Alexandra Burke is going through the fire as Chaka Khan in new musical 'I'm Every Woman'

West End leading lady Alexandra Burke is playing Chaka Khan in the new musical I’m Every Woman, which documents the Queen of Funk’s incredible 50-year career.

Summary

• Alexandra Burke is playing Queen of Funk Chaka Khan in the new musical about her life and work
• Burke's previous stage credits include The Bodyguard and Chicago
• Hit songs including “Sweet Thing” and “Tell me Something Good” will be included in the show

Alexandra Burke’s run in I’m Every Woman — The Chaka Khan Musical at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre is something of a homecoming for the 37-year-old actress and singer. She launched her career at the north London venue — then named Fountain Studios — when she was catapulted to fame on reality television series The X Factor in 2008, famously dueting with Beyoncé and going straight to Christmas number one with “Hallelujah”.

After establishing herself as a recording artist, she also expanded into musical theatre, and has starred in a show every year since 2014, including The Bodyguard, Sister Act, Chess, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Now she returns to play the 11-time Grammy Award-winning “Queen of Funk” Chaka Khan in a new musical about her life and career, following a short initial run at Hackney Empire in March.

“She’s given us 50 years of music, darling,” Burke quips, in her characteristic warm tone of voice. “She’s given the world so much. She’s mentally ready for [her story] to be out there. She’s one of the strongest people I know.”

The musical will take audiences through the fire with Khan, as it charts her challenging personal life, including struggles with addiction, a tempestuous relationship with her mother, and her difficult marriages. But it is also a celebration of her incredible back catalogue — “we want people up on their feet dancing,” says Burke — including hits like “Ain’t Nobody”, “Sweet Thing”, “Tell me Something Good”, and the title number “I’m Every Woman”. As with the Frank Sinatra biomusical currently playing at the Aldwych Theatre, audiences can expect to see a range of recognisable musicians represented on stage thanks to Khan’s long list of collaborators, including Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, and Prince, who was a close friend prior to his death in 2016.

Burke’s relationship with Khan goes back to her own childhood: “When I was on the circuit with my mum [the British soul singer Melissa Bell, lead vocalist for Soul II Soul], from the age of nine, I used to sing Chaka Khan songs in all of the pubs, clubs, bar mitzvahs, weddings, funerals — you name it.” Burke’s previous manager first put her on Khan’s radar at the age of 16, and she went on to perform for the music icon at a gala in New York in 2012. She even sang Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody” for her first X Factor audition. They have crossed paths a few more times, but getting the call to star in a musical about Khan’s life still came as a huge surprise.

“I’m in Greece, on the beach, having a pina colada,” Burke says. “Nathan [her manager] calls me, and he’s like, ‘Chaka has asked to see you.’ I was like, ‘That’s impossible.’” Burke didn’t think she was right for the role, believing their voices sounded too different. Then she was reminded that she didn’t need to do an impersonation — she just needed to convey Khan’s story.

Her 45-minute audition became three hours, as she performed for the producer Adrian Grant, director Racky Plews, musical supervisor Mark Crossland, and book writer Nia T. Hill, who Burke describes as Khan’s “best friend, she’s basically a sister to her”.

When she was offered the role, Burke was convinced it was a gift from her mum, who passed away in 2017 due to complications related to diabetes. Bell is brought up frequently in our conversation, as a source of inspiration throughout Burke’s life and career. “I’m really lucky that I got to be her daughter. I had the most amazing mum who gave everything,” she says, adding that she better understands the sacrifices her mum made when she was a touring artist now that she is in the same position with two children of her own. Reflecting on how far she has come, she muses: “How did little old me from Islington land this?”

Aside from her obvious talent, Burke believes one of the reasons she got the part is that Khan connected with her. During rehearsals, Khan would say, “You remind me of me when I was younger.” The similarities between the pair are evident: both are strong Black women who have forged a path in a notoriously challenging industry. But there are personal shared experiences too, from fiery mother-daughter dynamics to painful past relationships. “Things that she's gone through with her ex-husbands, sadly, I can relate to a couple of things there,” she says, having previously spoken about her own experience of domestic violence with an ex-boyfriend.

Burke notes that she brings method acting into her work where she can, but an area that is completely new is Khan’s drug-taking. “I'm having to research how people feel when they're on drugs and what happens to them if they're on a high or on a comedown,” she says, explaining that she has deliberately avoided asking Khan about this aspect of her life because she doesn’t feel it is necessary for her process. There was a moment during rehearsals when Burke’s partner asked her why she seemed so down, to which Burke replied: “Oh no, it’s not me, it’s Chaka [...] I'm in that part of the show where we haven't got to the happy part yet.” She continues, “I'm trying to work out how I let that go. I'm on a massive emotional roller coaster with her.”

To further get into character, Burke changed her hair during rehearsals, getting “massive curls” instead of a short bob, so that she could feel more like Khan. But the best advice she has received came from Khan herself: “I remember saying to her, ‘I'm going to do a lot of research on your interviews.’ And she was like, ‘What for?’ I said, ‘Well, just so I can get how you speak.’ And she was like, ‘I'm just straight to the point. That's what I am. So you just need to be straight to the point.’”

Burke believes Khan’s life story will be hugely inspirational for audiences. “I’m in awe of her. I’m in awe of how she’s conducted herself throughout her life and come out the other end.” As for her own takeaway, the show has taught her the importance of resilience. “When I really sit back and I think about Chaka's life and what she's been through as a mother, as an artist, as a Black woman in this industry, I go — and no pun intended here — ‘she has really gone through the fire.’”

She continues: “We all go through struggles and you can get through them, even in your deepest, darkest moments. There's always a way out, and that's what I'm taking from this. Live your life, my goodness, you get one chance. Live it.”

Burke may not have been around for quite as long as Khan, but it is clear that she has plenty of wisdom of her own.

Book I’m Every Woman — The Chaka Khan Musical tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

This article first appeared in the August 2026 issue of London Theatre Magazine.

Photo credit: Alexandra Burke in I'm Every Woman — The Chaka Khan Musical. (Photo by Danny Kaan). Inset: in I'm Every Woman, Sister Act, The Bodyguard, Chicago. (Photos by Danny Kaan, Johan Persson)