Chaka Khan still has the looks and voice that powered her to fame decades ago. In many fans’ minds, though, that’s not what makes her a true diva. What sets her apart from wanna-be stars is her passion for certain causes. The soul legend has used her fame and music to rally for what she believes is right, most recently in the case of Trayvon Martin.
“What I did, this is not anything to make money,” Khan told Piers Morgan on CNN recently about the song she and other performers recorded, “Super Life: Fear Kills, Love Heals,” as a result of the killing. “It is simply to [highlight] the cause and to bring about awareness.”
| Onstage |
| Chaka Khan |
| When: 8 and 10:30 p.m. Saturday |
| Where: The Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW |
| Details: $75; 202-397-SEAT; ticketmaster.com; thehowardtheatre.com |
While many entertainers’ viewpoints on hot button issues are divisive, Khan seems to have taken the high road, proclaiming that whatever the circumstances, killing is a tragedy. One can only guess that Khan’s personal experiences — including the 2005 case in which her then-25-year-old son was accused of murdering a teen — affect her mentality. (Her son was later acquitted).
“I love children, all children. In the big picture it’s not about racism,” she said of the Martin case, reminding listeners that people shouldn’t be judged by what they’re wearing. “I think it’s more having to do with, you know, how much money you make at the end of the year or something like that. I really don’t know exactly what it is. But I don’t believe it’s — it’s totally based on racism.”
Surely the perspective of the 10-time Grammy Award winner comes from having weathered plenty of bumps in her own life, including her membership in the original Black Panthers when she lived in Chicago. For years, she said, she was also a drug addict and an alcoholic. But that’s all in the past. For now, her music, her family and her charity work are the main focuses in her life.
“I have a lot of charity work I’m into right now,” she told Tastes Like Chicken magazine. “I’d like to work on putting art programs back in schools. I’d like to do some AIDS work. I’d like to work with kids more, and getting guns out of Kmart. Stuff like that. I think the whole reason for my life is in there somewhere. Being a singer is a way for me to get to a platform to do more.”
Now that’s a diva.
