Solange Knowles Interviewed By Beyonce Knowles for Interview Magazine February 2017

Below is an excerpt of the interview:
“Solange was, of course, born and raised in Houston and fell in with the family biz (managed by her father, filling in from time to time with her sister’s Destiny’s Child). Since then she has ranged further afield, living in Los Angeles, in Brooklyn, popping up in the odd movie and TV show, even performing on Yo Gabba Gabba. For the past few years, she and her husband, the director Alan Ferguson, and her son, Julez, have lived in New Orleans, where she runs her record label and online cultural hub Saint Heron. In December, Solange brought it all full circle, getting on the phone with her big sis to talk about the challenges and achievements of a lifetime.  
BEYONCÉ: Are you exhausted? I know you had a parent-teacher conference …
SOLANGE: Yeah, I actually had to fly to Philly because there were no flights left to New York. And now I’m driving from Philly to New York. Well, I’m not driving, but …
BEYONCÉ: You have to drive? From Philly?
SOLANGE: Yeah. But it’s not bad. It’s only an hour and 40 minutes.
BEYONCÉ: Oh my God! Rock star. Well, it is a bit strange, because we’re sisters and we talk all the time, to be interviewing you. But I’m so happy to interview you because, clearly, I’m your biggest fan and I’m super proud of you. So we’ll start from the beginning. Growing up, you were always attracted to the most interesting fashion, music, and art. You were obsessed with Alanis Morissette and Minnie Riperton and mixing prints with your clothes … when you were only 10 years old. You would lock yourself in a room with your drum set and a record player and write songs. Do you remember that? Of course you do.
SOLANGE: I do. [both laugh]
BEYONCÉ: What else attracted you growing up?
SOLANGE: I remember having so much perspective about my voice, and how to use my voice, at such a young age—whether it was through dance, poetry, or coming up with different projects. I guess I always felt a yearning to communicate—I had a lot of things to say. And I appreciated y’all’s patience in the house during all of these different phases. They were not ever very introverted, quiet phases.
BEYONCÉ: No, not at all. [both laugh] I remember thinking, “My little sister is going to be something super special,” because you always seemed to know what you wanted. And I’m just curious, where did that come from?
SOLANGE: I have no idea, to be honest! I always knew what I wanted. We damn sure know that I wasn’t always right. [both laugh] But I’d sit firm, whether I was right or wrong. I guess a part of that was being the baby of the family and being adamant that, in a house of five, my voice was being heard. Another part is that I remember being really young and having this voice inside that told me to trust my gut. And my gut has been really, really strong in my life. It’s pretty vocal and it leads me. Sometimes I haven’t listened, and those times didn’t end up very well for me. I think all of our family—you and mom—we’re all very intuitive people. A lot of that comes through our mother, her always following her gut, and I think that spoke to me really loudly at a young age and encouraged me to do the same.”

Snapshot: Solange Knowles Interviewed By Beyonce Knowles for Interview Magazine February 2017
Photography: Mikael Jansson
Source: Interview Magazine