Chaka Khan doesn’t sing to win awards.
The 70-year-old music legend has enjoyed a career spanning several decades and is the latest singer to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Khan insisted that even though she is “honored” to have received such an accolade, the main reason she is a musician is because it is why she is here in the first place.
“I’m honored. I’m truly honored. I’ve got lots of accolades, lots of awards, you know, and it’s been a beautiful experience because people have been letting me know how they feel about me and that means more than anything. I don’t sing for awards. I do because God put me here to, and this is what I love to do. This is my calling,” she told “Entertainment Tonight.”
The “I’m Every Woman” hitmaker went on to add that she is often shocked at how much she has achieved in life but is sure that her success will continue and explained that she always wants her fans to “love” her music first and foremost.
“I look at my body of work and I say, ‘My goodness, when did I have time to do all this stuff?’ I know it’s gonna continue. Not my music only, but music, good music period, is something that’s going to be with us forever. Because it is a very special communication. I got these accolades and stuff, not because I strived to get them. When I record a song, my first question is, ‘Will the people love it? Will they want to listen to it? Will they hear what I’m saying?’ That’s the most important part of it to me,” she said.
