It is hard to live up to one of the greatest entertainers of all time, her sister, Beyoncé, but Solange Piaget Knowles has done such a pretty good job to prove she is just as wonderful as her big sister.
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Solange grew up studying dance and theater. Fun fact she debuted her singing at an amusement park.
With a big sister whose career was already flourishing, Solange was ready to pursue recording at the age of 13, but her parents told her to wait, since she was still young, thus shifting her focus to songwriting. At 15, Solange jumped at the opportunity of replacing a dancer in her sister’s group Destiny’s Child, a move that kick-started her career.
For the most part, Solange has tried to keep a lot of her private life private but with today’s paparazzi, tabloids, and social media, it is hard to stay away completely. From being a teenage parent to her altercation with Jay-Z, here are 15 surprising facts about her private life.
15 She Loves Art
Solange is popularly known as a singer and songwriter, but what fans do not know about her is that she loves art. Growing up, she was obsessed with the likes of Alanis Morissette and Minnie Riperton. She now expresses her love for art in her fashion sense, songwriting skills, and music videography.
14 Her First Passion Was Songwriting
People often compare Solange to her sister who is undoubtedly the singer in the family. What fans do not know is that she enjoys singing (like her sister); however, she has different aspirations and is musically different from her. Her first passion is songwriting. Solange has written music for members of Destiny’s Child and her sister’s songs ‘Upgrade U’ and ‘Get Me Bodied.’
13 She Has Been Married Twice, The First At 17
Starting her career at 15, Solange was ready to settle done at just 17. She married her high school sweetheart Daniel Smith in 2004 who at that time was 19. Their marriage, unfortunately, did not withstand the test of time and ended three years later. At the age of 28, she decided to give this marriage thing another shot with music video director Alan Ferguson. Days before their fifth anniversary in 2019, the songstress announced that they had separated.
12 She Was A Teenage Mother
Getting married young came with its challenges. Solange gave birth to her son Daniel Julez Smith Jr when she was 19; she basically grew up with her son. Even though she publicly revealed that she calls her son the greatest unplanned blessing, she regrets giving birth at an early age and urges young girls to wait until they are of age.
11 Her Angel Wing Tattoo Has A Meaning
At the age of 30, Solange penned out an emotional letter for Teen Vogue where she revealed the meaning behind the angel wing tattoo she has on each of her wrists. One wing symbolizes the end of life and the other the beginning of a new one. The end was the departure of her childhood best friend, Marsai Song, who died due to gun violence and the beginning was the birth of her son Julez.
10 She Was Obsessed With Rapper Nas
At the age of 14 and all through high school, Solange was obsessed with rapper Nas. She even went as far as getting his name encrusted in her nails when in junior high. Solange who was in a Christian school was suspended for refusing to take down a Nas poster from her locker. Everyone who knew her knew she was his biggest fan. This has toned down over the years since meeting him.
9 She Is A Good Mom
There is this notion that celebrity kids are spoilt, this is not the case with Daniel Julez Smith. Even though Solange gave birth young and had a lot of growing up to do, she has always taken her motherhood role seriously. During an interview on The Hot 97 Morning Show, she revealed she follows traditional values to raising her son. She strives to ensure that he remains humble and down to earth despite their status.
8 She Had Beef With Her Brother-In-Law
Back in 2014, a video of Solange kickboxing her brother in law, Jay-Z in an elevator while Beyoncé tried to separate them, went viral. We may never know what caused that altercation because there was no audio available, but the two have since put this incident behind them.
7 Solange Can DJ
If this singing thing or songwriting was not working for Solange, she has a fall back plan of pursuing a disk jockey career. Beyoncé and Jay-Z once gifted her turntables on her birthday and it seems she has been practicing. Solange shocked fans when she DJ’ed a party at the Ferragamo store and again at the Luxe Lavazza event.
6 She Once Overdosed On NyQuil
Nyquil is an over-the-counter medication used to treat flu and the common cold. Back in 2014, Solange tweeted that she had overdosed on Nyquil and vowed never to use it again. The singer passed out at the LAX airport and people rushed her to the hospital because of taking too much NyQuil.
