The American soul diva Chaka Khan, who will take the stage at Masterjam on New Year’s Eve in Dubai, talks about her new album and how the singer Joni Mitchell is her role model.
You are playing a New Year’s Eve show in Dubai. Did it take a lot of convincing for you to work on this big day?
I was there around ’93 and I remember performing at a beautiful beach. I am always happy when I come to Dubai. Whether I am performing or not. To be here for New Year’s is great, so I am looking forward to partying and having a good time with all of you.
One of the hallmarks of your career is your work ethic. Even though you haven't released an album in nearly five years, you have been constantly touring. What do you put this down to?
I sing to people, that is my calling in life. I basically do everything that I can do to get to a place where I can sing to people because this is what I do. The travel is always a drag. That never gets better. The flying, the drive to the hotel and how you just stay there till you get on stage. But that is a worthy sacrifice.
Going back to your peak period in the 1980s, was the scene as hedonistic as other artists claim it was?
It was a time for excess generally – well for me anyway. I look at myself as a survivor. I never asked for anything and I just went to work. If I never went through what I had to get through, I wouldn’t be the amazing person that I am today.
Was it easier then or now for aspiring artists to land a big break?
It is hard now to get into the industry, much harder than in my time. There is big competition and everyone and their mother wants to sing now. So you really have to be very good at what you do in order for you to stand out.
At the same time, you once said that the technology of today makes it easier for an artist to have a career?
I do think it is a great time now. Technology has given the power back to the artist. You don’t need a middle man or label. I can just release something now when I want to. The challenge that I see today is that I am not seeing many artists or groups who can match what they do live with what’s on the CD. To do that takes hard work.
With all the gigs you do, does it get tiring to keep up your performances each night?
I started to incorporate songs I like to sing in my shows. One of them is Earth Song from my time with Rufus. I also sing the Joni Mitchell song Man From Mars. At the same time, I still love singing Ain't Nobody after all this time. The song I Feel For You I can get tired of.
Any chance of a new album soon?
I was working on a new album called I-Khan. However, I put that on the back-burner to focus on a new project. The new album will have me singing songs from women that inspired me. Mitchell is one of them. She is a philosopher and a great artist. She is one of the smartest people I know and a great person. I want to grow up and be just like her.
sasaeed@thenational.ae
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
Wallabies
Updated team: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Dane Haylett-Petty, 13-Reece Hodge, 12-Matt Toomua, 11-Marika Koroibete, 10-Kurtley Beale, 9-Will Genia, 8-Pete Samu, 7-Michael Hooper (captain), 6-Lukhan Tui, 5-Adam Coleman, 4-Rory Arnold, 3-Allan Alaalatoa, 2-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1-Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16-Folau Faingaa, 17-Tom Robertson, 18-Taniela Tupou, 19-Izack Rodda, 20-Ned Hanigan, 21-Joe Powell, 22-Bernard Foley, 23-Jack Maddocks.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
THREE
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
