It is quite common in Hollywood for the celebrities’ siblings to either get a huge social media following too or, become a celebrity of their own. For Solange Knowles, who is the sister of one of the biggest stars in the industry, Beyonce, she was always said to living in the shadow of her sister. We can’t blame her, her sister is just too much of a superstar. But somehow, she was able to make a name for herself and carve her own path in the industry.
Beyonce (left) and Solange (right) when they were little girls
Who Is Solange?
Solange Knowles was born on June 24, 1986 and is five years younger than her overly famous sister, Beyonce. What a lot of people don’t know is that Solange started expressing her love for the performing arts at a very young age. When she was just in fourth grade, she was able to win a songwriting contest in her district. She spent most of her childhood in the dance studio and had the goal of getting into Julliard.
She was given the chance of a lifetime when she was just thirteen years old when he was offered to become a backup dancer for her sister’s girl group, Destiny’s Child. This was a big opportunity for her because she was able to go on tour with them and visit places like Tokyo and Berlin. Sadly, she later suffered from a torn meniscus so she had to kiss her dreams of auditioning for Julliard goodbye.
Solange with Destiny’s Child
She got really depressed about erasing Julliard from her possible future and this later served as the motivation for her to write songs at just fifteen years old. Even though her lyrics had a sad tone behind them, her songwriting talent was obvious. Kelly Rowland even asked Solange to write a song for her debut solo album. It was through writing songs where she discovered her passion to become an artist.
Career Milestones
Before starting her career, Solange was already used to being in someone else’s spotlight. When she reached sixteen years old, she was given her first career breakthrough. She was able to release her first solo album entitled, Solo Star. She served as a co-writer and co-producer of the album.
15-year-old Solange appearing in Lil Bow Wow’s music video for his song, Puppy Love
Solang tried it out with acting and her debut was a lead role in the movie, Johnson Family Vacation. Even if the film itself had a lot of negative reviews, she was able to receive positive feedback when it came to her acting. A lot of you might also remember her from her starring role in the movie, Bring It On: All or Nothing, which didn’t get that much positive reviews as well.
Solange as Camille in Bring It On: All or Nothing
She later went back to music and first started to create noise in the music industry when she released an EP under Jay-Z’s record label, Roc Nation. By 2013, she decided to launch her own record label called Saint Records and released an album entitled Saint Heroin. By 2016, she released her album, A Seat On The Table, and it was her first time to ever reach No. 1 album on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Solange’s cover art for her album, A Seat At The Table
Last May, Solange held a secret performance at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum which was called An Ode To. She asked guests to wear white and leave their cellphones at the door. This showcased not only her skills as a singer but also her skills as a choreographer, musical director, and composer. It was nowhere but up for Solange’s career.
Life Outside Of Music
She was only seventeen when she and Daniel Smith got married and gave birth to their child, Daniel Smith Jr. She referred to her son as an “unplanned blessing” and doesn’t feel any sort of regret whatsoever. Sadly, Solange divorced Daniel after three years of marriage. Last 2014, she tied the knot with Alan Ferguson who is a music video director.
Solange with husband, Alan Ferguson
Another point in Solange’s life that placed her name on the headlines was when a security video was released by TMX showing Solange assaulting Jay-Z in an elevator. It is rumored that this was because she found out about Jay-Z’s alleged infidelity.
Solange is far gone from being just “Beyonce’s sister”. Through her music, she was able to create her own voice and identity in the industry. Her story shows us that greatness and success takes time but that doesn’t mean we should stop working on our dreams. Every setback in life is there to get us prepared for a major comeback.
