'Queen of funk' Chaka Khan marks 50 years in music

This year the US singer celebrates 50 years in the music industry after rising to fame in the 1970s as a member of the American funk band Rufus, before forging a successful career as a solo artist.

Her debut solo single from her 1978 self-titled album was the R&B chart-topper I'm Every Woman, which captured the world and landed her a Grammy nomination.

She supercharged her stardom a few years later with the platinum-selling single Ain't Nobody, which she released with Rufus.

While the group dissolved in 1983, Khan carved out her own path, releasing a host of solo studio albums over the years which have branched across many genres including pop, R&B, hip hop, jazz, gospel, country and dance.

Over her five-decade career she has also worked with some of the world's most influential artists - Prince, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder and Mary J. Blige to name a few - secured 10 Grammy awards and been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

At 71, Khan shows no signs of slowing down.

"I'm not nostalgic really, I'm a next girl," she says over a video call with a chuckle.

"I don't live in the past, I don't remember a lot. I mean, it's a good thing, too, I think.

"The only thing I am really interested in is what's happening in the moment, that's all we own is this moment right now, and what's going to happen next, how it's going to affect what I do next, or what happens to me next."

She feels this forward-thinking attitude has helped propel her career as she does not waste her energy on things beyond her control

Among her plans for this year, Khan is following in the footsteps of David Bowie and Nile Rodgers by curating Southbank Centre's Meltdown, the UK's longest-running artist-curated music festival.

It will feature dozens of concerts across 10 days in June, with Khan opening and closing the event with performances at London's Royal Festival Hall.

The singer had been rumoured for the coveted Glastonbury legends slot in the same month, which has now been filled by country superstar Shania Twain.

Khan, real name Yvette Stevens, confirmed the festival did approach her about the slot but says she had not given them an answer because she was being "really focused" on her work with Meltdown.

Her trip to the UK also marks a return as she previously lived in north London for about 30 years. She has also lived in Germany, Switzerland and cities throughout America.

However, Khan believes her great achievement has been leaving city life behind to live now in the US state of Georgia with her family.

"Getting out of the city, leaving LA - that's the best thing, the biggest investing I've done, period," she says.

"I'm communing with nature. I've got all of this beautiful land and a lake. I truly get to rest here, I truly get silence. This sustains me."

* Southbank Centre's Meltdown festival will run from June 14-23.

Australian Associated Press