Chaka Khan is Still Every Woman: ‘I Don’t Feel Any Different Than 50 Years Ago—Actually I Feel Even Better Now’ (Exclusive)
The music legend opens up to Woman's World about career milestones, her revitalizing move to the countryside and more!
Key Takeaways
- At 73, Chaka says moving to the country brought her more joy than ever before.
- Life on her peaceful Georgia farm helps Chaka recharge, reflect and embrace every day.
- She believes life's calling appears when you stay open and trust the gifts you've been given.
For more than five decades, Chaka Khan has commanded the stage with electric energy, setting the gold standard for powerhouse vocals. From her funk days fronting the band Rufus in the early ’70s to her solo success with hits like “I’m Every Woman” and “I Feel for You”—penned by her dear friend and collaborator Prince—she’s dazzled audiences with a singular talent that transcends genres.
But after years of highs, lows and glittering milestones, moving to the countryside has Chaka, 73, living her most joyful era yet. “It’s really the best thing I ever did,” she shares with Woman’s World as our cover star this week (get your copy here!). “I’m telling you, it’s the first time in my career that I am 100% happy to go home.” Though she’s found solace in rural Georgia, she’s not slowing down—in fact, quite the opposite. The music icon is as energized as ever, with a new album on the horizon and a musical based on her life and career set to debut in London this September.
“I’m recharged,” Chaka says. “I’m still here—and I don’t feel any different than I did 50 years ago. Actually, I feel even better now.” Here, she reflects on the musical moments that shaped her career and how she’s finding joy in every day.
Keep an open heart
“I believe everyone has a calling,” Chaka says. “But not everyone acknowledges it. I found what my calling was. I also had a great-grandmother who was very spiritually connected. She was one of my favorite people in the whole world. She told me I was going to be world-known when I was just a kid. I didn’t know what she was talking about at the time. Then, years later, I was saying, ‘How am I going to support myself?’ Then I thought, ‘Here’s something I know I can do.’ So I worked on that. I joined a band. Sometimes callings are easy to access. But you just have to be open and stay open to it all.”
Full-circle magic
Chaka has won 11 Grammys, including the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame—but she maintains her most special career milestones are her bonds with a range of brilliant friends, from Stevie Wonder to Snoop Dogg. “I met so many people that I’d grown up listening to, like Joni Mitchell. Or Miles Davis, who became one of my best friends,” she says. “When I did my jazz records, I recorded with musicians my dad loved to listen to, too. It meant a lot.” When asked about her deep friendship with Prince, Chaka said the two often bonded over music, reading and life. “We loved the same books.”
Follow your joy
Prioritize peace
Chaka says her idyllic 80-acre Georgia farm with a lake was meant to be after she received a sign from her late great-grandmother. “When I lived in the city, I’d come off the road and there’d be so many people in my face,” she laughs. “They’d just drop by. Now it’s calmer. And I have time to replenish. I have animals all around me—horses, ducks, chickens, cats. It’s fabulous. I really love it here so much.”
Don’t miss her new album!
Chaka’s upcoming 10-song album, Chakzilla, out September 18, features collaborations with Snoop Dogg, Lenny Kravitz and her goddaughter Sia. “I’ve done pop music in my earlier days. I’ve done every kind of music,” she says. “So it was funny when I met Sia. The first thing she said to me was, ‘I’m tired of not hearing you on pop radio.’ I said, ‘Well, I didn’t know they still used radios.’ She was just such an angel.” For more on the album and the musical I’m Every Woman, based on her life and music, visit ChakaKhan.com.
Quickfire questions, honest answers—with Chaka!
Q: What is one phrase that describes life in your 70s?
A: “Living large.”
Q: Is there one song of yours that still brings you joy every time you hear it?
A: “Yes. ‘Egyptian Song.’ I did it with Rufus on our first album. It came from a dream—a recurring dream I’ve had my whole life about living in Egypt.”
Q: Where is your happy place?
A: “At home in the country when I’m doing nothing,” laughs the mother of two, grandmother of four and great-grandmother of two. “But also with my babies—with my grandchildren and my great-grandbabies.”
Chaka also mentions the power of embracing solitude. “I don’t have that constant draining anymore. Here, I can replenish. I can pull everything back together and get myself together. It means everything to just be with yourself—it’s important.”
Q: Is there one compliment you never forgot?
A: “I have a good memory most of the time… let’s see. Well, having Miles Davis and Aretha Franklin tell me what I was to them… that meant so much to me.”
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