# Chaka Khan's 2026: New album, West End musical, total freedom > The Chicago funk legend is having her best year yet, releasing music on her own terms after decades in the industry. - Title: Chaka Khan's 2026: New album, West End musical, total freedom - Summary: The Chicago funk legend is having her best year yet, releasing music on her own terms after decades in the industry. After leaving major labels in the 1990s… - Keywords: chaka khan, sia, chakzilla, chicago, west end musical, i'm every woman, prince, grammy, library of congress, snoop dogg, lenny kravitz, earthsong - Source: Chicago Sun-Times — https://chicago.suntimes.com/music/2026/09/16/chaka-khan-chakzilla-sia-west-end-musical-chicago-music - Published: 2026-09-16T10:30:00+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: chaka khan, sia, chakzilla, chicago, west end musical, i'm every woman, prince, grammy, library of congress, snoop dogg, lenny kravitz, earthsong ## Chaka Khan's banner year The 73-year-old Chicago native is releasing a new album with Sia, starring in a West End musical, and won a lifetime achievement Grammy. ## Real and approachable at 73 At a Prince tribute in Minneapolis, Khan previewed new tracks, hit otherworldly notes, then cracked jokes and asked for a moment to blow her nose. > I'm actually a real person ## Chakzilla drops Friday Her new album co-written with Sia includes collaborations with Snoop Dogg and Lenny Kravitz. It's all upbeat dance music, no ballads. > I always wanted to feel this free with my music ## A viral performance milestone Khan's July performance of Through the Fire on COLORSx STUDIOS racked up nearly 9 million Instagram views, inspiring memes about her distance from the mic. ## I Feel For You honored Her 1984 hit was inducted into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry for helping define the sound of America. ## Making music on her terms Khan now releases music through her own label, EarthSong, at a pace that keeps her happy 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 ## Sia as goddaughter Khan calls the pop star her goddaughter. After singing together at Khan's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2023, Sia pitched writing a dance album. > She can write her ass off. You don't often meet people like her ## Sia knew her subject Khan felt as if she had written Sia's lyrics herself. Sia explained she'd been watching and listening to Khan since she was a baby. ## Uplifting, not heartbroken The album is about being confident, having fun, spreading joy. No slow jams or songs about lost love made the cut. > It's positive. It's not, 'Oh my God, you don't love me.' None of that crap ## Chakzilla the superhero The title track video shows a supersized Khan walking among the city, restoring buildings instead of destroying them. A sign references Chaka Khan Way in Hyde Park. > Chicago is a special city. Everything about me, fundamentally, is because I'm from Chicago ## Growing up in Chicago Raised in Hyde Park and Auburn Gresham in the 1950s and '60s, Khan was surrounded by art and music. Her parents made their home feel like a castle. > We never thought once that we didn't have enough money. I thought I lived in a castle ## Spiritual from the start Her great-grandmother Naomi Bagby was a spiritualist who read Khan's palms and predicted many people would know her name. A Yoruba priest later gave her the name Chaka. ## Black Panther activist As a teenager at Chicago high schools, Khan advocated for Black liberation and joined the Black Panther Party, working with Fred Hampton Sr. until his killing. > Racism and things that are negative, that also made me stronger. I learned a lot of lessons ## From Rufus to solo stardom By the 1970s, Khan joined local funk group Rufus and scored hits like Tell Me Something Good. She later went solo with classics like I'm Every Woman. ## Prince inspired her independence In the mid-1990s, Khan felt she'd lost control of her music at Warner Bros. Prince's fight for ownership galvanized her to leave and form her own label. > I didn't want to sing anymore. That scared the hell out of me ## Influence across generations Prince's estate co-manager says Khan influenced women of all races to be independent, resilient, and defiant, with 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 ## Working the microphone Khan explained her viral performance technique: when singing really loud and high, you need to back away from the mic. She can put out a great deal of noise. > 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 ## West End musical runs now I'm Every Woman: The Chaka Khan Musical runs through Sept. 27 at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre. Khan saw it in August and was moved by her life story. > They kicked behind, I'm telling you. I was moved by my life story ## Always looking forward Khan doesn't dwell on the tough parts of her past because she doesn't live there. She's focused on what comes next. > I really am a 'next' girl. I don't live in the past. I'm so future-bound ## Key takeaway After leaving major labels in the 1990s, Chaka Khan now controls her own career and is releasing her most joyful work yet at 73.