Funk Soul Sister - Chaka Khan

Born Yvette Marie Stevens, Chaka Khan, who changed her name whilst working as a teen for the Black Panthers as part of their Free Breakfast For Children program, is a modern day entertainment icon. From her group work as part of Rufus to her hugely successful solo career, she’s worked with everyone from Prince to Mary J. Blige, and her final product is always of a high standard. If it’s not her undeniable musical prowess, it’s her willingness to give back that sets her apart from the rest of the pack. Not only is she always prepared to help other musicians when called upon – her song ‘Through The Fire’ was resurrected with her permission when Kanye West sampled it on his debut smash ‘Through The Wire’, she also has her very own charity Foundation. Formed in 1999, the Chaka Khan Foundation helps women and children in crisis. Chaka has also taken part in many benefits dedicated to the conquering of AIDS and HIV prevention. Basically she’s someone who wants to give back.

Returning with a new album, which has already won two Grammy Awards, Chaka Khan has teamed up with virtuoso production team Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis to bring us ‘Funk This’. Gigwise managed to obtain a bit of time with the legendary lady of soul, here's what she had to say…

Gigwise: It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything new from you. Why did you decide to release an album now?
Chaka: “It really wasn’t that I decided to do an album now. I’ve courted a few labels over a ten year period, and then I decided things weren’t really right for me. So I continued to work on the road to pay the bills, and then finally a label came to me and wanted to sign me. They were a great label, very supportive and very helpful. Like many of my previous labels they tried to find me the right producers to work with, which they couldn’t. And then my sister/manager Tammy said, “Why don’t we take Jam & Lewis up on their offer that they want to work with you?” We had been talking about it for years in passing but had never laid anything down. Finally they moved from Minneapolis to Santa Monica, right up the street from me, and I paid them a visit. I asked them if they’d be interested in working with me. They were very interested, and then that’s where the new album started.”

‘Funk This’ contains a few covers and some of your own records, how did the concept come about that you were going to do the album this way?
“I have so many songs that have accumulated over the years, and we wanted to make sure that this album had some chance at commercial success. So, some of the covers are for that reason. We picked only the best, without sticking to a theme. There is a sort of underlining theme to the album but it’s very hidden. I don’t even know what it is. Everything just goes together nicely. I wanted it to go back to me and my authentic roots, the organic Chaka Khan. Basically what made people fall in love with me in the first place was hearing me with Rufus doing live music on a board with live musicians, as opposed to doing it via the internet and what not.”

Following the US release of the album you won two Grammy Awards for it. How does it feel to still be winning Grammy’s this far in to your career?
“It’s special. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised to have even been nominated. I mean… I was expecting something from this album I just wasn’t sure what. I didn’t expect to win two Grammy’s. I can tell you that for nothing. All my friends were telling me I was going to win both. I was like, “Yeah, right!” I was just happy to have even been acknowledged. I then gave it no more thought and carried on working. And lo and behold I got them both. To me, that was a sign that we did right by this album.”

You’ve had a long and successful career in music. What would you say has been the key to your success? What keeps you going?
“I mean c’mon, first of all it takes a certain amount of talent to stay relevant. And people have to recognise that. They need to know it and feel it. That’s part of it. I’ve paid my dues. I’ve paid a lot of dues in fact. I’ve been through a lot and I think because of that people recognise that I am authentic, at least in my musical communication. Other than that, I don’t really look at it or think about it that much. I’m just thankful.”