Chaka Khan’s very good 2026 includes a new album with Sia

To see Chaka Khan perform is to be both enthralled by her icon status and charmed by her approachability.

In June, she took the stage at First Avenue in Minneapolis as part of “Prince Celebration: 2026,” a week-long tribute to her late friend and collaborator. Sporting her signature, glowing smile and voluminous tresses, she would hit an otherworldly note, then turn around and crack a joke, tell a story or ask for a moment to blow her nose.

“I’m actually a real person,” said the 73-year-old Chicago native as she giddily previewed tracks from her new album, “Chakzilla,” co-written with Sia and due out Friday.

“What do you think?’ she asked the audience, as a DJ played “Boogie’s in My Soul,” her single with Snoop Dogg, and “Curious Subject,” featuring lyrics about her enduring appeal.

Don’t you wanna get to know me? I bet you do.

Indeed, Khan has been the talk of the industry — and social media — in 2026. Highlights of her busy year include her viral performance of “Through the Fire” for the popular music platform COLORSx STUDIOS; the West End debut of “I’m Every Woman: The Chaka Khan Musical;” her lifetime achievement Grammy award; and the new project with Sia.

There’s also the induction of her 1984 hit, “I Feel For You,” into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. The honor acknowledges songs that helped define the sound of America.

Her schedule has been full of song drops, video premieres, shows and other commitments, including monthly “New Moon Meditation” videos online in which she guides viewers to breathe and set positive intentions. But Chaka Khan, née Yvette Marie Stevens, is doing it all on her own terms, and at a pace that keeps her happy and at ease after years in a grueling industry.

“It’s been nice and peaceful, and I am able to do what I really want to do with the music,” said Khan, who lives on her own farm in Georgia. “I always wanted to feel this free with my music.”

Finding chemistry with ‘goddaughter’ Sia

From Quincy Jones to Miles Davis to Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan has worked with some of the most prominent figures in American music. But she still gets inspired by younger artists, including pop songstress Sia, whom she calls her goddaughter.

“She can write her ass off,” Khan told the crowd of people at First Avenue, who were among the first to hear the unreleased material. “You don’t often meet people like her.”

Khan and Sia sang together onstage during Khan’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. Then, the two collaborated on Sia’s song “Immortal Queen,” in 2024.

Next came Sia’s big pitch: Could she write a dance album for the funk legend?

“I said, ‘Well, shoot. You gotta be poppin’,’” Khan said. “She popped.”

What followed was a brief working process during which Sia and producer Greg Kurstin would submit ideas. Khan felt as if she had written the lyrics Sia penned, and asked the Australian singer how she pulled it off.

“She said, ‘Well, perhaps because I’ve been watching you and listening to you since I was a baby,’” Khan recounted. “I shut up right there.”

The first few singles from “Chakzilla” have been upbeat, pop tunes flavored with disco, funk and jazz elements. Khan sings about being confident, having fun, spreading joy and embracing a promising romance.

Fans won’t hear any slow jams on the album, which Khan will release on her own label, EarthSong. She said ballads just didn’t fit the “vibe.”

“It’s uplifting,” she said of the project, which also includes a song with Lenny Kravitz. “It’s positive. It’s not, ‘Oh my God, you don’t love me.’ None of that crap. It’s just about being out in the world, living your life, having fun, feeling good and being a good person.”

Altruism is the main theme of the video for the album’s title track, which shows a supersized Khan walking among the city, restoring buildings instead of destroying them.

A promotional image for the song shows a giant Khan leaning against a building near “Chaka Khan Way.” It’s a tribute to her hometown, as the same sign exists in real life at the intersection of Blackstone Avenue and Hyde Park Boulevard in Hyde Park.

“Chicago is a special city,” Khan said. “Everything about me, fundamentally, is because I’m from Chicago.”

Joining Rufus – and the Black Panthers – in Chicago

Growing up in Hyde Park and Auburn Gresham in the 1950s and ‘60s, Khan and her siblings were surrounded by art and music. Her father did charcoal sketches and her mother painted. And virtually all of the adults in her family played recordings of everything from opera to jazz to soul.

“We never thought once that we didn’t have enough money,” Khan said. “I thought I lived in a castle. They made it beautiful for us. Whatever we came against on the outside, we were able to handle it because we had some strength of character on the inside.”

Khan also developed a deep interest in spirituality, thanks to her great-grandmother, Naomi Bagby, who was a spiritualist. She made Khan learn Psalm 23 in the Bible, and she read the young girl’s palms, proclaiming that, “One day, many, many people will know your name.”

It wasn’t Bagby, but a Yoruba priest who would give Khan her famous moniker — Chaka, “woman of fire” — as a teenager. “We are moved by everything around us, from a plant to a planet,” Khan said of her spiritual beliefs. “We need to be more connected to the universe.”

But life in Chicago wasn’t always rosy. Khan’s parents’ relationship soured and ended in divorce. Her father disappeared from her life, though they would later reconcile.

During stints at Calumet High School and Kenwood Academy High School, she was an activist, advocating for Black liberation while enduring assassinations and other turbulent events of the time. She eventually joined the Black Panther Party, working with Fred Hampton Sr. until the young leader was killed during a police raid.

Khan said she has been profoundly shaped by the “hard” part of Chicago, or “the terrible things that the city and most cities in America do, especially to a Black person.”

“Racism and things that are negative, that also made me stronger,” she said. “I learned a lot of lessons.”

By the 1970s, Khan was more focused on singing. She’d previously competed in talent shows around town as a pre-teen and later graduated to performing with different bands at clubs on the North Side. Once she joined local funk group Rufus, her career took off, as they scored early hits with “Tell Me Something Good,” “You Got the Love” and “Sweet Thing.”

Khan’s talent eventually propelled her to solo stardom, as she recorded classics such as “I’m Every Woman” and the Prince-penned “I Feel For You.”

Though she built an illustrious career, the 11-time Grammy-winner had her share of low points. She battled addiction. At another, in the mid-1990s, she felt she didn’t have control over the direction of her music and left her record label, Warner Bros.

Khan said she was galvanized by Prince’s own fight for ownership of his music at the label, during which he changed his name and wore the word “Slave” on his face. Following her departure, she recorded the “Come 2 My House” album with Prince on his label, NPG Records, before forming her own, EarthSong, in 1998.

“I didn’t want to sing anymore,” she said of her last years at Warner Bros. “That scared the hell out of me. And that’s one of the main things that changed my whole life. I will not be with a label anymore.”

“She influenced many women of all races to be independent, resilient, tenacious, bodacious, beautiful and defiant,” said Londell McMillan, co-manager of Prince’s estate.

“And she has a voice that shifts across multiple genres. When you have thousands, if not millions, of people not only knowing you on a first name basis, but wanting to be you and sing like you, you really are a superwoman.”

At the June Prince celebration in Minneapolis, there was plenty of love for Khan among attendees, including some who had traveled from Chicago. Darius McKinney, 55, of Woodlawn, praised her discography for being “energetic and funky,” but also motivational.

“I like music that’s uplifting and helps you realize your goals and duties in life,” he said. “It’s just inspiring.”

Going viral for going the distance … from the microphone

More than 50 years into her career, Khan’s prowess is still mesmerizing audiences. In July, her rendition of “Through the Fire” on the COLORSx STUDIOS performance platform racked up nearly 9 million views on Instagram, 3.5 million views on TikTok and 2 million views on YouTube.

She reflected on the moment with her trademark candor.

“I turn on my phone and the first thing I see is my mouth open really wide,” she recalled. “I said, ‘Oh, Lord, really? Do I look like that when I sing?’”

But the viewers were paying attention to her voice and ability to belt while standing far away from the microphone. The video inspired a number of memes and re-enactments.

“You have to be able to work the mic if you’re singing really loud and high,” she said. “You need to back up off that sucker. But I really can put out a great deal of noise from my mouth for some reason. That’s a gift from God, I’m sure.”

Khan has no plans for a major tour in support of “Chakzilla,” but she continues to perform. As for when Chicagoans can see her, there’s nothing for the public on the books, though throughout the years, she has performed at many birthday parties and weddings in the city.

“I’ve seen some interesting couples,” she said. “I wondered, ‘Is this going to be a good one? Are they going to make it?’”

British fans can get their fill of Khan’s music with her new jukebox musical. “I’m Every Woman: The Chaka Khan Musical” runs through Sept. 27 at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre. Khan saw the production in August.

“They kicked behind, I’m telling you,” she said. “I was moved by my life story.”

But she said it wasn’t difficult for her to relive the tough parts because she doesn’t dwell on them.

“I really am a ‘next’ girl,” she said. “I don’t live in the past. I’m so future-bound.”