(May 9, 2026) – From the time I was a youngster, Chaka Khan has been my favorite female singer. Legendary hits with her former band Rufus, like “Sweet Thing,” “Hollywood,” “Once You Get Started,” “Everlasting Love” and “Do You Love What You Feel,” as well as her solo classics, such as “What ‘Cha Gonna Do For Me,” “Clouds,” “Papillon (aka ‘Hot Butterfly’),” “I Feel For You,” and the majestic “I’m Every Woman” are why she’s forever cemented in the top position on my list.
Yet while I’d put the 73-year-old icon’s catalog of hits up against any one of her peers and pretenders to the throne, she’s had her share of duds. The latest candidate for that dubious distinction is her new single, the extremely tongue-in-cheek “Chakzilla.”
Yes, Chaka Khan really released a song called “Chakzilla.” Chaka has taken her name and that of the famous movie monster and given us a portmanteau for the ages… one that simultaneously pokes fun at herself and acknowledges her status as a gargantuan force in the music industry for more than half a century.
But it isn’t without intent or meaning. The electronic dance tune, which is also the title track to her forthcoming album, is another empowering anthem — not unlike “I’m Every Woman” — in which Chaka’s monster is not destructive but benevolent, one bent on rebuilding cities and rescuing them from the chaos and madness pervading society.
Indeed, a 300-foot-tall version of Chaka is seen in the song’s music video carefully stepping through city blocks in high-heeled designer boots smiling and doing good things for the community. Whereas “I’m Every Woman” was a powerful look inward, “Chakzilla” is Ms. Yvette Marie Stevens’ way of giving back — as a calming force in the midst of all the negativity happening around us.
“Chakzilla” is a collaboration with the 50-year-old Australian star Sia, singer of modern-day classics “Chandelier” and “Cheap Thrills.” The collaboration feels strategic on paper — pairing one of the greatest soul vocalists of the 20th century with one of the most distinctive pop auteurs of the 21st. But, while Khan has enlisted the services of a more contemporary artist to broaden the song’s appeal, make no mistake, “Chakzilla” has the “Ain’t Nobody” singer’s oversized footprints all over it. She’s definitely the main attraction in this monster flick.
The song features Chaka’s inimitable vocals, although they’re clearly altered by Autotune, something most fans — including yours truly — will thumb their noses at. It’s the kind of thing artists of her generation didn’t require during their heyday, and when Ms. Khan employs it here, you’re left wondering if she even needed it now, based on recent strong live vocal performances.
But the tech-enhanced “Chakzilla” is also an instant reminder that artists of lesser talent have been guilty of far worse — and reached higher chart heights, even No. 1. Chaka’s high watermark on the Billboard Hot 100 is No. 3, both as a member of Rufus (“Tell Me Something Good”) and solo (“I Feel For You”).
And truthfully, a little theatricality has never been foreign to Chaka Khan. Whether experimenting with funk, jazz, synth-pop, dance music, or Prince-inspired futurism, she has rarely been interested in staying artistically still.
Let’s face it, it’s 2026. A 73-year-old Chaka could make the masterpiece of a lifetime and it would stand about as much chance as a polka tune in topping today’s youth-driven charts. So why not have fun with yourself and others at this point of her undeniable career?
Indeed, “Chakzilla” is the kind of song one gets to make after they’ve been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, when there is nothing left to prove and little left to lose. The kind of song that alternately acknowledges and pokes fun at a career that has landed her where she is today… a legend among legends, a queen among queens.
And yes, still this blogger’s all-time favorite female vocalist.
DJRob
DJRob (he/him) is a freelance music blogger from the East Coast who covers R&B, hip-hop, disco, pop, rock and country genres – plus lots of music news and current stuff! You can follow him on Bluesky at @djrobblog.bsky.social, X (formerly Twitter) at @djrobblog, on Facebook or on Meta’s Threads.
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