Legendary singer Chaka Khan has long been entertaining audiences with her powerful voice and iconic discography. But over the last several years, her straight-shooting personality and blunt yet hilarious interviews have been just as enjoyable.
Now, it looks like she’s at it again, as evidenced by her latest chat with The Observer. And trust us when we tell you, the conversation is filled with some hilariously frank moments and a few surprises. We’re breaking down some of the highlights.
Related: Everything About Chaka Khan, The Queen of Funk With a Checkered Career
“A Straight Icon?”
One of the biggest highlights from Khan’s interview involved comments she made about her sexuality. When the interviewer tried to compliment the “Sweet Thang” singer by describing her as a “straight icon” who has long supported the LGBTQIA+ community, Khan immediately pushed back on the label and let off a shocking response.
“A straight icon? What’s the straight part? What do you mean, straight in what way?” Khan asked.
After the reporter clarified that they were referencing Khan being “heterosexual,” the singer gave an eyebrow-raising response: “Am I? How do you know what the f*ck I am? I don’t ever share that part of my life. That’s nobody’s business but mine. I am for everybody. I don’t care what you sleep with at night. If your heart is in the right place, that’s all I care about.”
Chaka on Being Intentionally “Partnered Out”
While Khan kept details of her sexuality to herself, she did give a little insight into her love life, explaining that at this point in her life, she was no longer interested in getting married. And what she said had us nodding our heads in deep understanding.
“I’m just going to mosey along and let life do what it do. One of them is not necessarily a partner,” Khan said in part. “I’m not looking for that. I’m partnered out.”
Khan was married twice: once in 1970 when she was 17 and again in 1976. Now, she joins the ranks of other women like Whoopi Goldberg, who intentionally enjoy their single status and are making the pursuit of a serious relationship less of a priority.
Chaka Clears the Air on Her Relationships With Prince and Other Industry Men
What was perhaps the most hilarious part of the entire interview was when the “I’m Every Woman” singer made it clear that she wasn’t interested in addressing her past sexual conquests as she had in times past. She also pushed back against the perception that she had relationships with the male singers she toured with decades ago.
“God, you’re not going to ask me if I’ve slept with Prince, are you?” Khan began.
Going on about how often she’s been asked that question and others related to her love life, she continued: “It’s sad that they just assume I’m either a whore or a singer. Make up your mind! What do you want me to be? I’m not going to lie to you and add to your fantasy. This ain’t Disneyland. I’m living for real. If I’d slept with all the guys I’ve done tours with, I don’t know what I’d be right now. I’d probably be dead.”
However, she did credit “The Purple One” with helping her kick her drug addiction and persuading her to get clean and go to rehab.
“He plucked me out of a place where I was trying to survive. My record company [was] in my ass, being the meanest people on the planet. I felt like I was being pimped,” Khan shared. “I cried a lot, because I was falling out of love with music. I was ready to throw in the towel, and then Prince came along. “Prince told me to go [to rehab].”
