Solange Knowles is a revolutionary singer-songwriter, producer, and fashion stylist who has set her mark in the music industry. Through her influential sound and visuals, she is reshaping the landscape of popular music by blurring the boundaries between genres and pioneering a new era of creativity. Her work skillfully captures culture and diversity, making her an inspiring figure for all artists striving to create their own path.
1. Activism and Representation
Solange is an outspoken artist and advocate, rooting her work in equality, community & self-empowerment. Whether it be the Black Power-centric visuals of ‘Don’t Touch My Hair’ or penning a powerful statement titled ‘A Seat at the Table’ through her third studio album, she emphasizes the importance of visibility for minorities. Her work as an activist shines a light on how music can not only entertain but also effect social change.
2. Musically Diverse
Solange has come to encompass several sounds within her discography; from alternative R&B to soulful hip hop and funk-inspired pieces, she incorporates various breeds of production and genre studies that stem from multiple cultures, bending their components into one complete vision.
3. Visual Productions
From art installations like ‘Metatronia’ to award-winning short films such as ‘Weather Report’ in partnership with Red Bull Music and Saint Heron, Solange has created visual projects that utilize art mediums to amplify the potency of her soundscapes and leave fans in awe of her creative works. She places great emphasis on creating expressive stories by infusing artistic elements with sonic textures, which have earned her many accolades over time, including being named one of GQ’s Women Tastemakers of 2019.
4. Live Shows
Throughout her performance career, Solange has put together a wide range of larger than life events, such as ‘Saint Heron Presents: A Night With Solange’, Opera of the Future,” curated by the Guggenheim, and the New Orleans series Sounds From The Lawn’. On stage, she often creates vibrant set lists inspired by personal experiences combined with tributes to influential African American musicians through mashups and more, thus packing auditoriums full of energy every night!
5. Record Labels & Albums
Having started out recording under the label Geffen Records for her first two albums, ‘Solo Star’ and ‘Sol-Angel And The Hadley St Dreams’, Solange eventually founded the innovative label Saint Records Inc., home to groundbreaking acts such as Blood Orange, BJ The Chicago Kid, amongst others, dedicated to serving different aspects of today’s soul music culture. Later, Solange releases the much acclaimed album ‘True’; scoring number six on the the US Billboard 200 chart, and the praised R&B project ‘When I Get Home.” Nominations for Best Urban Contemporary Album at 2020 GRAMMYs shortly followed after its release!
6. Creative Network & Collaborations
Known to be active within art circles both nationally & globally, from creating special AR experiences in collaboration with S11 Collective during South Africa’s 2018 Design Indaba Festival to working closely with highly established artists both contemporary (Kelela) & legendary (Q Tip) alike, With an expanding gang of creatives involved vital projects under Sanete Records Inc, we are graced again with inspiring teamwork ahead!
7. Consistent evolution
Since debut, Solang re-defined herself constantly, going against traditional norms , crafting daring expressions embracing uniqueness regularly! bringing us non conventional ear worms from tracks like “Cranes In The Sky” off 2016 A Seat At Table, arresting audiences attentions ever since . Now more then ever, unapologetically pushing boundaries and setting standards for next generation of artists is just what makes Ms solange so amazing !
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Solange Knowles
1. Solange’s childhood would later become fodder for one of her singles, “Crane’s in the Sky.” According to her mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson, in an interview with the New York Times, she used to tell the young artist to imagine that she was a crane soaring above any problem that came her way.
2. In addition to being a successful singer and songwriter, Solange is also a critically acclaimed actress and director. She has appeared in films like Bring It On: All or Nothing and television series like Empire and The Vampire Diaries. She also co-directed the music video for “Losing You.”
3. Solange was married to video director Alan Ferguson, and they share two sons together — 13-year-old Julez Smith and 9-year-old Daniel Julez Smith Jr.
4. Her debut studio album, Solo Star, went on to sell over 250,000 copies worldwide. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2008 for selling 500,000 units in the US.
5. The youngest daughter of Mathew Knowles founded Saint Records back in 2013, which released her third EP True as well as albums from groups like Leikeli47, Kelala, and many other artists from around the world.
6. On January 2020, she surprise dropped her fourth studio album called When I Get Home, which spoke on themes such as Afrofuturism with heavy production inspired by Texas Blues and West Coast jazz amongst many other genres, while showcasing Houston-based hip hop artists such as Devin The Dude, Lucy Eck$, and Playboi Carti, who were among some featured guests on certain tracks throughout the album.
7. Both parents enrolled both their daughters in dance school since Beyoncé had experience taking ballet classes when their father Matthew used to get gigs at hotels around Huston, Texas. A few years later, Solange started learning from at least three different dance classes.
8. In 2004, she sang a duet with Destiny’s Child group member Kelly Rowland calledSoldier,” which held spots on Billboard’s Top 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs listing at number 3, making it one of Destiny’s Child’s final top 10 hits singles up until 2005, right before Beyoncé went out as a solo artist.
9. As a philanthropic effort, Solange donated $25k towards the Black Lives Matter movement during its peak moments in small campaigns immediately after George Floyd was killed, demonstrating leadership towards something those close to her consider an important issue within this era today.
10. Throughout her career, she has been listed numerous times in publications such FLAUNT magazine being interviewed even being cover cover girl for British Vogue 2018 December’s Issue along side nominee actress Letitia Wright becoming an iconic representation for women younger generation impact current industry standard.
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