Mathew Knowles Wanted Solange To Join Destiny’s Child, But She Chose To ‘Forge Her Very Own Path’

Source: Solange for Black Planet / Solange

 

 

Mathew Knowles wanted his superstar daughter Solange to be a part of Destiny’s Child when he formed the famous group in 1990. But according to the former record exec, it seemed like Solange had her own unique vision for her music career.

On Nov. 6, the 70-year-old celeb took to Instagram to share how the Saint Heron founder forged her own musical path in the industry.

“Many of you aren’t aware, but I personally wanted Solange to be in Destiny’s Child. That didn’t appeal to her,” the star, who is also the father of Grammy-award-singer Beyoncé, wrote.

“You would think joining Destiny’s Child would be a dream to her, and she had every opportunity to seize the success that the group was experiencing—but she wanted to forge her very own path. She wanted to trust her own instincts. She loved music, but she just loved it from a different perspective…her own!”

 

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How Solange built her own creative path in the music industry

Solange stunned the world in 2002 when she released her debut album Solo Star, a contemporary R&B project filled with catchy choruses and big bassy beats. The album spawned two singles– “Feelin’ You” (featuring N.O.R.E.) and “Crush” which was later renamed to “Don’t Fight the Feeling.” The former reached no. 73 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart. In subsequent years, the Houston native’s sound and artistic vision grew with each album.

Solange followed up her first release with Sol-Angel and The Hadley St. Dream in 2008. Influenced by the Motown sound of the 60s and 70s, the singer began to craft her own unique sonic imprint on the album, by infusing elements of jazz, soul, and R&B. Years later, the multihyphenate earned her very first Grammy following the release of 2016’s A Seat at the Table, which birthed her croony R&B smash “Cranes in the Sky.” The star earned an award in the Best R&B Performance category.

Further along in his lengthy caption, Mr. Knowles congratulated his daughter for having unwavering “faith in herself.” “You see, I realized then that she had an unmatched character and an unwavering belief in herself. Me, as a father, could never get in the way of that. I finally supported and encouraged her decision. I didn’t fight against it anymore,” he wrote, before adding:

“I knew my Solange would be OK in this world of super-stardom that we were all getting used to at the time when I saw this level of resolve in her. I would love for all of you to take a page out of Solange’s book.”

In October, Solange made history when she became the first Black woman to score a composition for the New York City Ballet. As MADAMENOIRE previously reported, the Saint Records CEO was commissioned to perform a 30-minute piece called “Villanelle for Times,” a jazz-informed composition that was “filled with heavy brass” and haunting strings. Solange, 36, made the stunning piece to accompany “Play Time,” a new ballet performance by the esteemed choreographer, Gianna Reisen.

Now, the star continues to empower and uplift other creatives through her Saint Heron digital community. The 36-year-old founded the online platform in 2013, to highlight Black and brown creative voices across multimedia art, music, and design.

 

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