want to be a positive source in this world. I want to put good energy into the planet through music, through love, through whatever comes next. Music has given me so much, and if I can give some of that joy and healing back, that’s what excites me now. I’m still creating and still here for a reason.
It’s a big week for you personally, with a new CD, a performance the day after and the wrapping up the summer London run of I’m Every Woman: The Chaka Khan Musical, will it be coming to America?
It’s been a great year so far. I would love for American audiences to experience it. Sitting there watching someone play you is a little strange. Then suddenly you’re sitting there watching your younger self and thinking…Girl, you have no idea what’s coming! I hope America gets its turn.
Is there anything else you would like to add that we haven’t spoken of?
Keep dreaming. Keep loving. And no drama. I want people to feel inspired and embraced to know that wherever they are in life, they’re not alone. Take care of your heart, your spirit and your mind. Be good to yourself and to each other. We’ve only got this moment, so let’s put some love into it. And get some damn sleep.
