The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
After a decade of dormancy, Chaka Khan blooms again
On the brink of her first new album in a decade, and, on New Year’s Day, serving as grand marshal at the Rose Parade, Chaka Khan is in bloom again.
After receiving the call from the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, the term “grand marshal” had the 65year-old Khan’s mind running wild.
“I'll tell you what I visualized,” Khan recalled. “I imagined myself with a baton, marching in the front. ‘I'm leading the whole parade.’ That's what I thought.” Not even close.
Instead, Khan will be seated on a comfy bench in the back seat of a classic convertible, which will slowly make its way past the thousands along the 5.5mile parade route. The parade will also be seen by millions more on TV.
“This is all new for me,” the 65-yearold Khan commented. “I love challenges. And I love new stuff.”
Khan will also open parade festivities with a performance. Publicists were unable to confirm whether the grand marshal-performer double duty is a Rose Parade first, but they did note it was the first time in recent memory. Khan said she would sing two songs: “I Feel for You,” as well as “Hello Happiness,” the second single from the new album.
“I think we need a shot of just not taking the little things so seriously,” Khan said of the “Happiness” lyrics. “Little things are important. It's about the little things, but just flow.”
The new album, expected by the end of 2019, is her first since the well-received 2008 “Funk This.”