Chaka Khan on Tiny Desk Special for Black Music Month
Chaka Khan shines on the stage of NPR’s Tiny Desk, singing hit singles from her seasoned and stunning career in music as part of Tiny Desk’s Black Music Month. Black Music Month sets to release nine concerts featuring renowned Black women artists and newcomers redefining today’s music industry.
The Queen of Funk’s impact on the music industry has paved the way for Black men and women artists to redefine themselves and break records on the music charts. With 22 released albums, eight RIAA-certified gold singles, and eleven RIAA-certified gold and platinum albums, she has become a legend in music history.
Khan opens the performance with her hit single, “Sweet Thing,” under the gracious surprise of knowledgeable voices joining her. Originally performed by funk and rock band Rufus and Chaka Khan in 1975, the hit classic’s infamy is present throughout Khan’s performance.
Khan’s impact on the music industry derives from her debut with the Rufus band in the 1970s, with iconic songs “Tell Me Something Good” and “Ain’t Nobody” throughout the decades and especially on the TinyDesk concert with an exceptional performance and lesson in nasty funk. “Her 50 years in the music industry recently culminated in a long overdue 2023 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” Mitra I. Arthur quotes in the TinyDesk Concerts article. The artist has accumulated 10 Grammys with 22 albums, collaborating with platinum legends such as Prince, Quincy Jones, and Motown sensation Stevie Wonder.
With her name as a street in her hometown and national day of Chicago, “Chaka Khan Way” and “Chaka Khan Day,” she isn’t unaware of her allure in the world of music, honored with awards from B.E.T., a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Soul Train Legend Award, and other numerous awards. Still, the most noteworthy award comes from the We Are Family Foundation. In 2015, the organization awarded Khan the Humanitarian Award Honoree; in Chicago, she performed at a benefit concert for the Red Pump Project, a program that raises HIV/AIDS awareness among young girls and women.
To finalize her set with Tiny Desk, Khan performed the crowd-pleasing hit “I’m Every Woman.” The song has empowered and uplifted women, especially Black women, over countless years. It was no different during her intimate concert. “Throughout the set, I’m reminded that Khan’s unfathomably big and powerful voice is a glue that holds intergenerational music together,” Arthur shared on accompanying the influential Chaka Khan’s concert.
Check out Chaka Khan’s full Tiny Desk performance below.
