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Indira Milini Khan | Getty Images
Indira Milini Khan | Getty Images

Chaka Khan's Daughter Indira Milini Khan Follows in Her Musical Footsteps

Jana Stevens
Oct 05, 2023
01:15 A.M.

Indira Milini Khan, Chaka Khan's daughter, grew up to follow her mother's career in the entertainment industry. She is a talented actress and an even more incredible singer who inherited Chaka's powerful vocals. Mother and daughter collaborated.

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Indira Milini Khan was born as the product of a relationship between Chaka Khan and Rahsaan Morris. She is the eldest child of the singer. Chaka also has a son named Damien Holland, who is Indira's half-brother.

Under the stage name I-Khan, the second-generation celebrity released a steady stream of singles between 2022 and 2023. Chaka could not be prouder of her look-alike daughter, who seems to be dedicating more time to her children.

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Chaka Khan's Daughter Got a Taste of the Limelight Early

Indira Milini Khan gave her first breath in Chicago, Illinois, on December 21, 1973. She completed her schooling at Fairfax High School in Virginia and at the Los Angeles Center For Enriched Studies. She has nearly 10,000 followers on Instagram.

Indira developed a passion for music and singing growing up after being around her mother and her famous friends while on tour. In an interview in late 2015, Chaka revealed that her daughter started singing "as a baby" like Natalie Cole.

The "Ain't Nobody" singer gave what Indira considers the best advice she had ever gotten from her mom backstage. The younger singer used to suffer from "horrible stage fright." Her mom came up to her and said, "Milini, it's just singing."

Chaka Khan (C) poses with mother Sandra Coleman (L) and daughter Indira Milini Khan at her 60th birthday party at Yamashiro Restaurant, on March 21, 2013, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images

Chaka Khan (C) poses with mother Sandra Coleman (L) and daughter Indira Milini Khan at her 60th birthday party at Yamashiro Restaurant, on March 21, 2013, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images

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Indira Milini Khan Has Had a Varied Music Career and a Brief Foray into Acting

Her powerful vocals eventually led her to become a founding member of Motown Records' now-defunct group Pretty in Pink, where she was credited for co-writing most of the group's songs.

Indira has spread her wings internationally as a musician at the Østre Gasværk Teater in Copenhagen, Denmark. The artist also recorded with artists of the caliber of Miki Howard, Johnny Gill, Paula Abdul, and her mother, of course.

The R&B singer toured with Rufus around the country and abroad before releasing her first EP, "Bathe Me," in 2015. Sandra St. Victor, who is like an aunt to her, recruited Indira as one of the original members of Daughters of Soul.

Indira Milini Khan during Raphael Saadiq'saAlbum listening party at Sugar Bar, in New York City, New York, on October 5, 2004. | Source: Getty Images

Indira Milini Khan during Raphael Saadiq'saAlbum listening party at Sugar Bar, in New York City, New York, on October 5, 2004. | Source: Getty Images

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The shows comprise an eclectic group of performers from a "legendary lineage" through their mothers. Indira had no apprehension to share what it was like growing up as the daughter of Chaka on stage.

Chaka said she was shocked after watching her kid in the role.

She sees herself as a "pretty honest person" and likes to "keep it open" when she shares stories on stage. Like her mother, she maintains that if you remain honest, you do not need to remember things you have said before.

Indira Milini Khan during 6th Annual Tribeca Film Festival  at The Safe Harbor Loft, in New York, New York on April 29, 2007. | Source: Getty Images

Indira Milini Khan during 6th Annual Tribeca Film Festival at The Safe Harbor Loft, in New York, New York on April 29, 2007. | Source: Getty Images

Daughters of Soul required the singer to perform some of her mother's material. This was a big adjustment for her, and it was especially "awkward" having the icon in the audience in 2015. However, Chaka approved, giving her daughter a standing ovation.

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As I-Khan, the younger Khan has released the singles "The Magic," "In Your Feelings," "[Expletive] Love," and the remix of "Don't Make Me" featuring Beach Mcgee in 2023.

She has also tried her luck in acting, and she made her debut by interpreting a younger version of her mom on the 2016 TV film "Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story." She acted alongside Teyonah Parris, who portrayed the title character.

Regarding getting the role, Indira revealed that she had to audition like everyone else, and when asked if she had to get some pointers from her mom, she joked, saying: "No. That was like a no-brainer. Like you can mock your mom, can't you?"

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On the other hand, Chaka said she was shocked after watching her kid in the role, "I couldn't believe it, really, it's crazy. She's a really good actor, and she's full of drama, high drama. She's funny. She's my favorite comedian."

Indira and her brother Damien Holland were interviewed in an "Intimate Portrait" episode on her mother that aired on May 19, 2003. Some of her mother's friends and colleagues like Mary J. Blige, Kathleen Burrell, and Patti LaBelle were also featured.

Indira Milini Khan Came to Understand Chaka Khan's Touring Schedule Better after She Also Became a Mom

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Indira became a mom to her daughter Gibson Raeven at an early age and welcomed her sons, Josh and Jett, many years later. As of October 2023, her Facebook profile lists her as single.

The "LoveShip" singer conceded in 2015 that as an artist, she has come to understand some of her mother's actions in the past. For example, she used to resent Chaka for always traveling for work. She said:

"When I was younger, I only saw my side of it, which was, ‘Why does she have to go? She can say no, sometimes.' But then, being an artist myself and having to travel, you see the painful side of it and the commitment side."

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Despite her anger at the time, Indira admits she learned from a young age about commitment by watching her mother, a black woman, working and supporting her children. The singer continued:

"So, I think that was a tremendous lesson for me as a little girl. To see my mother being productive and my mother handling her business. Even though it took her away from me a lot, there was still a lesson in that."

Indira became a grandmother, which makes Chaka Khan a great-grandmother, in 2019 when Raeven gave birth to Mackenzie James. Raeven shared a photo of her newborn in a custom onesie with his name in September 2019; his hospital tags are still affixed on his little legs.

Over the holidays in 2022, Indira shared good wishes with her friends on Facebook with a beautiful family portrait. She also released a Christmas single, "Christmas With You."

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