Solange Piaget Knowles (; born June 24, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She expressed an interest in music from an early age and had temporary stints as a backup dancer for Destiny's Child, which featured her older sister Beyoncé among its members, before signing with their father Mathew Knowles's label, Music World Entertainment. At 16, Knowles released her first studio album Solo Star (2002). She also appeared in the films Johnson Family Vacation (2004), and (2006).
In 2007, Knowles began to record music again. Heavily influenced by Motown , her second studio album Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams (2008) deviated from the pop-oriented music of her debut to Motown-inspired sounds from the 1960s and 1970s. It peaked at number nine on the US Billboard 200 and received positive reviews from critics. She followed this up with the 1980s pop and R&B-inspired extended play True (2012) on Terrible Records and her imprint Saint Records. Her third studio album, A Seat at the Table (2016) was released to widespread critical acclaim and became her first number-one album in the United States. The album's lead single, "Cranes in the Sky" won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance. Her fourth studio album, When I Get Home, was released in March 2019 to further critical acclaim.
Knowles says that her first passion is songwriting. Frequently compared by the media to her sister Beyoncé, Knowles has claimed that they have different aspirations and are musically different. She has been ranked by Billboard as the 100th most successful dance artist of all time. In 2017, she was honored with the "Impact Award" at the Billboard Women in Music event. Her other ventures include an endorsement deal with Rimmel London and a line of hip-hop-oriented merchandise for young children. Knowles has also ventured into performance art, working in several international museums and exhibitions, such as the Elbphilharmonie, the Venice Art Biennale and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. In 2022, she became the third woman and first African American to compose a score for the New York City Ballet.
In 2002, she lent her voice to the character Chanel, the cousin of the protagonist Penny Proud, in an episode of the animated television series The Proud Family. In June 2003, Mathew Knowles excitedly announced that he was considering adding Knowles 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 age 14, 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. She then recorded the album under her father's Music World Entertainment label with Columbia Records. The album is primarily uptempo R&B, although Knowles said there are Pop music, Rock music, 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.
While she was married, her family moved to Idaho, and while staying there, she 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. During this time, she had also written songs for Destiny's Child, and members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. In 2004, while pregnant with her son, she made a cameo appearance in Destiny's Child's music video for "Soldier".
After her divorce, Knowles returned to Houston to begin working on her second album. In 2007, Knowles renewed her management, signing a record deal with Geffen Records 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 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, with Ian Griffin of The Guardian considering 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 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 announced via her blog that she would be releasing a series of 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 Knowles released "Fuck the Industry (Signed Sincerely)" as a single in 2010.
In an interview with Vibe on July 7, 2010, Knowles said she suffered "a little bit of a Mental 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 ." 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 music record, but the lyrics can get pretty dark at times."
In September 2012, Knowles released a teaser video for "Losing You", which was announced as the lead single from the EP True. This release marked Knowles'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 had paid for Knowles 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 on November 27, 2012. The CD and vinyl was made available on January 8, 2013. Following the EP's release, Knowles 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 would be using to release her third full-length album and future music projects distributed through Sony. Saint Records was established to focus on not-yet mainstream hip-hop and R&B artists. She also collaborated with the Lonely Island on the song "Semicolon", which was showcased as part of YouTube's Comedy Week and is featured on the group's album, The Wack Album. On November 11, 2013, Knowles's record label released its first compilation album, Saint Heron.
In June 2017, Knowles performed at the Glastonbury Festival; her performance earned a perfect five-star review from Patrick Smith of The Daily Telegraph, who deemed her "an artist to be cherished" and the performance itself "fantastic theatre". In December 2017, Knowles directed the video for the song "The Weekend" by SZA. In 2019, Knowles performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival, the Parklife festival, the Lovebox Festival, and the Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival. On March 1, she released her fourth studio album, When I Get Home. She previously teased the album by posting two video snippets on her Instagram and Twitter as well as a personal web page on the African-American social networking site BlackPlanet. Stereo Williams of The Daily Beast deemed the album a confirmation that Knowles "is one of the most talented singer-songwriters of her generation".
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,Kellman, Andy. . AllMusic. Retrieved on July 22, 2009. psychedelic soul, electronica,Cinquemani, Sal. Review: Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams . Slant Magazine. Retrieved on July 22, 2009. and R&B.Sullivan, Caroline. Review: Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams . The Guardian. Retrieved on July 22, 2009.
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 drumming influences". Sonically the extended play is influenced by the keyboard sounds and beats of early 1980s pop and R&B music. The EP was recorded in five cities including Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Houston, New York, and on the German Autobahn. Her 2016 album, A Seat at The Table, discusses themes such as "Black women", "Southern culture and glory", and "what it means to be free and not free all at once".
Knowles has been described 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. In a cover interview with Toyin Ojih Odutola for Cultured Magazine, Knowles addressed her shift to minimalist fashion and the response she received from the public, "This idea that black women could not be minimalist, we could not be subtle— we have to be big, we have to be loud, we have to be an explosive presence."
At the 2017 Glamour Women of the Year awards, Knowles wore a yellow Jean-Paul Gaultier couture gown, with a blonde afro, and was named a Woman of the Year.
Knowles is an activist for the Black Lives Matter movement. After the Charleston church shooting in June 2015, Knowles released a statement posing the following questions: "Where can we be safe? Where can we be free? Where can we be black?" In July 2016, she marched in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in protest of the shooting of Alton Sterling; she also criticized police presence during the march.
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".
In 2009, Knowles was featured in Ocean Pacific's "Summer of Music" and "OPen Campus" ad campaigns.
In 2010, Knowles worked on the award-winning children's television series Yo Gabba Gabba!. She performed an original song "Momma Loves Baby" in the special episode titled "Baby". She also sang "Momma Loves Baby" live when the show toured the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
In 2011, Knowles, Alejandra Ramos Munoz and Zooey Deschanel were announced as the new faces of Rimmel London. At the time, Knowles was also the face of Carol's Daughter. She stepped down from this position in 2012, amid criticism of her natural hair.
In 2013, Knowles was named art director and creative consultant at Puma. In this role, she curated four women's shoe collections: "Girls of Blaze" (2014), "Wild Wonder" (2014), "Behind the Baazar" (2014) and "Word to the Woman" (2015).
In 2017, Knowles became the face of a Calvin Klein campaign.
In 2018, Knowles received the Artist of the Year award from the Harvard Foundation. She became the face of Mercedes-Benz's campaign #WEWONDER and Helmut Lang's fashion campaign. She also began a collaboration for interior design with IKEA.
In 2020, Knowles was the recipient of the inaugural Lena Horne Prize.
In 2022, Knowles was the star of LOUIS XIII's "Believe in Time" campaign. She was also honored with the 2022 NYU Global Trailblazer Award.
In 2023, Knowles designed a glassware collection, in collaboration with glassblower Jason McDonald.
In 2024, Knowles appeared alongside her mother in a Gucci Gift campaign.
In 2025, Knowles remixed Mariah Carey's 2006 song "Say Somethin'" for The Emancipation of Mimi's 20th anniversary reissue.
Knowles married music video director Alan Ferguson at the Marigny Opera House in New Orleans on November 16, 2014. The couple separated in 2019.
That year, Knowles began dating experimental jazz artist Gio Escobar from the band Standing on the Corner, with whom she had previously collaborated on her studio album When I Get Home. Knowles publicly acknowledged the relationship on Instagram in November 2020.
Credited as Solange Knowles-Smith |
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Chanel | |
Rachel | |
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The 30th Annual American Music Awards | Award show |
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The Brothers Garcia | |
Charlotte | |
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Singer | |
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Yo Gabba Gabba! | |
Random Acts of Flyness |
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