Chaka Khan’s daughter followed in her mom’s footsteps as a singer
Chaka Khan is a mom to two children: daughter Indira and son Damien.
The “I’m Every Woman” singer (whose real name is Yvette Stevens) welcomed her first child, daughter Indira “Milini” Khan, in 1973. A few years later, Chaka Khan gave birth to her son Damien Patrick Holland in the late ’70s during her marriage to her second husband, Richard Holland.
Chaka Khan has historically kept her personal life private, including details about her children. Still, Indira gave rare remarks about her mom during a November 2019 appearance on the talk show Sister Circle when she was asked about the most “profound” thing she has learned from the Grammy Award-winning artist.
Indira, a vocalist herself, recalled a time when she was experiencing “horrible stage fright,” and Chaka Khan helped center her by sharing a reminder. “[She] looked me dead in my face and was like, ‘Milini! It’s just singing!’ and it just popped in my head. And she’s right! It’s just singing,” she recounted.
Reflecting on the moment, Indira explained, “It was a way for me to take a step back, look at the situation, and then be able to say, ‘You know what, I can take this energy, and I can use it in a positive way, or I can let it kill me.’ ”
Here’s everything to know about Chaka Khan’s children: daughter Indira and son Damien.Chaka Khan welcomed her daughter, Indira “Milini” Khan, on Dec. 21, 1973.
In honor of her firstborn’s birthday in December 2023, Chaka Khan shared a sweet video on TikTok celebrating her. “In 1973, on December 21, a great singer was born, a fantastic daughter, and she’s mine,” she said. “Happy birthday, darling, and may all your wishes come true.”
Indira followed in her mom’s footsteps and pursued a career as an artist. In the ’90s, she was part of the R&B girl group Pretty In Pink. In an August 2023 Instagram post, Chaka Khan remembered the anniversary of the release of the group’s 1991 debut album Wake Up.
Since then, Indira has continued to release music under the stage name I.Khan and Chaka Khan has shown her support for her daughter over the years. In December 2023, she encouraged her fans on Facebook to check out Indira’s latest single, which was part of her debut album, IKHANIC.
More recently, Indira came out with her album Kontagious in October 2024. Shortly after, she teased that she was going to share more work on her 51st birthday on Dec. 21.Apart from singing, Indira has tried her hand at acting. She appeared in the 2016 television movie Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story, in which she portrayed her mother.
When Indira landed the role, Chaka Khan celebrated her daughter on Facebook, sharing a behind-the-scenes photo of Indira getting her hair and makeup done. “So proud of my daughter, Indira Milini Khan, rocking it as me for the upcoming Miki Howard movie!!” she captioned it.
Indira is also a mom: She has a daughter, Raeven Gibson, and two sons, Jett and Josh. Raeven has also welcomed her own child, a son named Mackenzie, making Indira a grandma and Chaka Khan a first-time great-grandma.
During a November 2019 interview with Sister Circle, Indira opened up about what it was like to become a grandmother. At the time, she explained, “It’s all new, and it’s all really exciting. I never thought I would love somebody else’s child the way that I love this baby.”Chaka Khan welcomed her son Damien Patrick Holland in the late ’70s.
Over the years, Chaka Khan has mostly kept her second child out of the public eye.
More recently, Chaka Khan shared a rare birthday message for Damien in a TikTok video in March 2022, calling it a “special day” for her.
“Something very special happened to me on March 22, 1978, or 9, I’m not going to tell you which one, how’s that?” she joked. “My son was born. … He’s my favorite guy in all the world, and I just wanted him to know how much I love him, and I want to say happy birthday, son.”
Damien is a father to daughter Daija Jade Holland, who shares a birthday with her grandmother. Chaka Khan told The Guardian in April 2017 that she adopted her granddaughter when she was a child.
“There’s a lot of things I missed as a young mum, because I was too busy growing up myself,” she explained to the outlet. “I’m better at it now. I adopted my granddaughter — my son’s daughter — when she was nine. She’s just turned 16. Becoming a mother again later in life was meant to be.”