Beyonce’s younger sister Solange Knowles continues to creep under the shadows of her older sister. The Houston native is busy working on her fourth album, recording from New Orleans to New York.
In a recent interview with Concreteloop.com, Knowles dishes on addressing social issues with her 8-year old son, learning from him, and remaining focused.
Check out excerpts of her interview below:
On dealing with negativity online:
“A part of me kind of turns an eye to it, and then a part of me really feels like the humanization of artists has really been stripped down. I think one of the reasons I actually went off of Instagram because I was on there for little while [and I] would post pictures of my son or my friends, and they would be criticizing. My whole thing is that I’m completely fully, capable of handling negativity for myself, but to put that kind of access to negativity behind people who didn’t ask for that was really troubling to me.”
On learning from her son Julez:
“Every day I’m learning something. We were at Coney Island the other day and you know those shorts that have the names on the butt? I had one that said Brooklyn and it was tie dye and I thought they were super ill and he was like, ‘That’s inappropriate for your age.” And I was like, “Excuse me?” And he said, “Those are made for 17-year-old girls.” He definitely keeps it real when no one else [does]. The level of honesty and youth is just so raw and unfiltered. He’s also just such an eclectic kid. I’ve been so blessed for him to be able to travel with me, to experience and to have the exposure he’s had and also, just go back to Houston with his dad and just kick it. He’s definitely a very spirited kid. And every day just inspires me.”
On raising a young black male:
“I really try to keep him as open to all of those social issues. There’s been arguments of what’s too young to introduce those conversations. But I think the earlier you have a sense of the real world and the truth, the earlier you’re able to develop those decision-making tools when you’re in those positions. It’s a reality.”
On how she stays focused:
“I actually try my best to find silence at least once a day. Where I just shut off my brain and I just pray. It took me a long time to get to that space because I would do that and my mind would just race a million miles an hour.”
