Chaka Khan interview on Prince, Etta James and so much more!

Eleven Grammys. Six decades. And a life that has taken in the Black Panther Party, a brief consideration of the convent, and a farm in rural Georgia with her own well water. Chaka Khan has GREAT CHAT! Chaka takes us back to the beginnings of her iconic journey, opening up about running away from home at 16, singing in Chicago clubs for twenty dollars a night and her time with the Black Panther Party. She reflects on why awards have never been the point for her, why she believes there is no competition in self-expression, and says plainly that if she had not had singing as an outlet, she would not be here today. She talks candidly about her friendship with Prince and the conversations she still has with his painting on her wall. She also shares the piece of life-saving advice Etta James pulled her aside to give her the very first time they met, what she learned about Billie Holiday from her grandmother's record collection, and why sleep is the secret to her still looking great in her 70’s. Plus she joins the group chat to answer your questions, including the ideal height for a man, the most extravagant thing she has ever bought herself, and the extraordinary story of how a psychic in Canada told her to buy her farm before she had even stepped inside the house. 00:00 – Teaser 00:28 – Intro 01:10 – Welcome Chaka Khan 01:28 – Quitting high school at 16, running away from home & joining a band 02:20 – Her first group — Baby Huey and the Babysitters — and becoming lead singer 03:28 – Being a Black Panther in high school: education, free breakfasts & what people get wrong 04:55 – First experiencing racism at 6 or 7 — and why it still breaks her heart 06:34 – "There is no competition in self-expression" — why she's never sung for a Grammy 07:52 – Singing as her calling — "I'd be dead by now if I wasn't doing this" 08:11 – Her most recent peak spiritual moment: the birth of her second great-granddaughter 10:08 – Music as a healing force 10:41 – Still getting nervous before every show 11:49 – The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran — the book that shaped how she lives 12:31 – Moving to Georgia, drinking her own well water & life in the country 13:17 – Prince: a man of few words who communicated through his art 14:01 – When the music labels nearly killed her love of music — and how Prince helped her get it back 16:23 – The 1997 Grammy performance with Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston 17:41 – The sisterhood of Aretha, Whitney & Etta — women holding each other up 18:20 – Etta James pulling her aside at Warner Brothers: the life-saving warning she never forgot 19:43 – Whitney Houston as a backing vocalist on her second album — and singing with David Bowie on Labyrinth 21:16 – New album Chakzilla 22:09 – Putting "diva" in the bin — women supporting women is enough without extra labels 23:13 – "Killing it in the 70s and slaying it in her 70s" — does ageism come into it? 24:06 – The secret to looking phenomenal: sleep is the only time your body heals itself 24:22 – Her Kind of Party: not the dance floor — great conversations with brilliant people 25:17 – Greatest Chat: her dad and grandmother — the two wisest people who always told her the truth 28:42 – Group Chat — Danny asks: you told Prince he was too short — what IS the ideal height for a man? 31:44 – Group Chat — Claudie asks: what's the most extravagant thing you've treated yourself to? 31:49 – A navy blue flatbed Toyota truck — hauling horse feed around her farm in cowgirl boots 33:09 – Her great-grandmother the seer who predicted everybody would know her name 33:40 – How a phone call from a seer in Canada told her to buy her farm — before she'd even been inside 36:45 – Outro 🎙️ Listen to the full episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3sgT... 📸 Follow Great Chat Show - @joshsmithsgreatchatshow Josh Smith - @joshsmithhosts Guest- @chakakhan 🎥 Subscribe to the YouTube channel: @joshsmithsgreatchatshow ──────────────────────── Josh Smith's Great Chat Show - not your ordinary celebrity interviews. These are the conversations that matter and the stories you've never heard before... After years interviewing some of the world's most recognisable faces - from Jennifer Aniston to Timothée Chalamet - Josh Smith has built a reputation for asking the questions others won't. Because great conversations don't just happen. There's an art to them - he's even written a book about it! Each week, Josh gets guests to revisit the chats that mattered - the career-making advice, the unforgettable encounters, the hilarious mishaps and the life-defining conversations they've never shared on camera before. From actors and musicians to cultural voices and creatives, no topic is off limits. Full of laughs, revelations and brilliant stories that will get you talking, Josh Smith's Great Chat Show proves that behind every great story, there's a great chat.