Chaka Khan Blames Strained Chords For Off-Key Performance


Soul veteran Chaka Khan is blaming strained vocal chords for her off-key performance with rapper Kanye West at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards.

The "I'm Every Woman" singer stunned fans when she gave a screeching performance onstage in Miami, Florida and her publicist, Brit Reece says Khan had to cancel a performance in Park City, Utah on Friday night because her voice was strained and she was under doctors' orders not to perform.

Reece says, "She received a cortisone shot just hours prior to her VMA performance to honor her commitment to Kanye West."

Reece says the shot helped her slightly, but she still struggled through the performance of "Through The Wire," which contains a sample of Khan's old hit, "Through The Fire."

Reece explains that Khan's voice has been strained because of intense recording for an upcoming album due out next month. For now, she is resting her voice and not speaking.

Reece adds, "She's supposed to perform this weekend in the Bahamas, and as of now she is going to do it. She's resting her chords completely this week."