Solange Knowles facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Solange Knowles
Knowles in 2019
Born	Solange Piaget Knowles (1986-06-24) June 24, 1986 (age 38) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Other names	Solange Knowles-Smith
Occupation	Singer songwriter producer actress performance artist
Years active	2001–present
Spouse(s)	Daniel Smith ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2007)​ Alan Ferguson ​ ​ (m. 2014; sep. 2019)​
Children	1
Parent(s)	Mathew Knowles Tina Knowles
Relatives	Beyoncé (sister)
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	R&B pop hip hop soul
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Music World Columbia Interscope Geffen A&M Terrible Saint
Associated acts	Destiny's Child Blood Orange Patrick Wimberly Master P Sean Nicholas Savage Raphael Saadiq

Solange Piaget Knowles (born June 24, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is also known for her work as a producer and performance artist. Solange showed an interest in music from a young age.

She started as a backup dancer for Destiny's Child, a famous group that included her older sister Beyoncé. Later, Solange signed with her father's music label, Music World Entertainment. At just 16, she released her first album, Solo Star (2002). She also acted in movies like Johnson Family Vacation (2004) and Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006).

In 2007, Solange started making music again. Her second album, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams (2008), was very different from her first. It was inspired by Motown sounds from the 1960s and 1970s. This album was very popular and received good reviews. She then released the EP True (2012), which had a 1980s pop and R&B feel.

Her third album, A Seat at the Table (2016), was highly praised and became her first album to reach number one in the United States. The song "Cranes in the Sky" from this album won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance. Her fourth album, When I Get Home, came out in 2019 and also received great reviews.

Solange says her main passion is songwriting. She has been recognized by Billboard as a successful dance artist. In 2017, she received the "Impact Award" at the Billboard Women in Music event. She has also worked with brands like Rimmel London and created hip-hop themed products for young children.

Solange has also explored performance art. She has worked in museums and exhibitions around the world, including the Elbphilharmonie and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. In 2022, she made history by becoming the third woman and first African American to compose music for the New York City Ballet.

Early Life and Beginnings

Solange Piaget Knowles was born on June 24, 1986, in Houston, Texas. Her parents are Mathew Knowles and Tina Knowles. Her older sister is the famous singer Beyoncé. Her father is African American, and her mother has Louisiana Creole heritage.

As a child, Solange studied dance and theater. She sang for the first time at age five at Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston. By age nine, she was writing songs. At 13, she wanted to start recording music, but her parents suggested she wait. When Destiny's Child was on tour in 2000, Solange filled in as a temporary backup dancer. At 15, she became a full-time dancer for the group on tour.

Music Career Highlights

Starting Out: Solo Star

Solange began her music career in 2001. Her father, Mathew, managed her. She sang the theme song for the TV show The Proud Family, with Destiny's Child singing backup. She also sang on the soundtrack for the movie Austin Powers in Goldmember in 2002.

At 14, Solange started working on her first album, Solo Star. She worked with famous producers like Jermaine Dupri and Timbaland. She recorded the album with her father's label, Music World Entertainment, and Columbia Records. The album mainly featured R&B music, but also had pop, rock, reggae, and hip hop influences. Solange helped write and produce some of the songs.

Solo Star was released on January 21, 2003. It reached number 49 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States. Critics had mixed feelings about the album.

Acting and Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams

Knowles performing in Manchester in 2008

After her first album, Solange started acting. In 2004, she appeared in the TV show One on One. She also starred in the comedy film Johnson Family Vacation with Cedric the Entertainer and Bow Wow. She sang the song "Freedom" for the movie's soundtrack. Critics praised her performance in the film.

In 2006, she played a cheerleading captain in Bring It On: All or Nothing. This was the third movie in the Bring It On series. For her acting roles, she used her full name, Solange Knowles-Smith, at the time.

While she was married, Solange wrote songs for her sister Beyoncé's album B'Day, including "Get Me Bodied" and "Upgrade U". She also wrote songs for Destiny's Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.

After her divorce, Solange returned to Houston to work on her second album. In 2007, she signed with Geffen Records and EMI. Her second album, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams, was released on August 26, 2008. This album was different, with a mix of 1960s and 1970s sounds, hip-hop, R&B, blues, and jazz. Critics loved the album. The first song from the album, "I Decided", became very popular and reached the top of the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.

True EP and Saint Records

Knowles performing at SXSW 2013

In 2009, Solange started thinking about the sound for her next album. She decided to release her third album independently, meaning without a major record label. In 2010, she worked with the Australian rock band Midnight Juggernauts. She also appeared on the children's show Yo Gabba Gabba! and sang a song called "Momma Loves Baby".

In 2010, Solange shared that making her new album was challenging. She said she felt very anxious at times because she was working so hard on the music. She described the new album as a "dance record" with "dark" lyrics, inspired by new wave music.

In September 2012, Solange released a video for "Losing You". This song was the first single from her EP True. The video was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa. The True EP was released digitally on November 27, 2012.

On May 14, 2013, Solange started her own record label called Saint Records. She planned to release her own music and help other new hip-hop and R&B artists through this label. Saint Records released its first album, Saint Heron, in November 2013.

Recent Success: A Seat at the Table and When I Get Home

Knowles in 2017

In May 2015, Solange performed a new song called "Rise". This song was inspired by protests in Ferguson and Baltimore. In July 2015, she announced that her third album was almost finished. On her 30th birthday, June 24, 2016, she shared that she had completed A Seat at the Table just a few days before.

The album was released on September 30, 2016, and received amazing reviews. It became her first number-one album in the United States. This made Solange and Beyoncé the first sisters to both have number-one albums in the same year. Soon after, Solange released music videos for "Don't Touch My Hair" and "Cranes in the Sky", which she co-directed.

In June 2017, Solange performed at the Glastonbury Festival. Her performance was highly praised. In December 2017, she directed the music video for the song "The Weekend" by SZA. In 2019, Solange performed at several music festivals. On March 1, 2019, she released her fourth album, When I Get Home. Critics called it a confirmation that she is one of the most talented singer-songwriters of her generation.

Artistic Style

Music and Inspirations

For her first album, Solange didn't have much control over the music style. She felt she had to please her record label. However, on her second album, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams, she felt more grown up and could create the music she truly wanted.

Solange's songs often talk about relationships, world issues, and friends she has lost. Her second album focused on her own life events, like marriage, divorce, and being a parent. This album included different music styles such as pop-soul, psychedelic soul, electronica, and R&B.

Her EP True is a new wave album. Solange described it as "eclectic" with influences from the 1980s and African percussion. The sounds were inspired by keyboard and beats from early 1980s pop and R&B music. Her 2016 album, A Seat at The Table, explores themes like "black womanhood," "Southern culture," and what it means to be free.

Performance Art and Ballet

Besides being a singer-songwriter, Solange also creates performance art. She is interested in how the audience and performer connect. She has presented her art around the world, including at the Elbphilharmonie and the Getty Museum. In November 2019, she directed and composed a performance called In Past Pupils and Smiles at the Venice Art Biennale.

In August 2022, the New York City Ballet announced that Solange would compose music for their Fall Fashion Gala. This made her the third woman and first African American to create music for the ballet company.

Other Projects

In 2007, Solange started promoting Baby Jamz, a line of hip-hop themed toys for young children. She was the executive producer of the CD that came with the toys, which featured hip-hop versions of nursery rhymes.

In 2008, she became an ambassador for Giorgio Armani's Armani Jeans line. Armani said Solange represented the brand's cool and independent style. In 2009, she was part of Ocean Pacific's ad campaigns.

In 2010, Solange worked on the children's TV show Yo Gabba Gabba!. She sang an original song called "Momma Loves Baby" in a special episode.

In 2011, Solange became one of the new faces for Rimmel London cosmetics. She was also the face of Carol's Daughter, a beauty brand, but left in 2012.

In 2013, Solange became an art director and creative consultant for Puma. She helped create four collections of women's shoes for the brand. In 2017, she was featured in a Calvin Klein campaign.

In 2018, Solange received the Artist of the Year award from the Harvard Foundation. She also worked with Mercedes-Benz and Helmut Lang on campaigns. She even started a project for interior design with IKEA.

In 2020, Solange received the first Lena Horne Prize. In 2022, she was the star of LOUIS XIII's "Believe in Time" campaign and received the NYU Global Trailblazer Award. In 2023, she designed a glassware collection with glassblower Jason McDonald. In 2024, she appeared with her mother in a Gucci Gift campaign.

House of Deréon

Solange and her sister Beyoncé modeled for their family's clothing line, House of Deréon. The line was named after their grandmother, Agnéz Deréon. Solange also helped launch Deréon, a clothing line for younger people. Both sisters were featured in many of Deréon's ads, including a "Got Milk?" campaign.

Saint Heron

In 2013, Solange launched Saint Heron, a digital platform. It was created as a place to celebrate and share the work of Black artists. In May 2021, Saint Heron grew into an institution that includes a studio, a creative agency, a library, and an art gallery.

Personal Life

Relationships

Solange married Daniel Smith in the Bahamas in February 2004. She was 17 and he was 19. They had a son on October 18, 2004. After their son was born, the family moved to Moscow, Idaho, where Daniel continued college. Solange and Daniel divorced in 2007. After that, Solange divided her time between Los Angeles and Houston. In 2011, she and her son moved to Brooklyn, and then to New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2013.

Solange married music video director Alan Ferguson in New Orleans on November 16, 2014. The couple separated in 2019. Later that year, Solange began a relationship with experimental jazz artist Gio Escobar.

Discography

• Solo Star (2002)
• Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams (2008)
• A Seat at the Table (2016)
• When I Get Home (2019)

Tours

Headlining

• Solo Star Tour (2003)
• The Art of Love Tour (2008)
• Solange Presents Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams Tour (2008)
• True Promo Tour (2012)
• Orion's Rise (2017)

Supporting

• Simply Deeper Tour (2003)
• The Justified World Tour (2003-2004)

Filmography

Film

Television

Achievements

At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017, Solange won her first Grammy Award. She won for Best R&B Performance for her song "Cranes in the Sky". This was her first Grammy nomination. In 2017, she also won a Glamour Award for Woman of the Year. She was also the first person to win the Billboard Women in Music Impact Award. Solange has won several other awards, including a BET Award, a Soul Train Music Award, and a Webby Award.

See also

In Spanish: Solange Knowles para niños