SOLANGE TALKS TO ESSENCE MAG ABOUT HER DIVORCE, SON, BEING AN ARTIST, AND FAMILY

ESSENCE.com: As you know there’s a lot of mystery surrounding your relationship with your husband, Daniel Smith, so let’s just go ahead and get that out of the way. Are you still married? Solange Knowles: Well, I am no longer married, but I think it’s very important not to dish details. We are friends and we coparent our son. When he gets older I don’t want him to read anything about me saying anything about his father or vice versa. When there’s a child involved I think the less information given is best. ESSENCE.com: So just to clear things up, how did you two meet? S.K.: We met at a high school party through mutual friends. He was in high school and I was 13 and in middle school. We were together seven years, so it wasn’t just some random guy. We were basically high school sweethearts. ESSENCE.com: Do you have any regrets about the situation? Did you feel forced or pressured to get married? S.K.: No, I think every decision has made me who I am today. I’ve embraced everything because I know that only God can give life, no one else. I’m happy that I have a beautiful, wonderful, amazing child who’s made me a better person. ESSENCE.com: Speaking of which, let’s talk about little Daniel Julez. How old is he now? Is he talking? S.K.: Oh gosh, yes, he’s more than talking and has a smart mouth already. He’ll be 3 this month. ESSENCE.com: Considering the talent that runs in your family, do you think he’s headed for the industry? S.K.: Unfortunately, it seems like something he’s interested in. He really likes the limelight. ESSENCE.com: He made an appearance on the Today Show with you to promote Baby Jamz. What is it and how did that come about? S.K.: Baby Jamz is a passion project for me inspired by my son, who loves hip-hop music. I wanted to do a children’s album, which I talked about in the media a couple of times. This toy company that wanted to launch an urban toy line reached out to my father about me. I ended up giving them a lot of ideas and became an executive on the account. I had to go to Bentonville, Arkansas (Wal-Mart’s headquarters), put on my suit and make this presentation. It was really cool for me and good training as an executive. (These toys are available exclusively at Wal-Mart.) ESSENCE.com: So does your son actually play with the toys? S.K.: Oh, absolutely. And I’m kind of sick of hearing my voice on them. ESSENCE.com: With all the work you’ve done with children’s entertainment, do you consider yourself a role model? S.K.: Some people might say I can’t call myself a role model, having a son so young or doing whatever, but I hope people can look at the good things I do and learn from them. I don’t exactly aspire to be a role model for young girls, though. I think that puts too much pressure on you, and the minute you say you want to be a role model is the minute you’re going to have fingers pointed at you. At the end of the day, I just do the best I can. ESSENCE.com: You’re working on a new album—how’s the record coming along and what can people expect? S.K.: It’s titled Solange & The Hadley Street Dreams, and the sound of the record is very unique. It’s a melting pot of old sixties and seventies soul mixed with electronica. I wasn’t going to do another record because I didn’t want to be in the limelight. I liked staying home with my son and expressing myself through writing. But things happened in my life that I wanted to discuss and vent about, so that’s how the record came about. ESSENCE.com: Would you say it’s different from your debut album, Solo Star ? S.K.:Definitely because I was young when I recorded my first record. I knew what kind of artist I wanted to be, but I didn’t know how to carry it out. And I wasn’t brave enough to carry it out because I was more concerned with pleasing my label. For this record, I was blessed to go in the studio without anyone else’s direction. I think the reason I’m able to do this record is because I’m more confident in myself. I don’t have to feed into anybody’s expectations of me. You have to know when to say no and when it’s worth it to say yes. ESSENCE.com: So have you written most of this album? Who else have you written for? S.K.: I cowrote “Upgrade U” and “Get Me Bodied” on my sister’s record, and I have a song on Kelly’s album called “Love.” I also did a couple of commercial works for Wal-Mart and L’Oréal. I recently signed a publishing deal with EMI and they are definitely putting me to work. And I’ve written 80 to 90 percent of everything on my new album. The one cowrite I do have is with (R&B singer) Bilal. Other than him, I have Q-Tip on the record, who is someone I grew up admiring as an artist, and I have a song with Marsha Ambrosius from Floetry. To get more info on that infamous Lil Wayne rumor and more, make sure you read the full interview over at ESSENCE.COM.