Solange Knowles

Early life

Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, to Mathew Knowles and Tina Lawson. Solange's older sister is singer Beyoncé. Her father, originally from Alabama, is African American, and her mother, originally from southern Louisiana, is Creole (with African, Native American, French, and 1/32 Irish ancestry). Her maternal grandparents are Lumis Beyincé and Agnéz Deréon, (a seamstress). She is also a descendant of Acadian leader Joseph Broussard. As a child, Knowles studied dance and theater. At the age of five, she made her singing debut at an amusement park. She began writing songs at the age of nine. At 13, she decided to pursue recording, but her parents initially advised her to wait. At the age of 15 Knowles replaced a departed dancer and performed with her sister's group Destiny's Child on tour. During the group's opening stint for American pop singer Christina Aguilera's tour, Knowles temporarily replaced Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland after she broke her toes backstage during a costume change. When Knowles was 16, her father, who was then also her manager, signed her to his recording company, Music World Entertainment, along with Columbia.

2001–2003: Early career and Solo Star

Managed by her father Mathew, Knowles's first time into the music business was in 2001 as the lead singer, backed with Destiny's Child, on the title theme song for the animated television series The Proud Family. She also was a featured performer on "Hey Goldmember" for the soundtrack to the 2002 film Austin Powers in Goldmember, as well as a backup singer on the track "Little Drummer Boy" on her sister's group's 2001 holiday album 8 Days of Christmas. In 2002, she was featured on Lil Romeo's second studio album Game Time, singing portions of Luther Vandross-penned "So Amazing" on the single "True Love", and on Rowland's debut solo album Simply Deep, for which she also wrote the title track, "Beyond Imagination" and "Obsession". In 2001 she also appeared as Lil' Bow Wow's date in the music video for his single "Puppy Love". She also made an appearance on The Master of Disguise soundtrack and made cameos in Play's video for "M.A.S.T.E.R. (Part II)" featuring Lil' Fizz.

In 2002, she lent her voice for the character Chanel, the cousin of the protagonist Penny Proud, in the episode "Behind Family Lines" to the animated television series The Proud Family. In June 2003, Mathew Knowles excitedly announced that he was considering adding Solange to Destiny's Child when the group reunited in 2004, thus turning them into a quartet for the first time since short-lived member Farrah Franklin left in 2000. Mathew Knowles said he was testing the reactions, and, judging by what he had heard, "it seems like a good idea". Later in August, however, Beyoncé said it was only a rumor and Destiny's Child would remain a trio. Rowland added, "She's a solo star," name-dropping Knowles's debut album.

At the age of 14, Solange Knowles started working on her debut album Solo Star, which involved American producers such as Jermaine Dupri, The Neptunes, Linda Perry and Timbaland among others. The album is primarily uptempo R&B, although Knowles said there are pop, rock, reggae and hip hop influences. Knowles co-wrote and co-produced some of the 15 tracks in the album, including its lead single, "Feelin' You (Part II)". The song failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100, but reached number three on both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales and Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart. Solo Star was released on January 21, 2003 in the United States, where it debuted at number 49 on the Billboard 200 and reached number 23 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Solo Star had a mixed critical reception: William Ruhlmann of AllMusic called it a "state-of-the-art contemporary R&B album", but deemed Knowles "lost somewhere in the mix". By mid-2008, the album had sold 112,000 copies domestically according to Nielsen SoundScan.

2004–2008: Films and Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams

In 2004, she guest starred in the episode "The Catch" of the sitcom One on One. Knowles appeared as a teenager in the 2004 comedy film Johnson Family Vacation, starring alongside American actors Cedric the Entertainer, Vanessa Williams and Bow Wow. She provided a song for its soundtrack—"Freedom", a collaboration with the Houston-based funk-jazz band Drop Trio. Although the reviews were generally negative, Knowles earned praise from Variety magazine: "Solange Knowles is nearly as dazzling as big sister Beyoncé and does little more than smile winningly in her first bigscreen outing." In 2006, she starred as a cheerleading captain in the film Bring It On: All or Nothing, the third installment of the Bring It On series, alongside American actress and singer Hayden Panettiere. What little critical reaction the low-budget, direct-to-DVD movie got was negative, and Knowles was described as an "affordable young starlet". Knowles uses her full name for her acting, rather than just the first name she uses when singing; for Bring It On: All or Nothing, she was billed as Solange Knowles-Smith, reflecting her married state at the time.

After the release of her debut album, Knowles started acting in films followed by a career break. While she was married, her family moved to Idaho, and, while staying there, resumed writing songs including the singles "Get Me Bodied" and "Upgrade U" from her sister's second solo album, B'Day. Knowles earned the R&B and Hip-Hop Song accolade for "Get Me Bodied" at the 2008 ASCAP Awards. She had also written songs for Destiny's Child, and members Rowland and Michelle Williams. In 2004, while pregnant with son Daniel, she made a cameo appearance in Destiny's Child's music video for "Soldier".

After the divorce, Knowles returned to Houston to begin working on her second album. Knowles renewed her management, signing a record deal with Geffen and a publishing deal with EMI. Knowles finished working on her second studio album in 2008 and titled the project Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams. It includes production by CeeLo Green, Soulshock & Karlin and Mark Ronson as well as an appearance by Bilal. A collection of 1960s and 1970s influenced songs, it is seen as a departure from her pop-oriented debut, with what Billboard magazine called "more of a modern twist on hip-hop and R&B flecked with tinges of blues and jazz". The album was released on August 26, 2008 in the United States. By December 2008, the album had sold over 114,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album was positively received by critics, some of whom considered it far better than her debut. The album's lead single, "I Decided", was released in April 2008, and reached the top of the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart; Rolling Stone magazine labelled it her breakthrough single. In support of the album, Knowles began the Solange Presents Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams Tour in Britain in November 2008. Knowles also co-wrote "Scared of Lonely" and "Why Don't You Love Me" for her sister's third studio album I Am... Sasha Fierce.

Knowles announced, via her blog HadleyStreetJournal.com, that she would be releasing a series of mixtapes to coincide with the album. The first mixtape, I Can't Get Clearance..., includes the leaked track "Fuck the Industry (Signed Sincerely)". On this record, Knowles expressed her views on the current state of the music industry. The lyrics to the song name check some major artists such as Mary J. Blige, Ashanti, Keyshia Cole, and Beyoncé, although she made a point of stating that it does not have "a negative light to any of [them]". The mixtape was never released, but Solange released "Fuck the Industry (Signed Sincerely)" as a single in 2010.

2009–2014: True EP and Saint Records

In an interview with MTV in 2009, Knowles revealed that she was determining the type of sound for the follow-up to Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams. Knowles also parted ways with the Interscope-Geffen-A&M record label group. She would now release her third studio album independently. Early in 2010, Knowles traveled to Australia to work with Australian rock band, Midnight Juggernauts on her third studio album. Knowles had planned to release the album in summer as revealed on her official Twitter account in 2009. She also revealed on her Twitter account that she rented a house in Santa Barbara, California to get into a certain state of mind while writing and making music. On May 7, 2010, Knowles made a guest appearance on the popular children show, Yo Gabba Gabba! for a "Mothers Day Special" where she performed an original song called "Momma Loves Baby".

In an interview with Vibe on July 7, 2010, Knowles said she suffered "a little bit of a breakdown" while recording her new album: "I literally gave up my sanity for a while to do this record. [...] We literally were waking up in the morning and just making music all day and all night. [...] It just started to wear on me in so many different ways. I started having these crazy panic attacks." Knowles explained how she made sacrifices "mentally, emotionally and financially", and continued, "It's more than an album to me. It's a transitional time in my life." Regarding the musical direction of the album, she said the inspiration came from new wave and stated, "This is a dance record, but the lyrics can get pretty dark at times." The singer has also worked on songs with Chromeo and long-time collaborator Pharrell Williams.

In September 2012, Solange released a teaser video for "Losing You", which was announced as the lead single from her third studio album. This release marked Solange's first release as a signee of the independent label Terrible Records. The video was shot in Cape Town, South Africa in early September 2012. Knowles revealed in an interview that her mother Tina Knowles had paid for Solange and her friends to fly out and record the video as her birthday gift. On October 24, 2012, Knowles held a listening party in New York City for her EP True, released for digital download on iTunes November 27, 2012. The CD and vinyl was made available January 8, 2013. Following the EP's release, Solange appeared on the cover of The Fader magazine's 84th issue.

On May 14, 2013, Knowles announced that she had launched her own record label named Saint Records, which she will be using to release her third full-length album and future music projects distributed through Sony. Solange also collaborated with The Lonely Island on the song "Semicolon" which was featured as part of YouTube's Comedy Week and is featured on The Lonely Island's album, The Wack Album. On November 11, 2013, Knowles's record label released its first compilation album, Saint Heron.

2015–present: A Seat at the Table

On May 15, 2015 Knowles performed "Rise" for the first time at an HBO-sponsored event, which was inspired by police killings in Ferguson and Baltimore and the subsequent protests. In July 2015, Knowles announced that her third studio album was nearly complete. On her thirtieth birthday, June 24, 2016, she stated that she completed A Seat at the Table, her third studio album three days before her birthday, on June 21, 2016. The album was released on September 30, 2016, to widespread critical acclaim. It became her first number-one album in the United States. This made her and Beyoncé the first sisters to have both had US number-one albums in a calendar year. During the 2017 Roots Picnic Festival in Philadelphia, PA, Knowles performed a rendition of the sing-along from The Proud Family, the television series whose theme song she was featured on in 2001.

Music and influences

Knowles cites as her influences Motown girl groups such as The Supremes and The Marvelettes, and Martha Reeves, lead singer of Martha and the Vandellas. She also listened to the music of English pop singer Dusty Springfield, and according to Knowles, her "greatest music influence" is her mother, Tina Knowles, who was a one-time member of the 1960s harmony group The Veltones, she is also heavily influenced by the late great Aaliyah, who influenced A Seat at the Table. Knowles says her first passion is writing songs. Her early writings were vastly inspired by the writing style of French poet Paul Verlaine. She has been doing this since she was nine years old, and has collaborated with a number of songwriters and producers.

On her debut album, Knowles had no control over which kinds of music to produce, because "when you're 14, everyone else is older and more seasoned and you trust their decisions". Knowles was more concerned with pleasing her record label by submitting to their desires. Her musical influences were better expressed on Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams, when she considered herself mature and was able to write and produce songs as she wished, without worrying about the expectations of others. Knowles's lyrics tackle relationships, world issues, and deceased friends, with her second album focusing on events in her life, such as marriage, divorce, and parenthood. The album touched upon a variety of genres including pop-soul, psychedelic soul, electronica, and R&B. Knowles's debut extended play True is a new wave album with Knowles stating, "This is a dance record, but the lyrics can get pretty dark at times." Knowles described the EP as "eclectic with 1980s references and African percussion influences." Sonically the extended play is influenced by the keyboard sounds and beats of early 1980s pop and R&B music. The extended play was recorded in five cities including Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Houston, New York, and on the German autobahn.

Aside from recording, Knowles occasionally paints as her hobby: "I think that painting, for me, is such an affirmative expression in that sometimes you don't know what the outcome is gonna be and each stroke and each brush for me is an emotion and, in the end, it comes out as a piece which is the most amazing thing. ... It definitely provides a different outlet."

Public image

Knowles has always been compared by the media to her sister, Beyoncé, whom she considers one of her role models. She has expressed her opinion of the comparison in the lyrics to "God Given Name": "I'm not her and never will be" – which was purposely set as the album's opening track to show their differences. In his review for the album, Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone magazine referred to the lyrics as a declaration of independence. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Knowles commented: "People think there should be this great rivalry between us, but there's never been any competition. There's a big age gap and we are two very different characters." Beyoncé was unwilling to bring her sister into the recording industry, reasoning that it "involves a lot of pressure". Knowles countered by saying, "It's good to have her advice, but we really have different goals".

In January 2017, Beyoncé interviewed Solange for Interview magazine and discussed family, womanhood, and music. The sisters' exchange is a testimony to the heart Solange puts into her craft.

In recent years, Solange has also garnered considerable attention as a fashion icon. Her knack for bold colors, mixed prints and retro styles as well as her knack for glamorous, fashion forward looks in her music videography and public appearances has become integral to her current image. She has been photographed wearing Alexander Wang, Alexander McQueen and Chanel. The music video for her 2012 single "Losing You" featured a heavy demonstration of the contemporary sartorial movement throughout Africa, La Sape. Similarly, her decision to grow her natural hair initially generated strong reactions from the public. Since trimming off her straightened hair, her nostalgic and modern afro hairstyles have captured the attention of the media and the public alike.

Other ventures

In 2007, Knowles began promoting Baby Jamz, a hip hop-styled toy line for pre-schoolers. It was inspired by her son, Julez, who is fond of hip hop music. She is the executive producer of the CD, composed of updated hip hop inspired nursery rhymes, which is featured in all of the toys.

In 2008, Knowles was named as ambassador for Giorgio Armani's younger diffusion line, Armani Jeans. Armani said Knowles epitomizes the style, which is a "vision of a young, independent, casual lifestyle with a strong and cool, fashion sensibility".

Also, Knowles has been known for her work in the award-winning children's television show, Yo Gabba Gabba!. She performed "Momma Loves Baby" during the live performance when it toured the Dallas–Fort Worth area. She also performed "Mama Loves Baby" during a 2010 episode called "Baby".

In 2011, Knowles along with Alejandra Ramos Munoz and Zooey Deschanel, was announced as the new face of Rimmel London. In February 2012, Solange became Vogue.com's Today I'm Wearing guest blogger sharing a photograph of her outfits daily for one month.

In 2016 Solange became Michael Kors's new face for his fashion works.

House of Deréon

Knowles and sister Beyoncé modeled for their family's clothing line, House of Deréon, named after their grandmother, Agnéz Deréon. She also helped launch Deréon, a junior apparel collection and a sister line to House of Deréon. Both sisters modeled for Deréon, and were featured in most of Deréon's marketing campaigns. Together they were featured in a "Got Milk?" campaign ad, wearing House of Deréon.

Personal life

Knowles married Daniel Smith in February 2004 when she was 17 and he was 19. On October 18, 2004, Knowles gave birth to their son, Daniel Julez J. Smith, Jr. Knowles calls her son the greatest unplanned blessing, but has partly expressed regret that she bore a child at an early age. A song she wrote for her baby, "6 O'Clock Blues", was included on Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams. After Daniel Julez's birth, the family moved to Moscow, Idaho, where Knowles's husband continued studying in college. In October 2007, Solange confirmed in an interview with Essence magazine that she and Smith had divorced. They co-parent the child. After the divorce, Knowles and her child moved to Los Angeles, where they established their new home. In August 2013, Knowles announced that she and her son were moving to New Orleans, Louisiana.

On May 12, 2014, TMZ released security video footage of Solange physically assaulting brother-in-law Jay Z and being restrained by a security guard in an elevator at The Standard, High Line, in Manhattan, following the 2014 Met Gala. Jay Z remained passive and did not retaliate while Solange's sister Beyoncé, who was also present, did not react to either party throughout the altercation. The footage and story went viral, however the reason for the altercation remains unknown. Matthew Knowles, however, has hinted that the incident may have been faked for attention, saying: "So you sometimes have to ignite that tour. It's called a Jedi mind trick. The Jedi mind trick fools you a lot...all I know is the Jedi mind trick. Everyone's talking about it. Ticket sales went up. Solange's album sales went up 200%!" The cause is rumored to be Jay Z's infidelity, which Beyonce speaks about in her album Lemonade and Jay Z speaks about in his album 4:44.

On November 16, 2014, Knowles married music video director Alan Ferguson in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Discography

Tours

Headlining

Supporting