The Southbank Centre today announced that iconic singer and musician Chaka Khan will be the 29th curator of its annual contemporary music festival, Meltdown. Chaka Khan’s Meltdown will take place Friday 14 June until Sunday 23 June 2024 as Khan celebrates 50 years of a pioneering career, bringing her incredible voice and global influence to the Southbank Centre during the 10-day summer festival.
Commenting on her curatorship, Chaka Khan said: “Get ready to experience the heart and soul of Meltdown 2024, where the magic of music meets the warmth of community. I’m beyond excited to be a part of this legacy, bringing everyone together, young and old, for a summer celebration like no other. This festival isn’t just about music, it’s a feast for all your senses, a gathering of hearts and souls. The Southbank Centre’s about to light up! We’re going to funk it up, rock every crowd, and touch every soul. It’s a community celebration, an all-ages bash. Join us and immerse yourself in a world that’s vibrant, diverse, and absolutely unforgettable.”
It is impossible to categorise the irresistible charisma of Chaka Khan’s vast vocal range which has earned her 10 GRAMMY® Award wins, a 2023 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and music sales and downloads of over 100 million. With her eponymous solo debut, Chaka, in 1978, Khan captured the world with her unmistakable vocals on ‘I’m Every Woman’ and later supercharged her success with funk band Rufus on the platinum-selling single ‘Ain’t Nobody’ in 1983.
Breaking out on her own after the dissolution of Rufus, Khan carved an impressive path: her diverse records range from the landmark I Feel For You and the jazz standards of Classikhan with the London Symphony Orchestra to the infectious joy of 2019’s Hello Happiness. During her career, she has worked with some of the world’s most influential artists including Prince, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Mary J. Blige, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, and Miles Davis. In 2023, she teamed up with British indie stalwarts Bombay Bicycle Club for a new single, ‘Tekken 2’, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for her contribution to music.
Chaka Khan will be the 29th curator to take the helm of the Southbank Centre’s Meltdown, the longest-running artist-curated festival in the world. Audiences can expect a festival as joyous and diverse as Khan’s catalogue with dozens of concerts across ten days and two weekends of free events and activities. The first names for Chaka Khan’s Meltdown will be revealed in March.
For further information, please visit the Southbank Centre website
Images by Jo Metson Scott, provided courtesy of the SouthBank Centre
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