Chaka Khan is a ten-time Grammy Award-winning singer and composer from the United States. Chaka Khan is best recognized for being the main singer of the 1970s band Rufus.
She is also renowned as the Queen of Funk in the music industry. Chaka Khan – Hello Happiness, the title track from her 12th studio album, was released on January 14, 2019.
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Chaka Khan’s Early Life
Chaka Khan was born in the United States on March 23, 1953, in Chicago, Illinois. Yvette Marie Stevens is her true name. Her horoscope sign is Aries, and she is an American citizen. Charles Stevens is her father’s name, and Sandra Coleman is her mother’s name. Taka Boom, Kathleen Burrell, Tammy McCrary, and Mark Stevens were her four siblings who reared her in Hyde Park.
Her family had additional siblings, and she was the oldest of them all. She is now 68 years old. Taka Boom is a prominent female R&B and dance music vocalist in the United States. Mark Stevens, her brother, is a musician and former member of the Aurra band. She graduated from Saint Thomas the Apostle Church’s primary school. In 1969, she dropped out of both Calumet and Kenwood High Schools. She also studied music at Berklee College of Music.
Chaka Khan’s Career
Chaka and her sister established the Crystalettes when they were 11 years old. Yoruba Baba gave her the name Chaka Adunne Aduffe Hodarhi Karifi when she was 13 years old. She began her career as a member of Cash McCall’s Lyfe, which included her first husband, Hassan Khan. She requested to be a member of the band Baby Huey and the Babysitters, but they folded after just a year.
In 1972, she replaced vocalist Paulette McWilliams in the band Rufus. Ike Turner, a musician, offers this band the opportunity to record in his facility in Inglewood, California, Bolic Sound. On the ABC Records label, they released their self-titled first album in 1973. Rufus Tell Me Something Good, written by Stevie Wonder, was a hit in 1974, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. They won a Grammy Award for this song. Between 1974 and 1979, Rufus released six platinum-selling albums. Rufus and she reunited for the song Do You Love What You Feel from the album Masterjam in 1979. She also shared the stage with Tony Maiden.
Source: Loud And Quiet
Khan’s solo career started when she secured a deal with Warner Bros. in 1978. Her first solo debut album, Chaka, was published, as was the first single, I’m Every Woman, written by Ashford and Simpson. She released three solo albums between 1981 and 1982: Whatcha Gonna Do for Me, Echoes of Era, and Chaka Khan. Khan’s sixth studio album, I Feel for You, was released in 1984.
This album launched her solo career to new heights, reaching number one in the United Kingdom. In December 1984, the album reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for 26 weeks. In 1985, it also reached No. 1 on the Cash Box list and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.
Destiny was released in 1986, CK was released in 1988, The Woman I Am was released in 1992, ClassiKhan was released in 2004, and Funk This was released in 2007. Her first album in twelve years, Hello Happiness, was released on February 15, 2019. Khan and Ariana Grande also collaborated on Charlie’s Angel’s soundtrack song “Nobody” in November 2019.
Net Worth and Achievements
Chaka Khan has received 10 Grammy Awards and has sold over 70 million albums worldwide. She has received 22 Grammy nominations, including three as a member of Rufus. She also has two platinum albums, four gold singles, and four gold singles with Rufus. For her outstanding efforts in the music business, the soul singer/songwriter has garnered several honors, including the BET and World Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Awards, as well as the coveted UNCF Award of Excellence. On September 27, 2011, Khan and her former band, Rufus were nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Khan’s net worth is estimated to be in the $30 million range. In addition, her singing business is her main source of income. Aside from that, a musician or artist’s average pay in the United States is about $39k. Furthermore, her singing, sponsorships, performances, and other efforts bring her much more money.
Chaka Khan’s Relationship
In 2001, Chaka Khan married Doug Rasheed. Khan was previously married to Richard Holland in 1976, and the couple divorced in 1980. When she was 17 years old, she married Hassan Khan.
Source: San Diego
They subsequently divorced as a result of this. Indira Milini Khan, a daughter, and Damien Holland, a boy, are her offspring. Damien Patrick Holland, her son, murdered Christopher Bailey, a 17-year-old teen rapper, on September 24, 2004. Holland murdered Christopher with an M-16 assault weapon because he didn’t want him talking to his girlfriend. Following a two-year jury trial, Khan and her son, Holland, paid more than $1.3 million to Christopher’s family and were released in May 2006.
Social Media and Body Measurement
Chaka has black hair and dark brown eyes. She is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 75 kg. Aside from that, her bodily dimensions are unknown. Khan has more than 2.2 million Facebook fans. She has over 617k Instagram followers and 467.1k Twitter followers. Her own YouTube channel, which has over 241K followers and 66 million views, is also a success.