Chaka Khan has no respect for singers who rely on auto-tune.
As someone who’s earned her stripes in the music industry with her incredible singing ability, the “Through the Fire” legend had some harsh words for vocally challenged musicians who use cheap tricks like auto-tune to make themselves sound better. Khan’s word of advice: Stay out of the recording booth.
“There is some great stuff out there and there are some great artists,” Khan, 69, told Page Six at Denise Rich’s annual Angel Ball in New York on Monday night (Oct. 24). “There’s some very fine young artists out there doing great great work that I am impressed with.”
“But the others, they just need to get them a job at the Post Office — they are always hiring!,” Khan added, “People are using Auto-tune. They need to get to the Post Office quick.”
Despite sharing some tough love to auto-tune singers, Khan expressed sympathy for the lack of confidence she’s noticed in many female artists today. “I feel very sad,” she said. “It saddens me deeply that so much… insecurity is present in these girls. They really need to know that they are the gold and that they really are precious.”
The 10-time Grammy winner attended the annual fundraiser event for Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research in pure style, dressed to the nines in an all-black ensemble and adorned with gold jewelry. Rich, a Grammy-nominated songwriter, founded the charity in honor of her late daughter, Gabrielle, who died from leukemia at 27 years old.
Elsewhere during the function—attended by stars like rapper Fat Joe, film producer Lee Daniels, and New York Mayor Eric Adams—Khan treated attendees to not one but two performances, taking the stage to deliver hits like “Tell Me Something Good” and “I’m Every Woman.”