Chaka Khan brings her life to the stage in a musical for ‘every woman’

“I’ve been trying to find a way to tell the history of my life for quite some time,” Chaka Khan says of the “I’m Every Woman” musical.

Chaka Khan, the Queen of Funk is ready to tell her story, and of course, music is involved. The “Ain’t Nobody” singer will be recounting the ups and downs of her life in “I’m Every Woman: The Musical.” 

“I’ve been trying to find a way to tell the history of my life for quite some time, ever since I was much younger,” Chaka Khan told Harper’s Bazaar UK. “Now I’m 72, I’ve reached a point of feeling, let’s just do it!”

English pop star Alexandra Burke will embody Chaka Khan in the play, which will reportedly recount the singer’s life from her upbringing on Chicago’s South Side to her rise to fame. However Khan says it was “difficult to find a girl” who was “wild enough” to play her. According to the musical’s website, the production “explores her unwavering passion for civil rights, her defiance in the face of a toxic music industry, the harrowing road through addiction, and the unrelenting pressure of being a working mother,” creating a story rooted in resilience, purpose, and power.

“I told her, ‘Free yourself up, baby. Relax, open your mouth and sing.’ And she did exactly that,” the 72-year-old recalled telling Burke. 

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In addition to spotlighting how her mother and father helped foster her love for music, the musical written by Nia T. Hill will also be very honest in exploring Khan’s journey with substance abuse. As the Chicago native was building a music career, behind the scenes she was battling cocaine, heroin, alcohol, and prescription medicine addictions, but says her “innate resilience” is what helped her navigate those seasons. 

“There were times when I thought, will I make it? Will I live through this?” she recalled. “I went through all this stuff – drugs and the whole nine yards – so I’m just happy that I made it.”

Now, as she reflects for the musical, the “I’m Every Woman” singer says she’s in awe of her own life story. 

“I see bits and pieces of what I do for a living, and sometimes I don’t believe it’s me,” she says. “I’m still excited about what I do. It still moves me.” 

She continued: “When you know there are all these people out there waiting to hear you sing, it’s a special thing. I find that what I’m doing right now is just that – loving people in a very big way and getting a lot of love back. I know now, this is what I am, this is what God put me here for, and I’m just going to just do it until it’s over.”

“I’m Every Woman” will premiere at the Hackney Empire, London, UK, on March 20.