Aretha Franklin Plans to Open a Nightclub in Detroit

There’s probably no one better in the world to open a nightclub than Aretha Franklin, who rightfully still carries the title of the Queen of Soul, and we're in luck because that's exactly what Her Majesty intends to do.

In a new interview with the Free Press, Franklin—who announced her retirement from the stage earlier this year—says that she is planning to move back to her hometown of Detroit, where she also plans to open her very own nightclub. Apparently, the idea has actually been in the works for several years now. She’s been discussing the plans with the city’s Bedrock real estate firm and is now ready to move forward.

“In my retirement plan, I'd like to have a small club here in Detroit,” Franklin said.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Bedrock President Dan Mullen concurred, saying that the company "would love to work with Aretha, and we look forward to hearing her ideas for a club downtown."

Though details are scant so far on what exactly this club will look like and feature, Franklin did drop a few hints. First of all—and this should be obvious—the name of the club would be Aretha’s. As for the performances? She says that she would be open to performing there in the beginning.

"From time to time I would sing, and of course, I would have special artists come in to perform for the city that people in Detroit like—Detroit favorites."

The last time we heard about these plans was in 2015, when Franklin said that she hoped to open a performance and “fine-dining” venue in Detroit, although those plans never seemed to materialize. Now, we seem to be closer to seeing that reality, although there is still no firm opening date or location on the books quite yet. We'll be eagerly awaiting any updates from Franklin about the status of the club and her amazing retirement project of bringing soul, blues, jazz, and good food to the people of Detroit.